Alex Weidmann

I listened to the opening movement, and loved it! It's sparse and haunting, then shifts halfway through to become mysterious and tense, like a Film Noir. Congrats on completing this major work. Will try to listen to the other movements when I have time.

Nice work! Just have one notational point. The staff for the soloists part in a concerto, should always be positioned directly above the 1st violins (see attached image).

Have now listened to Steven Stucky's arrangement of this work from 1991, and was pleased to discover it's very different from mine! He uses less woodwind, and more brass, with a far more radical reimagining of the original material (especially towards the end). Also interesting use of tubular bells that totally caught me by surprise! It's a far more accomplished piece of orchestral writing; but I feel like mine is more faithful to the original intention of the work. Anyway I'll let you be the judge.

Hi to all. Just wanted to post an orchestration I've attempted of Purcell's "Funeral Sentences". Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this was originally written for SATB choir, with timpani and a quartet of trumpets. Here I've arranged the piece for full symphony orchestra. Not sure if it's been orchestrated like this before, but haven't heard any other versions in this instrumentation. I used an old midi file as the basis for my score: so some of the trills and drum rolls look a bit strange. Think they sound more realistic like this though: so it may not be such a bad thing. Haven't bothered with slurs, as the score is designed for midi rendition only. (Also have noticed I need to correct my spelling of D major chords.) Hope you enjoy!

Hi all. Here's the latest version of this work. Let me know if you think it's going in the right direction? I've made it more harmonically adventurous I think. Just wonder whether my chord progressions work; or if they're a bit too silly? I was trying to use secondary dominants and secondary sub-dominants. The 1st movement probably needs some massaging to make the transitions work better. The 2nd movement is probably incomplete, unless I decide to leave it with its current ambiguous conclusion. The opening of the 3rd movement was constructed by applying negative harmony to the 1st movement. The piano chords will eventually be shared amongst the woodwind, brass and available strings. What I'm aiming for, is a modern take on Vivaldi that's not pastiche. Something a bit like "The Capriol Suite" perhaps.

Many thanks JP for writing such a detailed review! You make some great points. I think the flute is often too dominant in MuseScore, and find myself always having to mark down the dynamics. Probably should've lowered them more here. The subdominant ending is actually resolved back to the tonic in the final movement of this piano suite. (Otherwise it would be almost unheard of in Schumann's era to end on iv.) However I think in the modern era, it sounds ok to end on an unresolved chord. Some people have taken exception to my use of vibraphone and glockenspiel; though I feel both those instruments have a dreamy quality that's quite evocative of sleep. Apparently the whole suite has been orchestrated by Lucien Cailliet; though I haven't listened to that version. Will definitely take to heart your critique when I revisit this orchestration, and for future ones.

Good guess Peter! It was inspired by Vivaldi's famous A minor violin concerto (RV356). I've even lifted a fragment of one phrase from it. In that work, he frequently reinforces the violin solo line with the entire violin section: so you have an alternation of texture. I haven't yet decided which phrases will be played solo: so I've left the whole part on the 1st violin section for now. (That was an additional clue this was based on Vivaldi!) The concerto RV356 crams three movements into c.6 minutes: so I'm hoping to do the same thing with my piece. The chord symbols can be used to create an arpeggiation in the low strings, along with all sorts of interesting preset textures using Sunuscore's Orchestral Elements. So that was my main reason for using them. (I've tested this out now, and it works quite well.) It also allows the harmonies to be quickly and easily changed. Theres a You Tube video all about it here, along with a score video of the Vivaldi:

Happy Autumn to all! So... turns out, due to a miscommunication, I won't be writing a mini-bassoon concerto after all. Instead they want me to write a miniature concerto for violin and chamber orchestra. I've started sketching it out here; though I'm still at a very early stage. I'm thinking three movements; though the time limit is 5 minutes total. No prizes for guessing which composer inspired this. (I think it's rather obvious!) Those who guess the right answer can tell me if it's sounding too similar to the original work? Am using the chord sequence function in MuseScore to sketch out my harmonies. Only discovered this recently, and am finding it somewhat useful. Wonder if anyone else has tried this out? Apparently it works even better with Kontakt 7 and Sonuscore orchestral elements; but I haven't got round to installing those yet.

Thanks, but I was actually talking about combining parts onto one staff for the conductor's score. E.g. Merging trumpets 1 and 2 into a single staff. This can be done with implode; but it's apparently it's much quicker and easier in Dorico.

I don't really know what's considered virtuosic in the bassoon? Maybe lots of big rapid leaps across the register break? Apparently Vivaldi wrote 39 bassoon concerti! So they may be a good place to start for inspiration. Meanwhile I've added some new material for the bassoon, so it's more prominent. Not quite sure what to do with the new coda? Maybe it could be longer; or perhaps keep it short and sweet?

Many thanks for your review Peter. Do you think this can be salvaged; or should just rip it up and start again? I can't make it too virtuosic, as I'm writing for an amateur bassoonist. I had a choice of instruments, and decided bassoon would be the most challenging. Since it's a quiet instrument, it doesn't come through very strongly against the orchestra. Plus it's in the bass register: so maybe not a natural instrument to carry the melody. I was trying to create a dialogue between the bassoon and orchestra, using call and response. Guess I haven't done a very good job though. The 5-minute time limit is also a challenge, since it doesn't give much opportunity for development.

Thanks Peter. Was this a suite you'd not heard before? Will definitely try your suggestion with the strings. Think slurs would probably help too. The flute renditions are the most problematic for me. I don't like the sound where two virtual flutes are playing the same line. I did this because the melodies were sometimes being drowned out by the rest of the orchestra. Think I might resolve the problem by using a single flute track with the fader pushed up, rather than having two flutes.

Hi to all. I've recently been asked to write a 5 minute piece for chamber orchestra, prominently featuring the bassoon. A sort of mini bassoon concerto if you will, for a concert next summer. Here's what I have so far. Only started writing it two days ago: so it's not remotely finished, and I haven't put in slurs or articulation yet. Some of the dynamics are just for the midi playback. Wanted to ask my fellow composers if you think it's any good? And where it needs improvements? As usual I wrote it mostly by instinct, and didn't really think much about voice leading, or harmonic progressions. As some of you know, I quite like sparse textures; but I wonder if it's a little too sparse? Also whether it features the bassoon prominently enough to hit the brief? A critique of my harmonic progressions and orchestration would be very helpful. Also I don't have a name for it yet: so any suggestions welcome! (Updated versions will be posted below.)

Few little updates to this one, and an improved score.

Hi to all. This is my latest orchestration, and it's been my most challenging by far! Still needs loads of work on the enharmonic spelling, as I used a midi file as my original source. Also need to add more slurs, etc... I'm guessing the flutes and oboes would struggle to play this? Probably not giving them enough time to breathe? Thinking I may need to use brass and percussion more often, and perhaps less woodwind? Obviously some of my score features are designed for midi playback, and not suitable for a conductor's score (e.g. long hairpins under multi-bar rests). Quite pleased with the rendition though. I spent a lot of time balancing it. The midi I used was the version for two pianos: so it has some differences with Dvorak's original arrangement for strings and harmonium. I decided to leave these in place, as I think they suit the orchestral setting better than the original melodic lines. Anyway, hope you enjoy! (N.B. Updated versions will be posted lower down the thread.)