Break

My competition entry is finally done! I really pushed that deadline and I still came out with only three 2-minute movements and a 3 1/2-minute finale, but I'm satisfied with what I did. I never expect to win these things but its fun just to share the music with you guys, especially when we've all endured the same challenge together. Cheers!

Just listened to the whole thing... and I must say, I loved it! The rhythms were so catchy and the orchestration was very well done. Definitely be humming this to myself tonight.

This is good stuff, KJ! I'm glad you were able to share this with us.

Really enjoyed these. They sound like different scenes of the same film, conveying different moods but maintaining an overall sense of unity. The primary rhythm was definitely very catchy, almost reminiscent of a rock 'n' roll beat, especially in the fourth movement. It reminded me of The Beatles in a way. Very impressive to orchestrate for a larger ensemble on limited time for a tricky challenge. The harmony got more and more interesting as it went along, particularly in the last movement. Really well done!

@Tónskáld @Noah Brode Good to know you guys enjoyed it! I can't say I'm confident in the practicality of all the parts since I'm still inexperienced at orchestration, but I'm pretty proud of what I did. I was very focused on the rhythms so I'm glad they stood out!

Mr. Sleep-Deprived!

I’m going to do my first listen and comments at the same time – I’ll come back later for a second and probably third listen for fun, but I’m not sure when that’ll be so I’m trying to get my comments done early! I’m excited to hear your piece. Here goes!

I.                    SUPER catchy main idea – I’m hooked! As we go on, it seems you quote pretty directly the main idea, which I don’t think was the intention of the contest. Am I upset, though? Heck no! You’ve got so many good ideas going on that it’s really good with me. The pizzicato section around 1:00 is really chill. Good modulation around 1:25. All the syncopation works well together. I think it’s so effective because you keep it so under control, just right.

II.                 I like the change to the main theme in this one, the new ending to your sentences are really cool. Stylistically it’s definitely distinct from the first movement. Something’s missing to my ears, though – can’t put my finger on it. Around 1:30 the syncopation is nice, especially since it’s a slow feeling syncopation. Maybe that’s what I’m missing earlier – a sense of motion? Even though it’s sustained?

III.              SWEET rhythmic percussion and interplay with the pizzicato. Really effective. Also good clarinet/general woodwind and brass solos/solis. Good part writing. Careful of dissonance around 1:25 – some of it felt awkward to me, though not obtrusively so. So far this movement has the clearest separation from the main idea while also being relevant to it.

IV.              Gosh, again with the cool pizzicato ostinatos. I think your ostinatos really play to your strengths as a composer. Not sure I agree with your diminished (I think…) chord (0:54, 1:04). I appreciate the relief of the low brass solo around 1:15, but the motion stops. Could we find a way to keep the energy up without sacrificing the lightness of the solo? Love the modulation and harmonic shifts around 2:20, very jazz.

Overall, very lovely writing. I thoroughly enjoyed not only the overall project but also each individual movement. A few things here or there that could probably be made stronger, but a very strong performance. Probably the catchiest melody thus far in my listening, and as a clarinet player I might try playing the parts for fun 😄

Gustav Johnson

@Gustav Johnson 

Thanks for all the feedback! You're definitely right about the 1st movement quoting the theme directly a lot. I think I just tried to jam it in there as well as I could since that part was already written before I fully realized what the competition was actually asking for.

FUN FACT: I wrote my final movement before everything else. It was actually harder for me to find a starting point for the whole piece even though I already had a vision in mind for the finale. 

Your other points about needing more motion in some places had already crossed my mind, but I was really pushing the deadline. I figured I'd just own up to those parts and make my revisions after all the feedback from this competition.

All of that aside, I'm grateful for all the positive remarks! I mainly write for piano and lately for choir. I don't think I've ever tried something like this before (aside from a few orchestral attempts early on in my musical life, which need never be resurrected as long as I live) so I'm really glad it came out so well!

You should get hired to write the next Mario game's soundtrack. 

This sounds awesome, congratulations on your job.