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Yeah I suppose that's the problem. It seems like most people that come here post a piece they'd like a review on, but don't review many other's works. I'll do my best to be a hype man for future comps

Good evening everyone! I'm ready to present a new piece I have been working on for the last couple of months or so: Adagio for Orchestra. It’s a relatively short piece, not as large in scope as some of my other works I have posted here. Admittedly I’ve had a little bit of writer’s block recently, so I toned things back quite a bit and instead focused on simple themes and experimenting with an expanded orchestra, including Euphonium and Saxophone with the usual instruments. I'm interested in any and all constructive feedback. I had a few goals in mind as I composed this, feel free to chime in on how well I accomplished them: Focus on simple, memorable themes. Experiment with orchestration, using auxiliary instruments to create some unique textures. Integrate Euphonium and Saxophone with the rest of the orchestra. Write something that would work as a middle movement of a larger work, such as a symphony. The piece is loosely structured in a binary form with repeat (ABAB). (0:00 - 1:09) – Introduction. Euphonium solo that is passed between and elaborated by other members of the winds, punctuated by sweeping string lines. Most of the thematic material from the piece is extracted from this opening solo. (1:09 – 2:41) – A Theme. A melancholy dirge carried by a bell-like ostinato played by harp, celesta, and piano, with rustling tremolo in the strings and an eerie chant in the winds. (2:41 – 5:00) – B Theme. A floating theme first presented by the oboe then embellished by the strings to the first big outburst of the piece. Material from the A Theme is elaborated here, then the strings carry the oboe theme to a new momentary high, before settling back into the recap. (5:00 – 7:11) – A Theme recap. The dirge returns, this time building to a euphoric climax, then drifting away into the upper register of the woodwinds and strings. (7:11 – 8:13) – B Theme recap. This time the clarinet sings the theme. I experimented with some polytonality/polymodality/whatever-you-want-to-call-it with the chords in the horns, trumpets, flutes, keyboards, and harp. I’m curious how well I pulled this off. (8:13 – 8:38) – Coda. Return of the Euphonium solo, this time drifting off into silence to end the piece. As usual, I have few specific questions I would like specific feedback on. Feel free to answer as many or as few as you wish: What effect does the music have on you? Does in conjure up an image? Or an emotional feeling? Does it tell you a story? This can be the piece as a whole, or a specific part or parts. What was your favorite part? What was your least favorite part? Do you have any comments or critiques on technique, e.g. harmony, melody writing, counterpoint, orchestration, voice-leading, etc.? How do you feel about the overall form? Is it effective? How well do you think the euphonium and saxophone are integrated with the rest of the orchestra? How do you feel about the harmony in the B theme recap (the nondiatonic chords against the melody in the clarinet)? Is it effective? Do you have any comments of the quality of the performance in the audio file? I really want this to be a decent representation of how the piece would sound if it were performed live, since it is unlikely it ever will be. Feel free to put your "conductor hat" on and critique the "orchestra". I have included a score and welcome any constructive feedback on its presentation. And if you're like me it's a lot more fun to follow along with the score. Are there any composers this reminds you of, that I might enjoy listening to? Sound libraries: Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra and Spitfire Percussion VSL – Eb clarinet, Bass clarinet (in the intro only), Alto sax, Bassoon (for the solo only), Bb Trumpet (for the solos only, and some reinforcement in louder sections), Euphonium, Piano Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy! If you liked something I did and want me to explain how I did it, feel free to ask as well. -gmm

Hello! I was commissioned to write an orchestra piece, and I have just finished my first draft of the piece. I would like to hear your comments/criticism. Keep in mind, I have a 3.5 minute max time (with a 10-15 minute rehearsal time, as it is for a summer concert), and I wanted to fit in as many textures and ideas as I could with easy to rehearse parts. A big part of my style is to create "samplers" of the many ideas I have and focus less on making it a completely cohesive "piece." I use a few melodies/bits that stay present throughout and build upon those. Thank you, and if you take the time to reply to my piece I am more than happy to take the time to comment on one of yours 🙂 Enjoy!

suite-r 3 improvisations 3 memories. I have a new love now. By the by: I am subtitling this work as "Reminiscences of An Extraordinary Genius". No, no, no, I do NOT mean myself, what do you think I am here, anyway, a self-absorbed, self-indulgent bozo of a human being and seeking the approbation, nay, utter worship, of my fellow YCers? No, no, no, none of that! What I mean to say with said subtitle is that I can and do remember an extraordinary genius with whom I used to share certain moments. Alas, that bird has flown. But as I said, I have a new love now and most is now right, for the forseeable read forver future of my existence...natch, knock-on-wood and all that sh*t. Enjoy, friends, if you might and in any case, please remember...I WILL be seeing you in the stacks!

Yep! The part about adding tones to the whole half octatonic scale was a bit unintentional (that probably slipped past me during my proof-read HAHA) but yea I also felt during the composing period that the added tones really prevented it from sounding a little weird and awkward. Hmm, the half-whole octatonic sounds interesting, I should really try it out! Thanks for your feedback!

This piece gives me Tchaikovsky Symphony No.2 vibes (EDIT: I actually meant to refer to Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1) especially in the introductory euphonium solo and when it's followed by the clarinet soli. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2 (No. 1) is subtitled "Winter Wind" ("Winter Daydreams") and that association holds true for this piece as well at least in my mind in the beginning. Later when the piece develops it doesn't sound quite as wintry. The string tremolos in the beginning feel "chilly" to me. I like how when the dirge returns and builds to a climax it still sounds mournful. I think you pulled off the polychords in the B theme recap really well! The way you sustained those juxtaposed polychords gave me "Back to the Future" vibes though - don't know if that is something you might want to avoid. The first time the B theme bursts through (3:29) makes me think of some great nature documentaries like "Planet Earth" - it could be used to great effect to accompany images of panning up a mountain range and finally breaking through over the precipice to witness the landscape exposed below. The slow builds in this piece are exquisite and the harmony is constantly fresh. The music makes me think of nature and natural landscapes such as sheer overgrown rock faces and trickling waterfalls. The introduction and B theme are especially apt for that. I can imagine the A theme as accompanying someones slow and laborious climb up a giant cliff/mountain. Either that or it could portray the struggles of an animal as it searches for food. I think the form works really well and the polychordal section is really well placed and creates a sense of wonder/puzzlement before ending the piece. Even though I have looked at the score when I first heard this piece - the above remarks were all pretty much made without the score as I focus better on how the music makes me feel without looking at the score. That is pretty much it for now although if something else comes to mind I'll make sure to chime in! Thanks for sharing and great job!

Nice job! I noticed you occasionally added tones to the whole-half octatonic scale that don't belong (like the G natural in m. 2). I guess it was important for you to include a natural 5th in there to keep the scale from sounding maybe a bit too augmented or diminished. Have you tried experimenting with the half-whole octatonic scale? It has a natural 5th in it as well as a major and a minor 3rd and a b7. I always preferred that one to the whole-half because of it's lack of a natural 5th. Anyway - cool result! It is quite dramatic sounding. Thanks for sharing!

Fair enough, it's just a thought. There was nothing magical about 150 though; might be worthwhile to experiment with tempos that aren't quite that fast, it's up to you. I like the idea, and I think it's pretty good as is, but if m.82 is supposed to be the climactic moment it doesn't quite feel that way to me. If anything it needs to be more extreme compared to the preceding sections. Maybe if at m.78, if instead of having the sixteenth note runs in the piccolo and glockenspiel, you had it in some of the lower woodwind voices (and maybe marimba?), then built up to m.82 and added the piccolo and glockenspiel then?... not sure exactly... but my instinct tells me to try to hold back some of the voices until m.82, then add them all back in to make the texture explode. However, the dropoff at m.86 works well though, I like the contrast from the busy section right before it (m.82-85). If m.82-85 is made to be a bigger moment then this dropoff will be even more effective. Another thing I noticed - I'm not sure how practical the trombone part is in this section. I would think they would have to gliss their way through some of the sixteenth note runs, and I'm not sure that would work with the cellos that share this. As an alternative, maybe have them mimic the percussive hits in the timpani? Anytime dude. It's clear you put alot of work into this, so it deserves good feedback. I'll second this. A month and a half isn't all that long, especially between work, life, etc.

I'd agree this could be extended, but if your aim was for short and sweet then maybe a little variation in texture would work well. Perhaps a less is more type thing. Maybe some rests in the left hand, or have some parts in the right as just single notes. Or if you like the melody as is, how about changing the intervals in some spots? Overall very enjoyable though, I'm hoping to hear more from you soon!