May 15, 200719 yr This piece really doesn't have a key, but it starts in C# minor and ends in E major (sort of). I want to name this piece, but I have not come up with a name yet. Anyway, this piece reminds me of flowing water, and it describes beauty in a supernatural or fantasy world (world of a fairy). The style of the piece is a blend of light impressionism and romanticism. There are many irregular note rhythms, but the majority of the piece is written in 4/4 time composed in 5ths (starting at 1.55). These fifths are designed to be played with both hands for the most part, which will make it much easier for the pianst to play. When I was improvising the piece on the piano, everything flowed in my fingers very nicely. At around 4.35, I change the mood by creating a "dark fantasy" feeling, rather than the "romance fantasy" which is the bulk of the piece. I do revolve around one major theme, which I am sure you all can pick up on. But for the most part, this is a piece to describe a feeling, so themes are not very dominant. I hope you enjoy! Fantasy in E
May 15, 200719 yr High standard of work as usual, although I found that the left hand was doing far too much, in comparison with the right, and it felt somewhat unbalanced.
May 15, 200719 yr This offering is actually one of the best pieces I've ever heard from you, Michael. Maybe the best. The more "impressionistic" harmony reminiscent of Debussy and such is far more interesting than your usual Chopin pastiche. I became a tad frustrated with the square rhythm that briefly takes over around 7:40, though, and I thought the ending was comparatively weak as well. What about doing something similar to Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G# Minor? Just sort of float it off into the piano's upper register, perhaps adding a supportive bass note afterwards. Other than those couple of points, it was a very enjoyable listen. I'll be off to compose some piano music later - right now I'm feeling a bit intimidated. :P
May 15, 200719 yr And Michael, I am very impressed with the direction your harmony has taken with this piece. There is a much stronger sense of personal expression here than anything of yours I've heard up until now. I would also enjoy a score... to play through the piece myself at the piano. I'd say a little closer to Ravel than Debussy. Chopin/Mike may have to pick a new nickname for the forum soon!
May 20, 200719 yr :w00t: Holy crap. I love this. This goes on my iPod for sure. Hey, would you mind posting a score? I'd like to try it out... To me, the beginning sounded almost like a waterfall, and almost furiously sad. Very longing. This was very Debussy-esque with hints of some of Liszt's better music. I may post a full review later. But I'm tired right now. I wish you could post music more often. I always enjoy it very thoroughly.
May 20, 200719 yr Beautiful and romantic. But it tended to become very boring and repetitious after a while. After 3 minutes in the music, attention begun to slowly drift away. A beautiful soundscape but...
May 20, 200719 yr You know you're messing with the web administrator... Actually, this is a really fine piece of music. Wow, this is actually quite good. It's very modern in a very tonal fashion, but I love the sudden mood shifts. I love music that involves random spontaneous shifts like this.
May 20, 200719 yr You know you're messing with the web administrator... Of course I do...would he like me to shift my reviews favorably? :whistling:
May 24, 200719 yr I'm really not an experienced enough listener to give a worthwhile critique, but I can tell you that I enjoyed it, and that it held my attention. It was clearly of professional quality, and I understood the intended emotion; the piece communicated effectively. I remember being particularly moved around 4:40, and 7:50-ish. I also really loved the ending. I got a sense of wonder or excitement from it. This was really enjoyable.
June 16, 200719 yr Really lovely. Every thing you make is better than the last. There are some really gorgeous moments right after the half way point. The use of sudden harmony changes was very, very attractive. Some reminiscent of Debussy.
June 20, 200719 yr I think you are the next Claude A. Debussy. Some of your song is in the whole tone scale that Debussy is famous for. Great stuff!
June 23, 200719 yr Very sexy, but I do agree that it gets a tad, erm, soporific. I just think that any little thing thrown in the middle (dissonance, a sudden modulation, extreme dynamics, something on either end of the piano, etc.) would make for a nice change.
August 15, 200719 yr This was GAW-GEOUS, as they say in Boston. I loved this, it has to be one of my favorite works from you. I would really, really love to see a score.
