Luis Hernández

Hello This piece is fantastic. It sounds very modern in many ways: dissonances, harmonies, dense textures, etc. But it retains a Baroque spirit. Bravo.

@danishali903 Thank you for your comments; they are very valuable to me. I will certainly take another look at these orchestral versions and keep your comments in mind. However, in general, I believe that during this period—similar to (though distinct from) Impressionism—the conventions of classical or Romantic orchestration do not apply in the same way. Of course, I already suspected that some very fast passages wouldn’t be idiomatic for certain instruments, and that information is very valuable to me. The same goes for playing fast passages in unison on two instruments. However, some doublings that seem unnecessary are there for the sake of color, which, in some cases, departs from classical combinations. This is what we often see in the 20th century. I have a certain fondness for these orchestrations. Because I really like the original piano versions. But they’ve been through a lot. I made them quite a while ago without having a clue what I was doing. Then, when I wanted to revise them, they went through the process of converting to XML, importing into another program... And there are things that need cleaning up. The most important thing is that when I did this, my beginner’s mistakes were very obvious, and I wanted every instrument to be heard in every piece, no matter how brief the passage—hence all the unnecessary doubling and the inconsistencies in dynamics, with too many instruments playing at pianissimo. But I’ve since learned my lesson, and in this very chamber-music-oriented style, you have to be very economical with your sounds. Well, you’ve encouraged me to make a new version taking your comments into account—thank you.

The six short piano pieces date from 1911 and belong to the free atonal period, preceding a more “radical” systematization.

The pieces sound good. The language is simple, which fits the style of music. I prefer the second one as it has a bit of a ballad feel, honestly, I’m getting a little tired of this genre.

An emotional piece with a meticulously crafted score. The multi-divisional arrangement of the string section is particularly interesting.

I see. Anyway, I’m going through the pieces as they’re uploaded (there’s only one so far). But I’d prefer to send the results at the end, so I can compare them with one another.

I have a question... Should the evaluations, scores, etc. be carried out once the deadline for submitting entries has passed?

It’s a meticulous piece of work and it sounds good; however, I feel that while the arpeggios work well on the harp and even the vibraphone, they don't seem very idiomatic when played repeatedly by the woodwinds (clarinets and bassoons) or even the cello. I think you’ve tried to be very faithful to the score, but the orchestra doesn't behave like a piano...

Would you provide a score?

Of course, nothing compares to hearing orchestras perform live. Dvořák’s style is the complete opposite of Schoenberg’s, including their orchestral works. Dvořák embodies expansive, monumental Romanticism—even more so than Mahler, for example. But atonality deliberately avoids that and aims for conciseness, which is why it doesn’t use large orchestras.

Hello, About six years ago, I orchestrated Schönberg’s Six Little Pieces for Piano. I only uploaded one of them to the “Writer’s Block and Suggestions…” section, since I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. Now I know a little more about orchestration and how to approach different styles. So I’d like to share the orchestrated version of all six pieces. Thank you. Best regards. Schoenberg.mp3 Schoenberg.pdf

Hello I think this is a beautiful piece. The melodic phrases are truly lovely, and while it doesn’t aim for an overly virtuosic style, it does evoke the Romantic era. I agree with everything @MK_Piano says; I think he has a valuable mastery of the piano and this style. I’d highlight one thing he mentions, which is to really reinforce the overall structure of the piece. Give it a clearer ABA form. I think the modulations are fantastic, but I also think a return to the starting key would give it more impact. I also agree regarding that 2/4 time signature. Rather than finding it problematic—since I see it as justified by what’s happening there, the modulation and “precipitation” into another harmonic region—it’s the fact, as he also pointed out, that it isn’t repeated in the recapitulation. A wonderful piece of work.

Hello, Since the duration of the pieces has been set at around 5 minutes—which I think is very manageable—and I think the evaluation template is great, I’d like to participate, to the best of my ability and based on my knowledge, as a reviewer... Please let me know if that’s okay. Best regards.

Hello It sounds really nice and pleasant. It’s also very straightforward. The harp takes the place of the left hand, and the bass provides reinforcement. The strings accompany the melody, and at times they reinforce it in homophony. I think orchestrating this kind of “flat” music, with few dynamic contrasts, is difficult. But there are many resources in the strings that can be used. I’m no expert at orchestrating either; I’m still learning.

Thanks for the tip!.