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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/03/2021 in all areas

  1. I like the 2nd movement! It's quite effective as a slow movement and I don't usually like slow movements. Everything, including the piano accompaniment stays pretty simple for the most part. You attempt to introduce a more virtuosic variation of the material in the bassoon at meas. 54 which I feel could be brought out more and elaborated upon more. If it were my piece I would probably have subjected the material to a theme and variations treatment but that's just me. Your phrases are quite unusual in this and end up in unexpected places. Also it seems like the melody line should be more lyrical and song-like somehow. There certainly is plenty of tension and release in your phrases and dynamics that highlight that. Overall, an enjoyable if brooding piece! Thanks for sharing!
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  2. Hi bkho, this'll be fun! 1. My top three in terms of my favourites to listen to are currently Bach, Ravel and Rachmaninoff (popular composers but that's my honest opinion!) Bach: The 6th Partita Ravel: I'm going to go a little more obscure and name Ma Mere L'Oye as a masterwork of precise construction! Rachmaninoff: I couldn't not put the 3rd Concerto! (With the inimitable Horowitz) Possibly not going to broaden your musical tastes, but there we go! 2. Underrated Composers. I'm going to drop in Korngold here, an interesting blend of late Romanticism and Modernist music. The String Sextet, which I believe perfectly embodies his unmistakable style: I'll also leave Moszkowski here, his Piano Concerto in E Major is a truly beautiful work (Pawlik's recording is the best). 3. Overrated Composers: Haha I have lots of these! At the risk of offending certain forum members I won't mention Mozart (wrote the same piano concerto 19 times until they got interesting), Vivaldi (wrote the same concerto 600 times!), Chopin (was good for piano, rubbish at anything else i.e. about 4 other pieces that aren't solo piano) or Schumann (ineffective in many mediums). So, Overrated Composer No. 1: Liszt. Some of his works are good, but a huge number are empty technical fireworks just designed to impress uneducated audiences. While I'm all for writing music "for the masses", many of his pieces have no substance! Overrated Composer No. 2: Vaughan Williams. How many of his works are just sentimental mush which goes on for far too long? I agree with Copland on this one: "Listening to the fifth symphony of Ralph Vaughan Williams is like staring at a cow for 45 minutes." Ouch. 4. I'll leave this one for now, as my best works are not uploaded to this site. Many lie in a state of almost but not quite being finished. So, @bkho, do you have any works that you would like me to review?
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