Hi
I was talking about sections and climax, etc... The music before XX century is based in that. We always expect repetitions (sections) and climax, in tonal ways.
You can "extrapolate" this pattern to a contemporary piece, of course, since to sound contemporary there are many other resources. However, many contemporary music is built on sections or parts that are different because textures, scales, etc... Everything is possible and good.
I have to say that "contemporary" is a wide concept, and your pieces sounds contemporary to me. Nice you use the third mode... Sometimes I've used the hexatonic scales for the bass part and the 3rd or 7th mode in the other instruments. I like this mixtures.
Maarten, in my modest opinion the work is very good, I would only sew the parts you have and focus on adding or changing some parts to be less vertical (parallel). Once you have the piece together you can work on a climax (I suppose by the second part near the end) in some way you feel: for example, a parallel scale in high register the three upper instruments, and the bass to the lowest... Or the scale, if you don't want it to be parallel, make it as a mini-canon where the voices meet in the last part of the ascending phrase.... There are many ways. To be most effective, make it in crescendo (and probably you won't repeat it).
Changing meter (I mean constant changing meter and adding rhythms and that is other took you can use but not mandatory, of course). In fact I think it would be very odd here because the mood is contemporary but not "radical", you know what I mean.
Contrasting dynamics are also characteristic, so I think they'r good, too.