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Hi. So this is a cello sonata. I wrote this between 2017 and 2018 and it was premiered in 2019. The recording is not the super bestest ever, but it does the job. This is the 4th long-form "sonata" type thing I wrote and it was mostly based around the idea of augmented chords within a kind of neo-romantic style.

This music is about Franz Kafka. (If you want to read more about the meaning behind the music, you can do so here) All feedback is welcome!

I wrote most of this about four years ago but just today I went back to it and finished it up. I don't think it's terribly good, but I'd be interested to hear what people think works and what doesn't if anyone is kind enough to listen. Thanks!

This is my second attempt at a divertimento in the classical style. It's meant to be a light and enjoyable work for a small string ensemble (I tried to make it possible for either a quartet or a larger section). I'm primarily doing these divertimentos as exercises in improving my four-part writing. One of the unifying factors between the movements is a consistent emphasis on weak beats throughout the piece, although I may have gotten a bit carried away with this aspect. I also sneaked a few bVII chords in to a couple of the movements. Let me know what you think! Thanks for listening.

Very dynamic and cinematic.

I think this is a delight! Your control over jazz harmonies and rhythms is quite impressive. The pianist is really talented. This reminds me in many ways of Liszt (especially around 2:22), if Liszt had had a more expansive jazz vocabulary. It also reminds me of Japanese jazz (especially around 1:42), like it belongs as background music for an anime movie. But this is quite virtuosic at times, and evocative! Great job using harmonic motion to tell a story. Your return to the main theme gives this piece a hint of form, which helps prevent it from feeling like a stream of consciousness improv. Some listeners really need to hear a strong form in order to feel comfortable with a piece of music. You may lose some people that want to hear music with a more cohesive, linear quality and clearly defined form. I am not one of those listeners however; I enjoy pieces that wander and search and quest, and I appreciate the artistic potential of such a set-up. The fact that you are portraying a character, in my opinion, gives you total leeway to follow the concept to its end and invent your own forms to suit the character. My only recommendation would this: don't allow every movement in your planned suite to wander too much without a solid form. Give the listener a couple movements interspersed throughout that are anchors, something more predictable to give their ears a rest in between more frenetic movements like this first one. That way you can strike a balance between chasing your concept and creating a piece of art that is actually enjoyable to listen to all the way through. Too much chaos can wear out the listener after a couple movements of it. Thta's my two cents. (I have always struggled with this very thing as a composer). What you start at 4:52 is delicious. Cheers!

Pretty cool atmosphere - I can see the germination of what you would become later - the celesta is reminiscent/foreshadowing of "Flight of the Fledgling" and you use the choir in a very cinematic way. Other parts sound kind of random to me (the oboe melody near the 2 minute mark). Still - pretty cool piece!

1st movement: I like how you manage to alternate between canonic imitation and playing in harmony. It really works well for this style of writing although I wish you would have included a bassoon sometimes. I noticed in the very beginning that you somehow manage to organize your melodic material into two 11 measure phrases and it doesn't sound imbalanced at all! The first phrase is two 4 measure parts followed by a 2 measure coda that ends on a final note that takes up 1 measure = 11. And the second phrase has the same structure with different material - kinda neat! The cadential points throughout this are very well placed and all the phrases sound balanced and consist of interesting contrapuntal interplay. 2nd movement: You go from canonic imitation in the first movement to what seems to be a pretty strict canon in this one. Despite some lack of rhythmic variety this is a pretty well put together little piece! Usually I don't like slow movements but this has a nice relaxing/hypnotic feel to it. 3rd movement: With it's seemingly free chromaticism and copious use of various diminished chords this one is definitely my favorite! My favorite part is meas. 72 - 76. I'm not quite sure if I can label that Db7 chord as a German 6th chord as there isn't enough voices to make the proper bass movement but nonetheless - that was pretty cool! I think you seem to be pretty good at writing in a Baroque style! I am looking forward to more (and do you have any fugues?). Great job!