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I don't think you'll ever see anything like this again from me, really. I didn't do much of the actual sound design of the piece, but I was in charge of coming up with a lot of the ideas and progress/gestures for it. Check out the poster's album if you like this piece, he did a really good job.

Wow, well done! I'm humbled by this entry. The fourth variation was my favorite -- it was heartfelt and elegant, and something about the arrangement reminded me of film music.

I'm always the first proponent of more chord variation. While I thought it was clever how you went from Eb minor to G# minor then back to Eb minor, everything within those sections got quickly stale... similar chord progressions in the Eb minor parts and I think only a couple other chords in the G# minor section. On top of that, the same motifs largely repeat in these sections which adds to that feeling. The horns are going to get tired of playing that. It's bellowing and doesn't really stop for a good enough breath, especially in the G# minor section. I didn't get a sense of harshness through any of it. I got a sense of volume, definitely, but I don't think that's what you were going for. Doesn't sound bad by any means, there's just a lot of the same for something that should be a lot more impactful.

More chord variation is one thing, but the ostinato rhythm continues without change for, I think, way too long. The singers are out of tune, both sharp and flat depending on the note. It just sounds so unassuming; I want to hear more happen. I want to feel emotion, rather than be complacent.

Oh wow! These are fantastic! All your variations were well paced and had variety to keep interest. I'm not a pianist, so I can't really comment on the technical aspects of it, though it does look a little difficult (to me lol). You should get someone on this site to record it live (*cough* Sonataform *cough*)

This is a nice set of variations! I was especially impressed with the 7th variation. My only complaint in regards to the form/structure is that I wish there was a more..."finality"...at the end. Maybe a more developed coda would help. The key signature throughout the piece is definitely not friendly to string players. Granted, the original theme is in D-Flat major, but an orchestra has the advantage of not playing double stops in this annoyingly treacherous key. Some of the double stops look awfully awkward and hard, especially in the viola and cello. The first half note in measure 3 of the theme is impossible to play by a single player. In the violin pizzicato variation (I think its the 2nd?) the grace notes and triplets are not going to come out clean, especially at that tempo...maybe not even then.

I like this concept of things. I have no idea of how to do things like this (well I can imagine, but I am accostumed to my piano solo). So, when the electronics go so well, I enjoy it a lot. Ther are fantastic sections (2:55 with that slap bass or whatever; 5:00 I love it). Surprisint final part.