Mountain Storms and Valley Peace | My First Performed Symphonic Work

Hey everyone! I am decided to go ahead and publish my finished works on the forum. I may re-upload some existing works to match this shift, however, let this score mark the first part of this series! 

No.1 - Mountain Storms and Valley Peace

Mountain storms and Valley Peace is my first successful work for the orchestra. Winner of the 2024 Young Composer's Forum, and apart of the Tennessee Valley Music Festival, it was recorded and debuted in June, 2024. In 2025, I decided to rewrite the work to the version you shall listen to. After some small tweaking of the front matter, the score is complete and available for view.

Feel free to leave any comments about the work and I hope to see you all in the next one!

(P.S. In my opinion, this work is complete and as of this post, I have no plans to update the score)
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PROGRAM NOTE:
        Mountain Storms and Valley Peace is a symphonic work and the winning composition of the 2024 Young Composer’s Forum at the Tennessee Valley Music Festival. Set against the backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains, this piece explores the dual nature of the world; both the chaotic power of a thunderstorm and the tranquil peace that follows. The storm represents the harshness and unpredictability of life, a force of destruction that is as much a part of nature as the calm that succeeds it. This work invites listeners to join the orchestra and experience the balance of forces that shape the world, showing how both extremes contribute to the richness and resilience of nature.

[VOLUME WARNING]

No.1 - Mountain Storms and Valley Peace

1: Now this is what i call "FULL-ON"  , You cannot MAX-OUT the Orchestra more than this.

2: i First heard this Composition on your Main Website,  it Instantly brought a smile and a laugh to my face, as i thought to myself : "OH YES"

3: Its Powerful, Professional, Inspiring, Complete.......It has all the Hallmarks Of a Hollywood Blockbuster.

This is a very well constructed piece! I think it's a little too on the "safe" side. When I envision a piece about storms (be it Vivaldi's Summer, Beethoven's 6th, Alpine Symphony), I want to hear rapid scales (especially in the strings and woodwinds), wild tremolo in the strings & percussion, and more dissonant chords in the brass. Maybe I'm biased after listening to those pieces.

I think the D major section (starting around 94) is too similar in terms of orchestration as the beginning. I think this should be more brighter sounding, maybe with some instruments playing an octave higher than written (for example violins/violas in 126). In general, a little variety would help differentiate this section.

1 minute ago, danishali903 said:

This is a very well constructed piece! I think it's a little too on the "safe" side. When I envision a piece about storms (be it Vivaldi's Summer, Beethoven's 6th, Alpine Symphony), I want to hear rapid scales (especially in the strings and woodwinds), wild tremolo in the strings & percussion, and more dissonant chords in the brass. Maybe I'm biased after listening to those pieces.

I think the D major section (starting around 94) is too similar in terms of orchestration as the beginning. I think this should be more brighter sounding, maybe with some instruments playing an octave higher than written (for example violins/violas in 126). In general, a little variety would help differentiate this section.

 

Thanks for the comment! I’m sure there could be plenty of changes to do, however, this work was one of my earlier attempts at writing for the orchestra. A time before I got any composition feedback from any mentors. I thankfully won a competition and spent a week working with composer Robert Bradshaw. During that time, he gave me tips on voicing, orchestration, and understanding tessitura. My rewrite was not to completely redo the work but polish it with the new information and techniques I learned. 
 

So, while I appreciate the feedback, I will not be rewriting certain spots in the work as I still want to keep it as is to show my growth overtime.

1 hour ago, MK_Piano said:

Thanks for the comment! I’m sure there could be plenty of changes to do, however, this work was one of my earlier attempts at writing for the orchestra. A time before I got any composition feedback from any mentors. I thankfully won a competition and spent a week working with composer Robert Bradshaw. During that time, he gave me tips on voicing, orchestration, and understanding tessitura. My rewrite was not to completely redo the work but polish it with the new information and techniques I learned. 
 

So, while I appreciate the feedback, I will not be rewriting certain spots in the work as I still want to keep it as is to show my growth overtime.

 

Good for you! I'm too embarrassed to share my earlier works lol