Atlantean Rhapsody - Concerto for Oboe

This is intended for a professional oboe player - it uses the entirety of the oboe range, from the low Bb, up to the second Ab above the staff.

It is written in part as a tone poem. The first movement establishes the tone, proudly proclaiming Atlantis. The second movement is more pastoral, though it is interrupted by the catastrophic flood. The third movement is the aftermath, pierced by delusional nostalgia, and finally a sense of moving on.

Please keep in mind that the MIDI recordings are not the best - at the end of the third movement, it kind of skips a little bit, but for the most part it's a fair recording.

Michael McClellan - Atlantean Rhapsody - Oboe Concerto - I:Allegro, Poco Presto, Presto sheet music - 8notes.com

Michael McClellan - Atlantean Rhapsody - Oboe Concerto - II:Adagio, Allegro con brio sheet music - 8notes.com

Michael McClellan - Atlantean Rhaspody - Oboe Concerto - III: Lento, Agitato, Lento, Molto Agitato, Lento sheet music - 8notes.com

Scores:

http://www.8notes.com/members/5521.asp?ftype=pdf

http://www.8notes.com/members/5522.asp?ftype=pdf

http://www.8notes.com/members/5523.asp?ftype=pdf

Sorry for the following, but this is a frank opinion from me.

Layout:

1. The score is not in score order (mvt.1), nor does it indicate the number of parts.

2. While I usually applaud usage of the Contrabassoon, there's no place to breathe and it's repetitive, therefore tiring (first movement).

3. How many of each instrument are you using? The score says "Horn", but at m.32 there are two parts. At m.25 there is only one Horn part. Which horn is playing? Ditto for Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Trumpet, etc. The score only indicates one of each, but you've divided the parts. Explain why. Good luck finding two Contrabassoons; ditto two Bass Clarinets. Copy/paste?

4. Why is the Tuba part written higher than the Trombone part (mvt.1)? It's far too high to be practical.

5. The Horn part after m.114 in mvt.2 is far too high, especially at the given dynamic.

Musically:

1. You hang far too long on the tonic.

2. Your harmonic backgrounds are static and therefore incredibly boring. Other than the melody, there's little movement within the ensemble except arpeggios within the harmony or repeated rhythms. This is dull, dull, dull to listen to.

3. The strings are divided far too often, for no apparent reason.

4. Too much doubling. Too much doubling. Too much doubling. Too much doubling.

5. Unrealistic dynamic expectations on the soloist; there's no way a single oboe can balance an orchestra at triple-forte. Large sections of the accompaniment are too thick, too loud, and placed against a weak register on the oboe.

In summation: the oboe writing (for a good section of the piece) isn't particularly idiomatic. Large sections of the score seem to be copy & pasted from one part to another, giving it a washed-out, over-doubled, dense sound. It appears as though you're writing for sound patches rather than real musicians, with unrealistic expectation for volume, range, and playability throughout the ensemble.

This could possibly be an okay piece with substantial, major re-orchestration and re-working of parts. As it stands, it's dull and amateurish.

Sorry.

Thank you for your criticisms.

Layout:

1,2,3: Fair play. The first movement is not in score order because when I switched the oboe to the top, Finale didn't keep the rest in orchestral order, and by the time I noticed it was too late to change it. I will also make sure to put "stagger breathe" above the contrabassoon part in the beginning. I had also meant to mark out how many instruments play where, but I guess I had forgotten. As for difficulties getting instruments - that's the conductor's job, not mine.

4: For the most part the tuba is fine, though I must admit at measure 84 it is far too high - I will change that.

5: I am not overly familiar with the capabilities of the horn. That will be changed as well.

Musically:

1: Is this a problem?

2: Point well taken. Will fix that.

3: I like having harmony in the strings. Again, is there a problem with having the strings divided too often?

4: I like to think of it more as tonal mixtures and filling in.

5: In my experience, the oboe can be quite piercing. Which register in particular were you referring to? Which measures?

You really must be a critic to find it dull. Almost every other person I've had listen to it (and I've had quite a few listen to it) has enjoyed it, and not found it dull at all. They may not know the difference between dorian or mixolydian modes, but they do like my music.

Again, thank you for your critique. It's good to have a healthy dose of reality once in a while.

4. Why is the Tuba part written higher than the Trombone part (mvt.1)? It's far too high to be practical.

4: For the most part the tuba is fine, though I must admit at measure 84 it is far too high - I will change that.

No, Flint's onto something...your tuba part looks suspiciously like a euphonium part.

Also, those wide leaps (51-52, 85-86 in movement I) are going to be very difficult, likely ending up sloppy and abrasive...unless you have Jim Self in your section.

I'd say, some orchestrational re-thinking is in order...perhaps adding a euphonium part, or swapping the tuba with the trombone parts (put the bones in buckets if you want that fluffy sound)...

I dunno...

I have to agree with flint, I found a lot of it to be a bit dull. It just seemed like the same stuff would happen over and over again. I felt that the solo part could have more virtuosity throughout. When the tempo would build up and the solo part would start, I kept waiting for it to get really complex. Something that would make the soloist soar.

I did notice that some parts the bass clarinet goes into the upper part of the staff, I noticed it most in the big triplet tutti sections in mvt. II. The range of the bass clarinet there gives a thin sound, if that's what you're looking for then don't worry about. If you drop it an octave, it'll be fuller. Although the orchestration is pretty thick at times and it'll probably be lost in the mix of things.

Overall I agree with flint on his views. I'm not saying it's bad, just a few things I noticed.

Thank you all for your comments and critiques. As soon as I get the time, I will start retooling.