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Thanks for the comments! I wish to address the simple things first and go to more complex: 1. Big time signatures: Just a preference. My mentor told to use them on large scores to make it easier for a conductor to read. Especially if it is for a quick event like a recording session or few rehearsals. The score is 11"x17" and in-person, the measures are big. I am not worried about reading viability. 2. There is a melody. The entire works is based off the Augmented Chord (C-E-Ab). The arpeggio is the melody and throughout the entire piece, the note Ab is structural. 3. The jurors may have a lot of submissions and they may not listen to the entire work, however, I also have faith that they are smart enough to make proper decisions as they know their ensemble better than I do. I did research into their group and thankfully, they have published their previous programs. They have done programs to capture images, scenes, or landscapes. (See Attached) In my opinion, I wanted to submit this score based on the organizations history as it may fit their direction. 4. With the contrapuntal point, I feel that is just my style. I do reuse that theme and other themes a few times; especially at the end where it is prolonged forever. Thanks again and I hope this sheds some light!

Hello @MK_Piano, I'm afraid my comments are nice, but perhaps not very helpful in terms of the desired feedback on the ensemble execution etc. Regarding the review of @interlect, I would not be as critical proposing to throw away the first half waiting for the „action“. Let me put it in my own words: there is no lack of „originality“ in the sense that something unexpected has to happen in order to capture the audience and the judges or that the piece is „boring“ in the first half. I think, you have done an excellent job to express the scenes about the ocean musically, and with your program notes in mind, I can imagine exactly which scene your music is actually „painting“. (And even without the knowledge about the meaning of the eight scenes, my imagination while listening would be very similar.) But the objection that the jurors could quickly lose their attention cannot be dismissed out of hand. I think that is an inherent „issue“ or „danger“ (whatever one likes to call it) of „programmatic music“, which is perfect in telling stories and depicting visual scenes or emotions. However - and that is my personal taste or preference as a composer which usually uses contrapuntual technique - there is no standalone musical theme which is exposed prominently at the beginning of the piece and than developed throughout the piece creating the required recognition effect (as opposed to, for example, Beethoven's 5th Symphony, to give an extreme example). In your first scene „The Shore, Waves Crashing“ you have musically painted that shore and the waves (for about 25 seconds) with timpani and base instruments. So perhaps it would be enough time to introduce a melody in these bars that is already present and developed further later in the piece? One could imagine a person sitting on the shore playing the melody on the guitar (or something like that)? A short sentence about the score, more for my curiosity: I noticed that there are in all of your scores HUGE meter signatures. Is there a specific reason for this (e.g. it is common for conductors to enter such time signatures for better readability?). While everything else is very small in a score for such a large orchestra, does this really help? Finally, my best wishes and luck in the competition! Wieland

I hope you all enjoy this new work. All comments/feedback welcome. Thank you

Hello @muchen_, usually I try to point out first the positive things before giving slightly critical remarks. But the first impression of your chorus was „there is something wrong with it“. But now, after thinking a while about it, I hope my comment will be positive, too – while surely a bit silly. The first impression of the recording was: „much too fast!“ (what doesn’t matter as long as it’s a sketch only). On the other hand, I see your well done counterpuntual approach – even with figured bass. But reading the more „romantic“ lyrics from Goethe, I have the next mismatch in my imagination. With the lyrics I’m reminded on the famous painting „Goethe in the Roman Campagna“ which expresses the connection with nature (and perhaps with nymphs …). While thinking on baroque, I see men and women wearing wigs. And that either in the context of religious seriosity (Bach) or being part of a somewhat decadent party (sometimes Handel) 😃 What can we now do with the piece? As you intend to create a piece in rondo-form, I could imagine that you could express those „clashes“ I described above in an intentional manner, achieving a piece which does not take itself too seriously, but should be well crafted: So you could, for example • not only „transpose“ or develop the A’ section in the dominant key, but introduce more far scales, such as lydian (augmented) and (Spanish) phrygian, creating an interesting and more contemporary harmony. There are just famous examples here in the forum, such as from @PeterthePapercomPoser’s Persichetti exercises. • refrain from the counterpuntual approach in the B and C sections to make them it really „romantic“ (or even „jazzy“???) I don’t know if anything from that what I wrote today was helpful, but hope that you’ll enjoy working on you chorus further.

What about Bach V2.0 for excellent counterpoint...