New orchestral work in progress, please take a look.

I'm writing this for my high schools orchestra to play for a music festival thing, it also features a solo soprano part (still working on it, use your imagination). Please have a look at it and let me know what you think so far. Any advice, crits, comments etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Just started this yesterday, heaps of work to go, but I want to get some early feedback.

MIDI attatched.

-Chris

MusicFestivalSib.mid

what kind of soprano. Like a voice, if so...... you might want to tone it down just a bit. At the loud sections at the end of each section the orchestra would cover the voice up easily. Unless, you are going to hae a powerful microphone on her.

I really like what you've done so far. I'm assuming that unidentifiable sound at the beginning and in the middle is the soprano vocal part. If so, you've handled it beautifully...she sings while the orchestra levels are relatively low, and as the previous poster intimated, you're going to want that kind of balance if she's not going to be amplified. The harmonic rhythm is very slow, and the melody sustained, which would make the piece seem rather static, even drag a little - but you've added the moving figures in the low strings and percussion for a sense of forward motion, punctuated by wind flourishes. Well done. The effect then becomes one of growing tension, subtle but palpable.

In fact, one of the most impressive things about this is the slow, very gradual building of dynamic and subtle harmonic tension in the piece up to the climax at 1:28. One by one you add instruments, knotching up the dynamic a degree at a time in a long, slow crescendo...skilfully handled. Then just as the main climax arrives (so far...who knows what you have planned?!), you immediately and suddenly scale it all back, the soprano enters and takes over the melody, and creates another mini-climax when she hits and sustains the high-A. It's a great moment. Were I you - just a suggestion - I'd put more of a crescendo in the orchestra while she sustains that note, maybe even a roll or something in the percussion to underscore it all...if she's a good singer, that note will carry...my feeling is she'll appreciate the support, and the effect might be enhanced before you scale back again. That's entirely your call, just a suggestion.

Another impressive thing you've done is that you're careful to write for what you have at your disposal in a school orchestra, particularly paying attention (it appears, correct me if I'm wrong) to skill levels. It seems you've given the flashy stuff to the people who can handle it (sounds like the 1st violins and individual wind players in this case, which is pretty typical in schools)...no point giving a 3 octave E-flat minor scale to the 2nd violins in a school orchestra. Still, it sounds like you have a pretty good orchestra there. Good for you! Cheers, and good luck.

Hey nice start, on a sure to be magnificent piece. I loved how the beginning sort of had a mysterious edge to it. The soprano (voicing I assume?) flowed well with the strings which just complemented the voicing marvelously!. "Kudos to you" I felt that the piece was very smooth and chord progression was excellent. Measure 33 lured me back to the mysterious edge of the beginning and I thought that you incorporated that wonderfully. Measure 55 until the end I had a sense of wieghtlessness. I can't wait to hear the rest of this piece. Great Job.

-Shawn

oh wow. brilliantly done! i can't wait to hear the live recording of this: the midi just doesn't do it justice. I love the flourishes you put in during the big crescendo, they carry the mystery further and heighten the etension until the big climax, which i think could do with suspended cymbal before the crash. I'm not sure if you have one written, I sure couldn't hear it though (stupid midi).

Another impressive thing you've done is that you're careful to write for what you have at your disposal in a school orchestra, particularly paying attention (it appears, correct me if I'm wrong) to skill levels

Thanks for noticing that, you're right. :happy:

I may have mucked the MIDI channels up, but the soprano singer is the one thats at the very beginning, and comes in later after 1:28. So far she could be heard over the orchestra easily since it's playing quiet in those sections, but she will have a mic. I'm going to ask a friend of mine who sings in the choir I'm in at school to do it, she is a fantastic soprano.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your comments. I'll be sure to post another version when it's more complete, and defneately keep you updated about the performance. A few glisses, rolls etc. have not been added (including all the cymbal rolls etc.) because I'm just going to notate them in later, but I will make a mp3 mockup of this piece a bit later on. (I almost always write using samples, but in this case I have decided just to write with general midi and do a mockup later).

-Chris