Well, well, well, well, well, well,
well, well,
WELL
If it isn't another one of Daniel's infamous nocturnes...
let's dive right in!
So, immediately, and before getting too involved with the piece, I want to comment on your sound samples. What do you use? Your samples are very wet, coming from your reverb. They make everything sound blended too much together, without the crispness the piano can offer. I know you're using heavy pedal throughout a lot of the piece, but turning that back a notch (or several) could really bring out the clarity of your notes. Is this the setting you've used with your other pieces? Maybe I've missed it, but it seemed very prevalent in this one.
As far as musicality, at first I was a bit disheartened with the constant quarter note rhythms of the chords, but as I re-listened, it grew on me, and I think it works. I love your pacing in this, constantly giving us the grim nature of your main theme, but varying it up accordingly. I really love the transition at bar 39, maybe even giving that a rubato type feel would bring out the character a bit more (this deserves a live performance for that). Reinstatement of the theme in a simple way is superb, and I love the key change at bar 51 or so.
But to me, this piece really starts taking off at bar 69, and something I want to address now. I LOVE the form of this. I love how it evolves and evolves, and continues to develop. It's almost like an impromptu...like an ever evolving improvisation of your main theme. And then a tease of the theme at bar 85 with continued development?
*chef's kiss*
And then a delayed resolve at bar 97?
DUDE
You had me gripping my seat with anticipation.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
LOVE
the ending section... How you take us with the rolled chords to the end. Maybe...MAYBE you could have added the descending 16th notes of the original theme to the second to last measure. But overall, wow I'm impressed.
Is this my favorite Omicron Nocturne? Eh...hard to say. But how you delivered your form was impressive. You put us on an incredible journey, and I think that was thanks to the improvisational element to your form. I've listened to a bunch of your nocturnes (and I'm of course excited to hear the others), and one thing I love about your style is that you're willing to vary up your delivery of your material. Nothing seems formulaic, and each piece stands with a character of it's own.
You continue to impress me with your music, and no matter what happens in your musical career, count me in as a fan and supporter of your music, as well as your willingness to share your knowledge and opinions with others (the latter could even be more impressive than your music!)
Well done, and thanks for sharing! Count me in as someone who will always offer feedback to your work, even though I'm just pixels halfway across the world to you 😄