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Notturno, from the String Quartet no. 2 by Alexander Borodin. There are others I rank highly, like the 2nd movement of Tchaikovsky's String Quartet no. 1, or the opening movement of Hugo Wolf's String Quartet, or even the second movement of Rachmaninoff's String Quartet no. 2 (and of course, the classical quartets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert), but if I'm being honest, it has to be Borodin's Notturno. The perfect balance between melodic beauty and proportion is unparalleled, not to mention being one of the most moving pieces ever written (at least in my opinion).

Wow! Its a really nice and beautiful piece! Well done! I wouldn't call it a symphony, I would call it a symphonic poem. One thing, it's kinda stuck in one place. Maybe its the dynamics and automation but I think its more about the felling, which is kind of the same - which makes this piece "not by itself"

I listened to it once with the story then with the score. I think I watched a short movie alike once, don't remember which one it was or it's name cause I watch dozens of short animated movies all the time. I think that your piece could do very well as a soundtrack to one of those, but I don't think you should perform it. Something about it just feels as if... you write for a computer, which is why the notation puzzled me. I think that it feels so mostly for the fact that... it seems as if you put the specific sounds you want without really acknowledging the players? Say, the piano, for example. Why have a pianist sit there for so long for such brief of a second? Same goes for many others which could be used on many other occasions. If you want my advise, here's what, in my opinion, should be done- 1. I know it's hard for you as a composer because I've been through it a few times, but try to make a piano reduction of your score. That way: -You can rethink your orchestration -You can think more clearly on your melodic/harmonic material -You will have to create interest and resemble the scene without the sound and texture aspect 2. Make notation all over the piano sketch with notes like "here I want that" and "a flute stacc, it must be!" or "here I'd want to make a sound the resembles the duck". 3. Lay out the main guidelines on an orchestral sheet, just the main notes you told yourself in advance. 4. Listen to it as is, with the piano lines that haven't been placed yet played by the piano, see if you're satisfied with it as a sketch. 5. Now give it some time to rest, say. a week. 6. Come back, take another listen, see if there's anything you see differently. 7. Once you have a result with main laid out guidelines: -Fill the rest with spreaded harmony, voice leading for each, try to get to a result near what you have around 71 [although excellent, you could have the harp and pno accompanying, the Clt and Flt second voicing, maybe a third in the horns, string accompaniment that's not whole notes chords...] -Make sure that it would make sense for each player on his own, that he'd be able to hear both the others and himself, etc. -Listen to the final result and pet yourself on the shoulder. Again, just my opinion, you may of course disagree. I hope that was helpful, I'm going back to physics.