Adagio 'for Eva' - Piano Trio (mp3 + score)

Hey Manos,

I liked this a lot. The jazz/pop influence was nice. It's cool that you choose to include the syncopation and grace notes in a piece that employs a more "classical" instrumentation. I liked most of it, but there were a few parts that I think you could improve.

- Measure 45, I didn't like the dominant 7th you used.

- Starting at measure 46, I think it would be nice to let the cello have the melody, in the tenor clef, since there aren't many memorable moments where the cello has the melody. The cello is a very expressive, melodic instrument, and sounds gorgeous playing the melody in the opper register.

- Measure 53, I didn't like the sudden use of pizz.

- I didn't like the ending, and thought it should end strongly, but in a way where it followed the thematic material, and also released the tension, instead of create it. You ended on the minor chord, and since the piece is in the major key, I think that you could achieve the effect you were going for, but in a way that fits the mood of the piece better.

Great job, and looking forward to hearing more. Good luck with recording Zonnymi today.

Greetings, Tyler!

Your comments are very constructive and welcome. About m. 45, I played through all the previous measures between C major and F major...thus, my C7 was a good way to pass the F major key in a more concrete way...but, that's a matter of taste!

About the violoncello taking the melody...do you think I wouldn't want that? Do you think I haven't already tried? Unfortunately, I will play the violoncello in this piece and I am still a beginner/roughly intermediate. I know my limits and ski within them. But, I know what you mean...I love the violoncello!

M. 53, I wanted something a bit percussive to 'announce' the ending...thus the sudden' momentary use of pizz.

Thanks you for the comments regarding the ending...your viewpoint is very interesting!

I just completed the recording of 'Zonnymi', now the mixing/mastering procedure is underway...fingers crossed!

Again, thanks!!!! :)

It's beautiful! Just makes you want to go to sleep.

It's beautiful! Just makes you want to go to sleep.

I presume this is positive feedback? :P

Anyway, thanks a lot for giving a listen! ;)

so...........you should probably slap me across my face because i havent commented on this piece yet. :D this is wonderful music!! ive listened to it a few times this past month and really couldnt figure out anything to critize. your instrumentation use was superb as you captured a romantic setting. your memorable line of doteighth sixteenth sixteenth dot eighth (meh..you know what im talking about) made my stomach drop as i applied this piece to my own life. ive noticed that some people didnt like the ending, however i rather enjoyed it. it reminded me of an open-ending of a book. nice work!:happy::toothygrin:

thatguy, I thank you for the (very) kind words! It's nice to know you returned to give it another listen. I hope that soon (October) I'll be able to record it...your reviews make it seem it's worth both the time and the money (yeah, it will be a self-funded project).

An open-ending of a book! Yes! Another bullseye remark!!!

Well I'm not a big fan. Personally I think the melody and the simplicity of the piano and cello parts, as well as a general lack of development and harmonic interest gave this piece a pop-ish feel. I wasn't totally convinced by the melody and parts that were obviously designed to have strong emotional impact to me sounded a little forced or overly sentimental. I think some of the timbres are interesting and nice but I still would have liked to have heard a nicer melody and more interesting lines and talking between the instruments. The ending, which is clearly intended to surprise, does so but it still seems out of place. I think a much more suitable ending would be to gently let the piece come to rest. This is just my opinion so don't let it get you down.

Yeah, thanks, J.Br. for the honest opinion! Such feedback is valuable for me, since it's obviously constructive, although negative!

Much appreciated! :P

I really loved this. It felt just gentle enough, without being bland. I loved the beginning, and the ending fit well enough---jarring, certainly, but then too "pretty" an ending wouldn't have fit the mood of the piece either. Plus, to me it suggested how people come together in the midst of "jarring" events, in the way violincello and the flute played in unison. But my favorite section had to be at 35. I noticed the way you used rests especially. Then the eighth notes starting at 41 were absolutely beautiful. SO perfect! As for criticism, I didn't care for the transition into the key change at 43-44, and the violincello seemed a little too soft to me, although that might've had more to do with my computer than the piece itself.

Anyway, I really liked the piece. Thanks for posting it for us all to listen to.

ChrisLK, thanks for taking the time to listen, check out the score and review.

The almost 'sempre' pedal point held by the flute with rests is one of my favorite, simple techniques and it sounds beautiful when actually performed...

Stick around, there's more to come (soon, I hope)!

Loved the tranquility of the beginning, most of the piece actually. The con passione with the cello and piano is absolutely lovely!

The ending is a bit... strange, it doesn't really fit in with the rest of the piece...

But I think it's really good, Eva must have been thrilled!

Well, thanks, Paginani (great avatar by the way)!

She hasn't heard it...yet!

Cheers!

i love this work . keep going. my friend

angela

Well, thank you, Angela!

Been rushed and away lately, more comments now:

I like the choice of instrumentation and the way you devided the melody.

Did you write the melody and then assigned the parts to the instruments, or did you characterise your instruments?(related them to specific people?)

This is very pretty.

The flute sings, the cello resonates, the piano supports and converses.

Sometimes you actually made me forget I was listening to more than one instrument.

Thanks for posting.

Paginani,

the melodies referred to specific periods in our relationship, the instrumentation related to both light/tender (flute) and dark/sad (violoncello) feelings towards each other. Thus, the instruments are not characters, just different aspects of the same feelings. The form of the piece, follows the form of our relationship...hope this answers your questions.

yrogerg... thank you! :)

I liked this piece a lot, but as others have said the ending is kind of wierd. It's very sudden, which isn't bad in itself, but you never built upon it. It created a lot of interest and then the piece just stopped.

But a very good piece overall.

Hi there, MonkeysAteMe!

You are very wise in commenting I should have 'built upon' the ending. Believe me, if I didn't wish for it to be unexpected, I would use such an approach!

I took some of your comments under consideration and think (seriously) about expanding it, but I don't have the material, nor the ideas...yet!

What surprises me is that nobody complained about the cluster chords in the middle of such a 'lovely' piece of music!

But, I digress! Thanks for posting, MonkeysAteMe, I am very glad you enjoyed it!

I have a question: Why is it labeled classical genre?, sometimes it sounds like new age music.

In general the piece is beautiful.

Thank you, claudio....

answering your question, it sounds that way because I was inspired by some rock/shoegazer acts...I believe there are elements there, in terms of form, instrumentation, notation & harmony that can somewhat "justify" a more 'romantic' approach. Besides that, labeling is not my forte!

Thanks for listening and reviewing!

I want to share my joy!

Eva listened to piece yesterday, although it was the crappy rendering. She loved the piece and told me; 'it's one of the most beautiful things I've heard'.

Seeing her face, her expression, while listening to it, I find this to be the best reward ever.

congradulations on getting an emotion out of her that only this piece could have achieved! :thumbsup:

I found this to be the best reward I have ever been given...given the time and the money, I'll present to her the recording and, hopefully, another movement!?