Adagio 'for Eva' - Piano Trio (mp3 + score)

Originally Posted by Majesty

I enjoyed your piece.
I like the simple and clean approach to you took. However, on a personal note I would have liked just a tiny bit more melodic interaction or dialogue between the instruments. I think such a nice combination of timbres deserve a little bit of dialogue. It seems that the most individual interaction occured near the end of the piece.
I liked the "emotional surprises". I wasn't sold on the ending though. I think you have a nice piece and your message and the intent came through with ease.

Your comments are much appreciated and taken into consideration! I am currently working on another piece for the same instruments, for which I will try to implement a more contrapuntal (statement-answer) approach.

The interaction occured near the end because that's where I wanted to bring these 2 sides (reflected by the timbral qualities) together.

I don't understand the expression 'I wasn't sold'. Could you explain? I am not a native English speaker.

I appreciate your reviewing my work and I was very glad you enjoyed it! Thanks a lot!

I'm sorry. What I meant to say is that the ending didn't seem convincing to me. To my ears wasn't a definite ending. Did you intend for it to come across that way?

That was exactly the way I intended it.

As Nikolas said, 'saying hello while leaving' (a bullseye comment). I am glad the non-definite of the ending got through. Bryan suggested (and gave me the idea) of writing another movement, maybe developing this into a 2 or 3 movement piano trio. Given the inspiration, I feel that would be good idea!

Thanks, Majesty!

I very much enjoyed this. The ending, I thought, worked brilliantly, it seemed very incomplete, and just as Nikolas descibed it, very well done

I look forward to hearing more of your music.

Mark

Thanks, Mark, for your kind comments.

Hopefully I will soon feel confident enough to post more...

At last, I managed to produce a decent score for your better reviewing. It is attached at the first post...

Still to come: The actual performance...

I really enjoyed this piece, it had a really beautiful atmosphere throughout and all your musical ideas are laid out clearly.

Your score looks very nice (a big issue for me, score presentation) and your musical grammar is good (such as writing a G# after the A flat in bar 27 which makes it correct intervallically and harmonically) I have seen many scores where basic musical notation is so poor that it puts me off even listening to it, but I am very strict

The piano writing reminds me of Arvo Part in his simplicity of using arpeggios, and the use of the low register open 5ths and octaves it really lovely.

I think, more interaction between the parts would work better perhaps some supporting harmony lines or even independent counter point. The musical material is relatively simple, so you could probably decorate it in the part that is not playing it.

You do introduce 2 part writing a little later which works nicely, but maybe a little bit more? I can understand how you may not want to over clutter the texture so that makes sense.

As has been said before, the ending is a little sudden, maybe another 2 bars leading into that would be more effective but it is your personal choice, perhaps it could lead in attacca to another movement?

A great piece though and you should definitely put more of your stuff up here! That's an order!

Thanks for your review, friend! It means a lot to me!

About the score; it is a big issue for me as well...I am struggling towards producing scores of sufficient quality.

About the piano part...Arvo Part is always a (subconscious) influence...it is interesting for me you noticed that!

About the counterpoint...I thought about ways of (subtly) having the other player be more active, but I felt it ruined the form I wanted to give it. So I had to withhold the interaction for the end of the piece where everything forms a coherent whole. I would not change this piece, but I would gladly listen to any recommendations/ suggestions for such an endeavor in future music.

The ending...I am sorry it didn't work for you; the next movement idea seems very juicy for me...it will depend on whether I feel I have to express musically something else...

I am very happy you liked it and I appreciate your comments and suggestions!

And, YES SIR, I will gladly post some more, when I can (I am a working man...)!

I thought the ending was a very nice touch - it sort of grabs you out of the tonality and thrusts you into a new one suddenly... its an idea that I am very keen on.

Do you need to make a note of the clusters if it is only three notes? You could just write out the notes and not have to deal with the performance instruction.

I can definitely feel the Pink Floyd influence here. At times, the piano part sounds like a rock ballad accompaniement. I like how you have taken this 'sound' and placed it into an unfamiliar context.

One thing I noticed is that the piano seemed especially dominant here, and you didn't much explore the capabilities flute, since it seems to stay in its weakest register - by weak I mean that it isn't the hushed beauty of the low register or the noble brilliance of the top register, its just sort of in the plain, flute-y register. Of course, there is nothing especially wrong with this, but I could imagine the flute taking on a more interesting role here. You did use the cello more convincingly, and the ending was great, since the cello was in its high register and you could hear the 'straining' tone well, which went with the mood of the music.

Hey, Nightscape,

about your comments...

On the clusters, I like to treat clusters differently from harmonic notes. Kind of like using 'noise' in the music, instead of notes. A pianist has a different mindset when playing notes and a different when playing cluster chords. The specifications underneath deal with a combination that I feel captures the cluster-ness [sic] I wish to convey, but without ruining the balance in that section. I know my perspective is kind of weird, but I feel this makes for a good discussion topic.

On the flute, you are absolutely right! I love the trumpet-ey lower registers of the flute. Initially this Adagio explored both the lower and upper registers of the instrument. But, the flutist is a beginner (as is the cellist ->me ). The low notes weren't loud and pure enough and the upper weren't balanced with the rest of the ensemble. So I asked for her input, and the result is what you saw in the score.

Thanks for your comments. They are pretty deep and insightful.
Much appreciated!