I'm back, folks!

I haven't been here in a while, because I haven't been writing much on the computer, and I haven't been getting pieces recorded that much. BUT today I got this piece recorded.

It's a violin/cello duet called Marionette.

And here's the link to the mp3!

The violinist is Michael Goist, and the cellist is Tiffany Chang. This recording, like a lot of new music recordings, was taken after half an hour of rehearsal.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=513856

I listened to this last night but I started to fell ill, so I went to bed.

I really enjoyed your piece. I was surpised by how much expression was found in the piece. It left a hauntlingly beautiful feeling in my heart. I have to say this is one of my favorite pieces. I really am in no position to review this piece because it has already been performed. To that I say, great!

Well, it's actually not too late to review it, because that was a live performance, but not for an audience. Just for me. In class this Tuesday I'm playing that recording. I'm glad you liked it.

EDIT:

I just realized I should probably explain some of the techniques I used other than the palindromic rhythms. Both string parts use battute col legno, arco col legno (but only here and there - don't want to damage the bows) pizzicati and snap pizzicati.

See if you can hear the palindromes in the rhythms... I bet it's harder than it seems.

Hehehe, what an interesting piece :D

I found the recording a bit tough to listen to because the violin kept falling off-pitch in places where it didn't seem to be intentional, but otherwise it was very nice indeed. I loved your use of various string instrument "effects", they worked well with the piece. I'm not sure entirely what you were going for with this piece, it really doesn't bring up any images for me and it certainly doesn't remind me of a marionette. If anything, I envision some drunk guy trying to fix a badly broken clock in the rain...

In any case, it's very interesting to listen to once and I think it's great that you got it recorded! Keep up the good work, yours are always interesting pieces to listen to :D

Wow, a very interesting piece, indeed.

I could hear a bit of Marionette in this piece, but, like Marius said, it sounds a little more like a drunk man and a clock. That's not to say that it's bad, just perhaps misguided.

Overall, you did make a clever, deep piece, and I like the way you used some more avant-garde string techniques. This isn't typically my style of music, and I'm not exactly a master, so I can't say too much about style. You kept it interesting, and that's what matters.

It's amazing that you get your music recorded! I'm excited for you. Congratulations!

Best wishes,

Evan

It's what's awesome about being at a conservatory. I do my own recordings with a Sony Minidisc player.

Hmm.. This was enjoyable, although not to the degree I would have expected. TO AN INFINITELY TRANSDIMENSIONAL DEGREE! (sorry, couldn't resist :glare:) Basically what I mean is that I like your piece, and have no criticisms whatsoever. I didn't quite get the image of a marionette though, more like a gentle sea breeze through the eyes of a dead sailor. (music is amazing, isn't it?)

Morbidity

This was quite the atonal piece. I was surprised by the continual atonality. Not even a nice perfect chord (for all that I listened). It sounded excellent on real instruments, however, I really liked it in that regard. I'm not very much an atonalist or a fan thereof but this was okay (mostly because of the live recording). Keep making real stuff and I'll listen gladly.

Wow! This is an amazing piece that really gets the point across. I feel like this should premiere with some sort of Fantasia visualization.

You are eager to use those strange effects (someone called it avant-garde), aren't you? Well, they fit in.

Usually I would not listen to anything classified 'Atonal' because I really do not enough to say constructively about such pieces. You have just enough melodic interest to keep my own going.

I like the deep contrasts between the high string and low from about :10 to about 1:14, and the deep tones that come after that are evocative and full of passion.

I would invite you next time to withhold the title until such a piece has been reviewed sufficiently, because when it is hard to mesh the title with your piece, and that makes it harder to enjoy.

You are very fortunate to have the means to record such pieces at a whim. I don't leave for post-secondary education till next fall, and until then I have to drive 1.5 hours to the nearest Steinway... (It's really pathetic how culturally anemic my city is)

Haunting. I did not know quite what to expect from one moment to the next in this piece. The voicing was done well in that it gave a sense of disorientation. In fact, this piece gave me the chills. The suspensefulness caries throug to the end.

I thought the piece was very well done, chilling,yet well done.

I hate always to have to fall back on the word "effective," but it fits. I feel a sense of impaired equilibrium, with a bit of a chill like others did...it bucks the grounding effect of all the open strings in square rhythms.

This was a valiant reading. A polished performance would make quite an impression.

Can I have it without signing up to some silly website please? :thumbsup:

Can I have it without signing up to some silly website please? :happytears:

You don't have to sign up - only if you try to download it. You can stream it without signing up.

Hmm...jumping right in, suprisingly pitch-centric at times despite its atonal nature [neither a good nor bad thing, of course]. Palindrome rhythms come across clearly. Early music influence at time is very apparent, whether or not you intended that. Reminds me vaguely of the Shostakovich String Trio that begins with only cello harmonics.

Was there a clear overall structure you were following (not form), or a particular process that determined how often you repeated the ostinati etc.? Where did you derive your pitch materials? Just curious as to your process here.

Secondly, I think for the betterment of your orchestration in pieces like these, and perhaps to avoid some color-fatigue, you might take a look into Penderecki's first and second string quartets. It might give you some ideas in that area, along with rhythm even, though your rhythmic approach probably wouldn't parallel it at all (Penderecki, in my opinion, has a very good intuition with rhythm and silence, and pretty much everything really..)

Interesting piece overall. I agree that a more subtle recording (along with a little more reverb, maybe in a hall or whatnot) would greatly improve the overall effect. But hey, that's not your fault now is it? *sigh, mutterances about recording qualities in general*

Nice Job. Thanks for the advice along time ago btw when I was applying to Obie, I'm a student now...haha, so I guess I'll hear much more of you.