DirkH

Hi Rodrigo, I quite liked this piece. Some comments regarding each movement (seeing as they all have a distinct quality): The first movement has a strong sense of unity. Really great writing here. Musically I thought the Allegro assai was a little weak compared to the superb other movements. The second movement I liked because of its harmonies (they have a sort of longing feeling to them), the constant struggle between minor and major. The third movement was a great stormy movement, probably my favorite movement of the piece. The fourth movement seemed off at first, I had suspected a fast last movement. But it actually works very well. Melodically I think this is the strongest movement. Overall, nice job! If there is an overarching critical note I could make, I'd say I don't feel the four movements are connected very much. Maybe this was by design, and it's not incorrect, but I personally like a piece to be one story, regardless of multiple movements.

Thank you for your comment! I'll certainly work more on creating more dramaticism by more subtly orchestrating the tutti's. The sounds are indeed Note Performer. (I did tweak the panning of the instruments a bit)

I enjoyed listening to that, thank you! Could stipulate what has been said about harmony but I think you got the message. 😉 I'd say maybe study some other similar pieces to try and discover other possibilities texture-wise. Having some unity in this regard is good, especially to maintain the waltz-feel, but it could become much more lively by creating different textures. (and also by working in some breaks in the piano part) Example:

Thank you for your comments! Your notes are very helpful. 🙂 Thank you, glad to hear you liked it! (I think it's scherzi)

This is an orchestral scherzo in ABA form, inspired by the hunt. Let me know what you think!

I like the contrast between the tonal and less tonal moments, it gives the piece very distinct shifts in mood. The theme you present multiple times (bar 4, 14, 37) is very beautiful and warm! I do miss the 'point' of the col legno section, it feels out of place. Overall, nice job!

I like the atmosphere you created in the A section. The texture of strings and woodwinds sounds nice. The contrast between A and B could be even bigger I think. Not musically per se, but orchestration-wise you could make it much more dramatic, and thus create a bigger contrast. It doesn't feel like a waltz, feels sort of dance-like, but not typically a waltz. I'd write dotted half to 50 bpm (because of the strong emphasis on the first beat. Oh and one more thing, the main theme of section A reminded me of the Eroica theme, very nice!

A beautiful atmosphere you've created. I would have liked it if the music took off a little more at some point. For it's length it is okay, but I feel like you could have gotten more out this piece.

Thank you very much! Thank you for the comment! Never heard of that song, listening to it right now. I understand your association 😉 The sounds are Noteperformer in Finale. I've been thinking about expanding it, so thanks for the suggestion! Thank you! 🙂

A lively piece, very nice! It does what it's supposed to do, which is show a study in technique (I suppose triplets;)). And it certainly is Chopin-inspired, although you make different harmonic changes compared to Chopin. Makes it a bit more your style! The key of D major in the middle section seems off. I don't know, it doesn't feel right. But this could just be personal taste 🙂 Somehow the fermatas seem a bit long. Maybe this was your goal, but to me it slows down the music where it should not. Notation: m. 4/m. 58 : b double flat should be a natural I think m. 81 : slur is a bit messy Well done!

Beautiful! I love the Ab major to C major movement, it occurs multiple times in the piece, so for seems like a very good choice to end on. The canonic - as well as the rhythmic elements give the music a real sense of drive. Last but not least, this rendition is really remarkable, especially given the circumstances!

Very nice. Great use of the versatility of the clarinet! At times hauntingly beautiful and at times unsettling. (Listening to your other pieces on soundcloud I notice that this quality is very often present in your music). This contrast makes your music extremely interesting. 🙂

Updated! The piece is now online.

Thank you for writing this piece. You've really managed to create a dark, 'last waltz' kind of feeling and atmosphere. The combination of oboe and guitar adds to this feeling I think. I am no expert on writing for guitar, so maybe someone else will have something useful to say on this. What I do feel would add to the intensity of the piece is a contrasting middle section. Right now it is only dark, and I think contrasting it with something else (rhytmically, melodically, or harmonically) will bring out your intentions with the piece even more. Example of this (contrast starts at around 1:20):

This is an orchestral miniature I wrote recently. I've been wanting to improve my 'grooviness' and orchestral writing overall, and this is one of the results. Hope you like it, and please, share your thoughts or comments! 🙂 (please forgive the still very messy score, it needs some cleaning up)