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A friend of mine sent me the following link this afternoon, regarding the impending demise of Finale, a music notation software platform I know many of you use. https://www.finalemusic.com/blog/end-of-finale-new-journey-dorico-letter-from-president/ I'm as broken-hearted about this as if I'd lost a family member or beloved pet. Users will be able to get support and the ability to install Finale on a new machine for a year from now, but after that, you're on your own. Finale will still run, but you won't be able to reinstall it on a new computer if you get one. They're recommending Dorico as a replacement. You'll have to export all your Finale files to a file format that Dorico will recognize. Dorico Pro, the highest tier they offer, will be available to Finale users for $149.00 for a limited time. There is also Chopin's notation software available here on YC, and Sibelius. I've been using Finale for more than 25 years and I can hardly imagine learning a new software at this late date, but I guess I'll have to. We all will.

Hello @Alex Weidmann. This piece evoques in me a feeling of internal void and melancholy, like a reflection on a past time. I think the various repetitions of the main theme at the beginning could get monotonous for the listener. Perhaps varying or thickening the piano accompaniment could help, and there should not be a problem with the difficulty, since the middle section is already much harder. Or maybe twisting the melody could work as well. There could have been more motivical connectivity, and it would have been nice to implement some motifs or themes (even if they are extremely distorsioned) in the middle section, because it is very different, and if it lacks of thematical connectivity it feels like it could have been a different piece on its own. Some thoughts on this: The repeated notes in this context should be marked staccato (if they were faster there would be no need to, and the same if they were slower, but at this speed, I think they should). I think a “poco meno mosso” marking would be useful to not make it overly virtuosic. Another alternative is to vary the right hand so most repeated notes can be struck one with the left and the other one with the right. I don’t think maintaining this technique for a longer period of time so the section can properly develop would be a problem, since it is not an exhausting lisztian type of virtuosity. My favourite part is the part just before the middle section with the trills. Very evocative Thanks for sharing Manuel

Hi Mark and Peter, many thanks for your reviews. My composition tutor made a similar comment about the middle section being too short. Problem is, it's already very taxing for the pianist: so extending it would be even more demanding! I'm not sure why my violin melody ended up broken. Guess that's just the way I heard it in my mind's eye. It would have a very different character if it was fully legato; but I might try reducing the number of mezzo staccato markings.

Hello ! Thank you For this surprisingly attentive reading ! So at 0.43 we have firstly the solo trumpet of the staccato orchestra on C# F# C# In triples Then immediately a response from the solo tenor trombone on C F C In triples too, and the last answer of the motif comes to the cor solo staccato on F# B F#. At the bass the double bass in fifth. Ostinatis in violins 2 altern 1 (Parallel thirds) And flutes too... The "motifs" that you have well identified serve me as building materials. The first this kind of call in the fourth, then the second pattern based on a game of minor third descending and then ascending to the half-tone, various mutations, actually leads to 4:56, but it would be tedious to list all this. (The wolf-owl bravo! It was the little night wink... Haha.. I wasn't sure if anyone heard it)... (In French it's "chouette hulotte" but I prefer the name you give it and that I didn't know)

Oh, my mistake. It seems that the "chouette hulotte" is still said differently in English (I don't know either...) The mystery remains!