Nocturne for Orchestra: An Ode to Nyx, Goddess of Night

I'm reposting a piece that I posted here in 2013...one of the first pieces I posted on this forum. This was composed for the March-April (when we had bi-monthly competitions); the theme I believe was to write something based on mythology. Not to brag and boast, but I won that competition.

 I chose to write a nocturne representing the Greek goddess of night, Nyx. I was inspired by the great French impressionists, and their influence clearly shows in this piece. 

The audio and score are a little messy, since the original file will not cooperate with the new finale, so I'll play around with cleaning both things up. Enjoy!

This is really beautiful writing. I know it's not in fifths but the opening reminded me a lot of the opening of "Daphnis and Chloe" the way you opened with chords that sounded like dissonance but resolves without having to actually change. I was hooked from the beginning! I'm going to be honest, since I use a non-compatible browser, I was able to get through most of the piece before it reset itself but I was able to hear the rest in my head, so just a heads up.

A lot of really awesome resolutions to half-diminshed chords. I wish there was a name for this, because it's always so eerie and interesting wherever it happens. In particular, I like the E half-diminished you first have in your winds, then your strings, in m. 36. "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn" is the piece I heard there (talk about French influence!).

Your wind writing, despite it not having some welcomed breath marks in it, sounds amazing and was a perfect little flurry atop the rest of the orchestra, especially in the beginning. Well done.

The conductor/teacher side of me is just picky about your engraving! In your strings, sometimes the cellos and basses could have been in higher clefs, and the staves could have been dragged down to accommodate for both notes and slurs. Same goes for the winds, but just for the slurs. Seeing them cross staves like that gets kind of obnoxious for conductors looking at these pieces for the first time.

But really, that's just a spacing issue that doesn't comment on the piece. The rest was gorgeous, and MIDI doesn't do it enough justice! Hope to hear more!

Ever since it was posted, I've been a big fan of this work (prompted, of course, by the idea of writing something based on a legendary or mythological character, to which I owe my own tone poem "El Cadejos", runner-up in that competition and currently in line for a live performance). This work, indeed, was a very deserving champion. From the very start I pointed out that the French Impressionistic school's influence is obvious, but in no way a shortcoming, since you infuse the style with your own ideas (very much in the same way I try to do within Neo-Romanticism). The hanging, almost ethereal qualities in the music give this work its uniqueness. Great to see it posted again, so that the newer generations of YC can appreciate it in its just value.

BTW, one can't but hope for it to be performed live.

Thanks for the reviews!

@Monarcheon: The beginning was actually inspired by Daphnis et Chloe! I was studying the score at that time (I was in my French Romantic phase then lol). But yeah, the score is not really good, I'm trying to fix all the little things to make it more clean. 

@Austenite: Thanks again for such kind words! I do really hope to have it performed live someday. 

I don't remember hearing this before. It's very atmospheric in the impressionist style with those half diminished chords, as was noted. I hear also a bit of The Firebird hear and there.  Also some very nice original flourishes around 7:15. Good orchestral balance overall. Do you write with or without a piano?

I love it! I'm a sucker for French impressionism myself, so the clear influence of Ravel and Debussy really attracts me. There's not much I can hear that others haven't pointed out, but this is definitely a piece to be proud of.

@Ken320: Thanks for your comment! I usually do NOT write with a piano, just orchestrate it from step 1. I'm not a pianist, nor do I have a piano. I usually do use my viola, or the keyboard on my iPhone to work out some things though.

@fishyfry: Thanks!