Hamlet (YCF Summer Competition Entry)

Ok so I'm way late even for my time zone and I won't fuss if you end up disqualifying this entry. But on the optimistic chance that you don't, here is my little two movement piano piece. I've never been the most prolific composer on the site, but I must say that my meager attempts have done me proud this time. Regardless of the outcome, I'm really pleased with this (though perhaps not pleased enough to guarantee I won't end up re-doing it in some way)

The program notes aren't much to look at but hopefully it gives you an idea how my thought process went on this. I've never written one of these for my music so it was weird. I'm not sure I've taken well to the art of talking/writing about my own music seriously.

Wow, you and I really had different interpretations of the source material!  A couple interesting things here and there, and I really did enjoy listening to it, even if it didn't match what I saw in "Hamlet". The 9th chord at the end was gorgeous and a really welcome surprise callback. Lovely!

I found this work confident, passionate and weird, not necessarily in that order. With surprising and arresting chord changes It definitely held my interest. Perhaps you are the type that needs a competition to get the juices flowing.

By weird, I should have clarified. I don't mean it in a bad way. I mean that the work is highly original. The choices you made were "different," "fresh." In any case, I liked it.

Really nice work, KJ. Probably the best work I've heard of yours. I had several "wow" moments. So glad that this competition has brought a great new work out of you.

I have a question; when you were deciding upon accidentals for measure 41, did you ask yourself: "To ♭ or not to ♭?"

Hamlet is, along with Julius Caesar, my favorite Shakespeare play. I'm really glad that I didn't choose it as the source of my own entry, since both your piece and Monarcheon's did a wonderful job translating it into music, a task I'm not sure I'd been up to (the shadow of Tchaikovsky's Hamlet would have placed me back into the rotten court of Denmark). Indeed you made a very different take - but you played into your strenghts, thus producing perhaps the most convincing piece you've written to this date.

10 hours ago, Gylfi said:

I have a question; when you were deciding upon accidentals for measure 41, did you ask yourself: "To ♭ or not to ♭?"

That IS the question.

15 hours ago, Monarcheon said:

Wow, you and I really had different interpretations of the source material!

That we did. I was so stunned when I heard yours that I wondered if I'd made a mistake! But of course we all have our own voices and I'm glad I got to hear your take on it.

15 hours ago, Ken320 said:

Perhaps you are the type that needs a competition to get the juices flowing.

I think you might be right. It seems like all my best work comes out in these competitions/challenges!

14 hours ago, fishyfry said:

I had several "wow" moments. So glad that this competition has brought a great new work out of you.

Thanks so much! I'm glad too

13 hours ago, Gylfi said:

I have a question; when you were deciding upon accidentals for measure 41, did you ask yourself: "To ♭ or not to ♭?"

Literally, yes. I'm so angsty and indecisive about those little things! I think at some point I flipped a coin to decide on an approach. It didn't work because I'm not good at flipping coins and I just ended up dropping it.

3 hours ago, Austenite said:

I'm really glad that I didn't choose it as the source of my own entry, since both your piece and Monarcheon's did a wonderful job translating it into music, a task I'm not sure I'd been up to (the shadow of Tchaikovsky's Hamlet would have placed me back into the rotten court of Denmark).

I wasn't held back by the looming shadow of his work (and that's a big shadow, I agree) because I knew I wasn't in danger of rehashing the same ideas as him. Couldn't pull that off if I tried! I haven't given yours a listen yet, but I just knew you'd go big and do it well. That put more pressure on me than anything else!

Hi

I'm a bit late, but I am going over the entries to listen to the ones I hadn't yet.

I find quite interesting that you have mixed here two kind of "romanticism". The medieval story of Hamlet (an obscure romanticism) and the treatment with the piano. The second part is very dark and introspective. I think you finely describe Hamlet's atmosphere.

Besides, I love piano music. Thanks.