Elegy and Dance for Viola and Piano

Very nice! Interesting rhythmic ideas as Anders said.

Thanks Bob, any other comments? Criticism welcomed...

Hi Matt

I found my way in here, at last, and a good thing I did.

The music is a pleasure to listen to! It is, perhaps lacking a bit of undividuallity, but I think it is because I've not heard anything else from you. So point me to the right direction please. (unless everything is in acidplanet, in which case I'll check it out myself.

As I said, a pleasure!

Both performers, do their job! Was wondering if you were happy with the performance of the 6plets and then 7plets straight in the row. It's a difficult rhythm, and it felt that you used rubato to faciliate it a bit. But never the less it felt right for me, so consider this (and the next question) as "academic" questions, and ponderings.

why no rhythm in certain parts? I mean why only the notehead, and not indicate further what you want the violonist to play? Cause to tell you the truth, whenever I do suck things it's usually because I'm bored to find a "proper" (musical) reason to have a certain rhythm, so I leave it to the performers!

On the score, the score was excellent, don't mind RM Clarinet, he indeed doesn't appear to know l.v (which could be LET VIBRATE you French liking you! ) and there is no problem as far as I could browse hastily. Only a bit of spelling here and there. (bar 31, for example, viola, why an E# and not an F? Makes me wonder for a typo, actually in that place, and a few more here and there). As far as I know it's far more difficult for a string player to play C-E# than a simple C-F.

Either way a very very enjoyable work of music. Thank you for sharing

Hi Nikolas, thanks for looking. You have actually seen some of my work before! Remember hexachords?

I guess you're right to an extent about the 'improvised' rhythm (the falling chromatic part), I think the main reason I left it like that was to leave some room for interpretation - depending on what the violist was doing with the cadenza at that point. In the recording I think Marine took it quite quickly, and aggressively at that point. Anyway I think that now I would have come up with a different solution to the problem.

I hope you don't think it's too un-individual, the main comment I've had back so far elsewhere is that the harmonic language in particular is quite personal - but I'd be very interested to know what you think.

Spelling, you're probably right also about that E-sharp, although it's actually approached from a C-sharp, which in tonal terms is probably easier to play (e-sharp c-sharp d-sharp) (as if it were in C-sharp major).

Just bumping this thread because anyone who's been having trouble with viewing the enormous pdf score should now be able to view it without any problems. As always comments welcomed of any kind!

Cheers!

I really like this a lot. I'm a huge fan of the viola (one of the most overlooked common instrument), and this piece is written very well for the instrument. You utilize both the low range and the higher range of the viola very well, keeping it within a comfortable range for most of the piece, while occasionally pushing it up, but not so much that it's unplayable.

The glisses were really neat effects that you incorporated well. I'm a huge fan of effects if they're used properly, and you use them well; it helps that you use them so often and so consistently. It almost becomes part of the language you use for this piece.

Very well done, and I'm very happy that you managed to get a good recording of this; a midi would not have done this piece justice.

I love the degree of control you wield over your material, Matt. Particularly with regards to harmony. I can't say I was a fan of the gliss.'s because in my mind it detracts from this overall feeling of precise control. But it's a small quibble.

The cadenza is interesting and just generally well put together. Those disjunct lines are a world apart from what I'd normally write, but they still "work".

My impressed-ness is veiled with a thin layer of commissioned criticism here. I haven't got much else to say, other than good job as per usual.

May I ask how you got the performance, purely out of interest? Are they people you know?

Hey Mike, thanks for your comments it's actually nice to hear some criticism, especially when it's about the music and how it's constructed. I managed to get the recording because my uncle teaches at the academy, and met the violist at a master class somewhere like sydney or something so he recommended her to me, and because she's a student it wasn't too expensive. Actually she's not completely happy with it, and wants to rerecord in the RCM studio at some point, which would be great.

Hehe, you know what they say...it's who you know, not what you know.

As for the comments, you're welcome.

Sorry to be bumping a fairly old thread
Matt, from just looking at your piece, it looks very beautiful not only in the music but the score itself - what program to do use?

This reason I am bumping this is because I am having some trouble in getting to actually listen to you piece and I was wondering if anyone else was having the same problem.