quintet Daunting Steps - Quintet for Piano, Flute, Contrabassoon, Violin, and Cello - 2025 Halloween Submission

this is a submission for the 2025 halloween competition. i was just really going for a spooky halloweeny vibe but not like "terror and dread and killer" vibes. it's definitely lighter than the other submitted pieces. also, contrabassoon! very spooky sounding instrument, and i've tried my best to harness that specific quality of it.

enjoy!

update:

-updated score from @Kvothe's feedback

Entry:  Daunting Steps

Average Score:9.3 Very good

Review:

Execution: 10

The entry met the two requirements for this competition: an ensemble for solo instruments with the time frame of 3-7 minutes (with a sweet spot of 5 minutes). 

Instrumentation : 

Triple tonging in the woods usually marked with Flz. (flutter tongue). That way, the flutist knows how to tongue the notes.  As for String writing: there are some techincal issues to be addressed. First, Sul G marked only one measure. That seems bit confusing.  The measure tremolos with double stops...that might be cause playabity issues. the port. to natural harmonics.  Also, i am not sure if Arco with tremolo can be achieved then a port. That is rather demanding.    In this area, the entry will be score 7. 

Score presentation: 

After a careful readful of the score, there notation and engraving errors. There was hair pin that was not algin with the staff. There are rest that 8ths rest that should be quarter rests.  The 16h note triplets in compound meter might be misleading.  Ergo, the score will 9 

Taste: 

What I like about this entry is that is experiments with idioms that general audience might not be accustom to. There is high sense of chromatism that leads you wonder if this atonal or not. Ferium knows how push beyond traditional harmony and open the door into modern harmony.  For that, I will give a 10   

Form Development Structure Time

There is a clear sense form and structure in this entry. Although it does not use classical structure, which one may be used, you have to know how modern composers use form and structure in new ways.  Unlike the traditional sonata forms, this piece is more like Rapsody or similar to scherzo.  Both are free forms. I am going to Scherzo in this case, since the meter matches here. (However, I am not sure...if that composer wrote that way). A Scherzo is built like minuet but in 6 or 3. And in this 6/8 with two meterical stress. And that was achieved well. 9.5.  

Harmony, Textures:

The interplay between parts created moody polyphonic and chordal textures. 9  

Melodic material

The melodic material through this was well devopled. 10 

Overall this orginal and creative: 10 

10 hours ago, Kvothe said:

Triple tonging in the woods usually marked with Flz. (flutter tongue).

updated. i thought i only needed to use the triple tremolos, or flz., or both. i've chosen to use both to make it clearer.

10 hours ago, Kvothe said:

First, Sul G marked only one measure. That seems bit confusing.

updated to encapsulate the measures that should be played Sul G

10 hours ago, Kvothe said:

The measure tremolos with double stops...that might be cause playabity issues.

i'm not sure what this is referring to? if you meant the cello in b.37 where it plays measured tremolos with double stops, i'm pretty sure that's doable unless there's something else to it or i'm just outright referring to the wrong thing

10 hours ago, Kvothe said:

the port. to natural harmonics.  Also, i am not sure if Arco with tremolo can be achieved then a port. That is rather demanding.

it is intended to indicate playing on open strings, not nat. harmonics, hence the "0" fingering. i've changed it to an actual open string symbol now. with the tremolo glissando, i think that's also doable? i've done some searches and have heard that specific playing in a piece i'm pretty sure. can't remember which piece though.

10 hours ago, Kvothe said:

There was hair pin that was not algin with the staff.

fixed 

10 hours ago, Kvothe said:

There are rest that 8ths rest that should be quarter rests.

fixed 

10 hours ago, Kvothe said:

The 16h note triplets in compound meter might be misleading

changed the run from 16th note triplets to a 9 tuplet

10 hours ago, Kvothe said:

I am going to Scherzo in this case, since the meter matches here. (However, I am not sure...if that composer wrote that way)

for form, it is true that I didn't really think of scherzo while composing 

form: 

Introduction: b.1 - b.50, includes both themes playing against each other

A: b.51 - b.91

Transition I : b.92 - b.117, includes the intro

B: b.118 - b.169

Transition II : b.170 - b.181

Intro*: b.182 - b.223, a variation of the intro

A*: b.224 - b. 251, variation of A with change of accompaniment towards the start.

Transition I*: b.252 - b.267, variation with added trills.

B*: b.268 - b.319

Transition II*: b.320 - b.335

Coda: b.336 - b.359

thanks for the review!! the feedbacks and the comments are really appreciated!!