August 27, 200718 yr This piece was written in the second year of my composition degree. It is scored for double string quartet and was written as a reflection on the Beslan seige. The music is largely static with solo melodic lines increasing in range whilst the unsettling cluster chord turns inwards. The music develops into a huge central climax where light and dark is contrasted and radiant white light engulfs the listener. The piece is to be performed unconducted with the strings circling the perimeter of the performance space and candles should be lit to give maximum atmosphere like a vigil. The recording is from a mono rehearsal so the quality is poor. This piece is interesting to listen to as it can be seen as the 'warm up' for The Chamber which was written 2 years later. I am interested to know what you think of this piece as it means a lot to me, although I am looking into revising it for string orchestra. HymnSpace.pdf Songs by Ryan Yard, Citizen of ACIDplanet.com
August 28, 200718 yr Beautiful, Ryan, beautiful... The slowly, creeping harmony reminded somewhat of Ligeti...a wondrous but also creepy frame, in which the elegant melodies flow, sometimes lyrically, sometimes in artfully given expressive palettes. The crescendo was indeed very...white! Indeed, very reminiscent of the chamber both musically and regarding the placement of the musicians...damn, I missed the performance...must have been a phenomenal experience! 4 thumbs up!
August 28, 200718 yr Author Thanks for your comments. It is a special piece for me, hence my user name here on the site. It was written at a time when I was reaching a spiritual crossroads and was inspired by the sickening seige in Beslan. I was hesitant about showing it because the recording is not great and there are some errors. It is really striking to here how it is the precurser for the Chamber, almost as if the very idea had been there for so long and I was trying to figure it out in my own head. The performance was great (not recorded sadly) and the audience were really struck by how the solo melodies would just emerge, sometimes to the left, sometimes behind them, and they often had troubles finding where the melodies were coming from. Also the B section where the beautiful melody rises up, was ditributed between players so that it gave the impression of a melody moving in space. Still to this day, this is my favourite melody I have ever composed and yet it is so simple.!
October 8, 200718 yr Author Just thought I would subtly bump this thread to see if anyone else had any thoughts on this piece?
October 9, 200718 yr Hey Ryan, This is really really effective. I sort of hear it as a hybrid of minimalist and works like Ligeti's Lontano etc. I really like the way the melodic likes just sort of naturally appear out of the texture and then return - this may sound strange but at the start it feels almost like an interview after some really tragic event, lots of people giving their own opinions on something that has happened, until things get more heated and they all start giving their message at the same time. I also like the way you reserve the most dissonant material until later, which makes it all the more disturbing and effective. I'll be listening to this for a while... One thing that just came to mind was - do you know the slow movement of Bartok's third string quartet? I hope this isn't too cheeky, I was wondering if you could look at something of mine, I'm in the final year of my BMus and there's a piece up here (Elegy and Dance for Viola and Piano) that I've recently had recorded. I would be very interested to know what you have to say.
October 9, 200718 yr Author Hey Ryan,This is really really effective. I sort of hear it as a hybrid of minimalist and works like Ligeti's Lontano etc. I really like the way the melodic likes just sort of naturally appear out of the texture and then return - this may sound strange but at the start it feels almost like an interview after some really tragic event, lots of people giving their own opinions on something that has happened, until things get more heated and they all start giving their message at the same time. I also like the way you reserve the most dissonant material until later, which makes it all the more disturbing and effective. I'll be listening to this for a while... One thing that just came to mind was - do you know the slow movement of Bartok's third string quartet? I hope this isn't too cheeky, I was wondering if you could look at something of mine, I'm in the final year of my BMus and there's a piece up here (Elegy and Dance for Viola and Piano) that I've recently had recorded. I would be very interested to know what you have to say. Hey thanks for the comments. You really hit the nail on the head as the intention of the piece was for each solo instrument to represent a person's personal soliloquy. This effect is even greater in alive performance because you are surrounded by the strings. I am familiar with all the Bartok quartets, they are great works. I will indeed comment on your piece, but am having troubles opening the pdf for some strange reason, is there a problem with the file?
October 9, 200718 yr Hey yeah I just thought that particular Bartok movement had a vaguely similar approach. The PDF should work, although it may give you a warning about the fonts not loading. Just click OK, it should automatically substitute any fonts that don't work...
May 23, 200817 yr Is it still possible to hear this somewhere Ryan? I like the concept, I really want to hear it. :thumbsup:
February 3, 200917 yr Author HymnSpace, created by Ryan Yard and presented through ACIDplanet.com Here is my piece HymnSpace for double string quartet. Again, like the chamber it uses a spatial surround sound idea. Apologies once more for the atrocious audio, it was taken from a mono first rehearsal! The score is on page one of this thread. It was written as a reflection on the Beslan siege.
February 7, 200917 yr Hey Ryan, thanks heaps for putting it back up! The sound quality is fine imo, it's very listenable. At first listen, I really like it, but I'll comment more after a couple more listens
February 7, 200917 yr Bravo! When I first looked at the score and saw all the whole notes tied together, I have to admit: I thought the piece would be boring. I realized very early in the work that my assumption was dead wrong. What a hauntingly beautiful melody! The ideas on performance are immensely creative. I tip my hat to you! I could visualize this being played in a dim, candle-lit room. The music and the atmosphere go perfectly hand-in-hand. Again, bravo! Jo Nomad
February 7, 200917 yr Author Bravo! When I first looked at the score and saw all the whole notes tied together, I have to admit: I thought the piece would be boring. I realized very early in the work that my assumption was dead wrong. What a hauntingly beautiful melody! The ideas on performance are immensely creative. I tip my hat to you!I could visualize this being played in a dim, candle-lit room. The music and the atmosphere go perfectly hand-in-hand. Again, bravo! Jo Nomad Thankyou very much for your kind review. It is a very special piece of mine, the first to use the space in a non conventional way and the piece was originally intended to be played with candles, but health and safety put pay to that at it's premiere lol It should however be played in dark lighting, with lights on the music stands to give the maximum effect.
February 15, 200917 yr After a few more listens, this is a fantastic piece but I think the climax comes a little too early. Amazing climax though. I think you should definately release a Ryan Yard: Chamber Works album with this and the Chamber and the String Quartet on it, all professionally recorded, I'd buy it for sure
