Concerto for violin and orchestra

I'm astounded.

You have a strong, unique musical language, and the performances of your works bring out its energy. I enjoyed this piece very much. I can't really say much more than this - just that I wanted to make it known that I think this work is first rate.

Great achievement!

Thanks, Austenite! I am well satisfied with this concerto. Next concerto which I will compose in future will be for piccolo and orchestra. Probably will be finished in late 2012.

Crt

I hope you're still around to upload its premiere. Keep up!

My congratulations on a mature, well-crafted and lyrical work. The recording and the soloist are first-rate. Orchestration is particularly well-handled as is the balence of a solo instrument against the orchestra; sometimes they are together, sometimes in opposition. I was reminded a little of Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto in this aspect.

I have a few small criticisms:

The use of rhythm in the music is a little disappointing by the end. The opening 20 seconds are really interesting, with the different timbres of the winds all overlapping and creating striking rhythmic and colouristic effects. It's a really good opening but as the rest of the concerto goes on there is not really anything to match it. Most of the melodic and accompanying material uses quite simple rhythms, and I think the last movement suffers from a lack of excitement because of this.

The structure of the last section (cadenza-last movement) was not as good as it might have been and I felt a bit confused as to what was happening. You start off well by suddenly introducing a fast idea, but this soon dies out and the piece goes back to slow music. Then comes the cadenza and then eventually more fast music to end the piece. It could work, but I think you don't allow us to become familiar enough with the fast idea before moving on. Given that most of the concerto is in moderate tempo, I don't think it would suffer from hearing more of this section. Perhaps move the cadenza to straight after the end of the slow movement, or have a longer amount of fast music before it?

Siwi, thanks for review. Since it was composed for a talented 18 year old violinist (not the one on recording though) I used some simpler rhythms on purpose. I was thinking a lot about third movement, but this was always the best solution for me. I will take your review in highest respect and will think about it in my next concerto (it will be for piccolo).

I am not yet familiar with your profile, but I consider you highly professional.

I usually don't comment on music on this site because I don't think I have much to say, and even less when it comes to contemporary music. But I have heard quite a few nice works, and this is one of them ! Great job!

This sounds incredibly unique, especially from the way it begins, almost seeming to organically grow out of itself into an introduction. This is great music.

Incredible, this is actually an interesting piece of music. Your sense of tension and relief is literally unparalleled by any other member on this site. As far as that last movement, I look forward to seeing how you handle yourself in the piccolo concerto, but have you thought of giving this a day to revise a few bars here and there? Shouldn't take too much work, and by making the backgrounds more syncopated, polyrhythmic, just overall more complex, layered, multifaceted and interesting.......I'd say a day or two of revising this would make a good work a great one, since you wouldnt be limited by the original performance limitations.

This is the stuff of genius! NICE!

Incredible, this is actually an interesting piece of music. Your sense of tension and relief is literally unparalleled by any other member on this site. As far as that last movement, I look forward to seeing how you handle yourself in the piccolo concerto, but have you thought of giving this a day to revise a few bars here and there? Shouldn't take too much work, and by making the backgrounds more syncopated, polyrhythmic, just overall more complex, layered, multifaceted and interesting.......I'd say a day or two of revising this would make a good work a great one, since you wouldnt be limited by the original performance limitations.

I prefer not to make any changes when performed. But I shall take your suggestions into consideration when writing the next orchestral composition. Thanks!

I like it! Now put up a score!

I like it! Now put up a score!

You got it.

Ah... really glad to listen to this amazing concerto before i get older... thanks

This is great!!! The double stops for the solo violin are really percussive and cool! Love the tremelos so much as well Great writing!

Very little to add as this is a very polished work done at a professional level. The influences I hear are Dutilleix, some Syzmanowski, and then a few more modern trends with the use of the percussion at times (some bebop in there with the bongos).

To me the hyperpulse gets a little too consistent. You create great rhythmic interest over a few measures but to my ear sometimes your larger downbeats (every few measures) gets too consistent. Not much though. The brief first cadenza and then the gliss sul pont entry of the string choir is a wonderful break and to me does some wonderful things with the larger rhythm. Just keep in mind what you did there - it works wonderfully.

What I admire most is how well you vary the timbre of the very opening accompaniment - at first winds mostly - bongos pick it up - stirings - then later on fragments of the winds (primarily flutes , clarinets) over long tones which serve as a nice way of looking backward to the opening and forward to the development of the cadenza lyrical passage you bring in a tad earlier.

Once in awhile I do hear cinematic influences to your orchestration - around the gong and the introduction of a secondary theme in the horns - reminiscent of some of the more adventuresome American scores from the 50's and early 60's.

I do think the monothematic treatment is a great way to unify it --- but I think the use of long pedal points once in awhile seem to be filler. I mean in a work of this length you end up doing this - just letting you know though it can sound slightly apparent - not much.

The things I mention are very very small and do not diminiosh significantly from my enjoyment of the work.

The fast section is a nice stylistic change - this is just taste I wish we had some brighter doublings against the violin as it does stay in its low and mid range - the contrast would have been more exciting.

I find how you treat the faster material fine - structurally the fast section is the one area where the violin totally commits to taking the opening accompaniment and making it its own but never seems as at home as with the longer toned and more lyrical melody. Yet, you make this quite violinistic and give it a slightly gypsy flavor.


My only problem with the work and when it diminishes my enjoyment of it is the end. The orchestratiopn seems a little to thin, possibly add contrabass, longer sustained tones in the brass, possibly have one of the choirs support the solo violin to keep it balanced. I also expected the bongos to offer the last word in the piece - it would have added a more original and fuller sound to the end. Or if you want that ending a build preceeding it to a fuller sound that provides a climax but keeps the piece in suspense would work well too.

Again, this is something to keep in mind for your next piece.

Many thanks for all comments and reviews!

Excellent! An example of a complete composer! Bravo sir!

Keep fingers crossed, I have submitted this work for potential performance at World Music Days in 2013.

This is amazing! I would definitely play this!! It will only be a matter of time before this finds itself in the standard violin repertoire

This is amazing! I would definitely play this!! It will only be a matter of time before this finds itself in the standard violin repertoire

Violinboy1996, if the opportunity comes, I'll be more than happy!