Sun (6'00" approx).

A symbolist piece, recently finished, now time to see if it needs a few touch ups.

Modern but not atonal. I'm trying to put a suite together of similar styled pieces. This would likely be one of the middle movements.

If you have time to spare please give it a hearing and make any comments or suggestions you like - always gratefully received - including to the score. There's one discrepancy between score and audio: I originally wrote a part for bass flute but transferred it in the score to the bass clarinet. 

I really enjoyed this piece! The textures were nice, and the melodic segments were expressive. If I made one note about the score, I think around m. 50 there was flutter tongue in the flute part audio, but not in the score? And something about the orchestration: due to the way the strings were divided into many parts, there was usually a very full string sound, often with four or six part harmony. By the end of the piece, I wondered if the orchestration of some of those parts could be mixed up a little... of course, this is just a personal preference. Also, in the context of a suite of pieces, the consistency of the strings might be a nice contrast to another piece. Thanks for posting!

There isn't a thing about this I don't like! 

The orchestral colors you employ here are indeed an eponymous warm and flaring. The rhythmic texture is breathtaking: organic and wild, yet with just enough of a foothold exposed that we aren't taken for a tumble down the melodic mountainside. I particularly enjoyed the harmonic language that relied so much on quartal chords. It really flavors the music with a richer, broader, and perhaps sharper contour. Thoroughly modern, as you said.

Fantastic music! I look forward to the prequels and sequels.

Thank you indeed for your kind comments. It's pleasing that it made some sort of sense.

pijanowski-kangas, I seem to have fallen into a habit of dividing the string section into 9 of late. It probably started here as trying to write divisi parts looked a mess in places (like the opposing glissandi). I'll bear your comments in mind if I do a final revision of it. I'm happier working in 5 and 6 part harmony but accept that it can lead to overthick textures at time. Maybe some thinning out may help with clarity. 

Tónskáld, you are most kind. Thank you. With a piece like this I worry it might be boring if it fails to evoke the mood in question. It isn't everyone's kind of music, obviously, but I can't help feeling pleased that you found it ok.

Cheers!

For some reason this brought to mind the 1950s Film Noir Era.

Almost like the soundtrack to a Hitchcock thriller!

The score seems to be filled with suspenseful moments, and you created some really interesting soundscapes and tone pictures for me.

I second the Film Noir feel ... extremely entertaining ... you created a rich tapestry of moods. 

Wow, how did I miss this one!

Wonderful piece, extraordinary color and very idiomatic. I could picture hopelessness in the desert, or perhaps traveling to Europe during it's heat wave right now....bad joke. 

I really enjoyed your modern use of the orchestra. The sparse texture really allowed for you to color this one beautifully. If I had any critique, it would be that I didn't have much to latch on to. Surely that's personal preference, and yes I was aware of your themes that you dispersed throughout, but it was more of a barrage of color rather than a story to follow. Maybe it would depend on your other movements in the suite, but as an abstract portrayal of the fire in the sky, it definitely works. I'm curious, was that your intent?

All in all, I'm glad I stumbled upon this work of yours. You're always someone I look out for for new music. Brilliant work, and thanks for sharing! Keep us updated as you arrange your different pieces for your suite; I'd like to listen to them in the order you intend.

On 7/20/2022 at 5:21 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Wonderful piece, extraordinary color and very idiomatic. I could picture hopelessness in the desert, or perhaps traveling to Europe during it's heat wave right now....bad joke. 

Thank you for your commentary - you are most kind. I thought I needed to make a couple of changes - prune it down for a start but if it seems ok length-wise it'll just be a few touch-ups to the dynamics and perhaps instrument assignments. 

Like I said it's a symbolist piece that relies on motifs and mood and it's consoling to learn that this once at least it seems to portray the intended mood.

Again, many thanks. Much appreciated.

On 7/19/2022 at 1:39 AM, Alex Weidmann said:

For some reason this brought to mind the 1950s Film Noir Era.

And MFOBOE...

I'm not up on these cinematic styles so I'll have to take your word for it! Thank you for your comments all the same.

This is the type of movie soundtrack I had in mind:

Hello Quinn! This piece is so full of character and even desperation. I can definitely feel the heat, and I was hooked from the opening.  

There is so little I would change about this, but I saw that you wanted to touch up the dynamics.

At 2:32 I personally feel that the brass passage could be louder to build momentum. From 2:00 I feel this sense of teasing that I really like. First the piccolo and flute crescendo and give way to quiet again, then the strings, then the clarinet, and finally the brass. But, for me, the effectiveness of that dynamic pattern was starting to wear off by the entry of the brass, which could maybe benefit from starting at forte instead of mezzo forte. I am also  wondering if the preceding English horn solo may be breaking up the momentum a bit as it is very thin and exposed compared to the music surrounding it? I would consider adding accompaniment. Of course, others may feel much differently and that was really the only time in the piece that I found my attention starting to wander. You created tension very well otherwise! 🙂

I look forward to hearing your additions to the Suite, and I hope they are as immersive and visceral as this!

~ Gwendolyn

P.S. I love your harp and vibraphone sounds. What sample library did you use, if you don't mind my asking?

I have nothing critical to say! I enjoy the somewhat pointillistic nature of the piece. Very refreshing harmonic colour for me, and nice use of sparse texture and phrase structure. The atmosphere for me is very unsettling which I like. I love your usage of having the solo instruments sing for themselves and each of their timbre is very prominent. I love the glissandos of the strings! I think sul ponticello can be added to some of the high register passages of the violin but that's subjective. Very enjoyable and thanks for sharing!

Henry

Sorry to be late in thanking you for listening and your generous remarks, Henry. I thought this one had disappeared off the board. (The sun and summer are where it's at for me so it wasn't too difficult to write!) 

Cheers,

Quinn

Definitely can see the influence of Webern here. I love the use of the vibraphone. Was this a live recording? If not, what sound library do you use?

On 1/30/2023 at 1:38 PM, jawoodruff said:

Definitely can see the influence of Webern here.

Webern? 

Good grief!! Me?

Never. 😄

I once had to listen to his music if listening is the right word. It was for an essay: "How has Webern influenced modern music?" Or something similar. I wrote "He closed off at least one blind alley," and got zero marks for it! Just one of several reasons I chucked college in favour of private tuition which meant I didn't have to write stupid essays! 

.

4 minutes ago, Quinn said:

Webern? 

Good grief!! Me?

Never. 😄

I once had to listen to his music if listening is the right word. It was for an essay: "How has Webern influenced modern music?" Or something similar. I wrote "He closed off at least one blind alley," and got zero marks for it! Just one of several reasons I chucked college in favour of private tuition which meant I didn't have to write stupid essays! 

.

 

Interesting. This piece definitely has his pointilistiv, minimal tendencies. Your user of gestures is also reminiscent of him. 

22 minutes ago, Quinn said:

I wrote "He closed off at least one blind alley," and got zero marks for it! Just one of several reasons I chucked college in favour of private tuition which meant I didn't have to write stupid essays! 

Yeah! You are really brave!

I remember once I had to evaluate on a World Music lesson, and I hated the lecturer, so I wrote, "After this class I know the beauty and importance of Classical Music". Of course World Music is very beautiful in itself but I just write that to irritate that pretentious lecturer.

Henry

27 minutes ago, jawoodruff said:

Interesting. This piece definitely has his pointilistiv, minimal tendencies. Your user of gestures is also reminiscent of him. 

However, remiss of me not to thank you for listening to it and commenting. I was drawn away by something domestic. Apologies.

21 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I remember once I had to evaluate on a World Music lesson, and I hated the lecturer, so I wrote, "After this class I know the beauty and importance of Classical Music". Of course World Music is very beautiful in itself but I just write that to irritate that pretentious lecturer.

It's how it is. As money is involved we have to make our feelings known. I wasn't happy the way composition was being taught anyway and having to write essays made it more of a pain. I knew early on I'd give up on a musical career - life as a professional composer is too precarious.