A Play in Prague, for piano and orchestra

Here is a piece for piano and orchestra written as though it were the incidental music of play, set in Prague. The piano is in one way a soloist, but it is more a representative of the orchestra, acting less as a virtuosic instrument and more as the paragon of the spirit of the orchestra. The work features a variety of waltzes, a mazurka, a polka, as well as themes from Antonín Dvořák's Ninth Symphony -- mainly the fourth and second movements -- as a basis for the composition.

I like the beginning scherzo - it has a somewhat subdued intensity (if not for that I'd say it somewhat resembles Prokofiev's 2nd piano concerto scherzo).  I found that the Dvorak quote from the 9th symphony is actually kinda difficult to spot (I'm still not sure if I hear it - is it played by trumpets and brass in unison?)  The waltz you introduce at the halfway point is quirky and jubilant.  Overall this is quite an understated piece with a very underwhelming ending.  You have some very artistic meanings behind your music - have you ever written just a simple piece of absolute music?  I think the context is very important to properly understand your pieces and I'm not sure if I am imagining this play correctly.  I am guessing that there's a programmatic reason why you include so many waltzes in this piece?  I also find spotting the Dvorak quotes quite difficult - is there a meaning behind that as well?  Anyways - it's quite an interesting and jaunty piece and fyi:  I am a big fan of your music - I just recently discovered some of your music on here and realized that you are probably very busy with getting your master's degree.  You are a very underappreciated composer on this website but I think that could be fixed if you only submitted one piece at a time and let people digest that first before moving on to another.  Thanks for sharing!

4 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

I like the beginning scherzo - it has a somewhat subdued intensity (if not for that I'd say it somewhat resembles Prokofiev's 2nd piano concerto scherzo).  I found that the Dvorak quote from the 9th symphony is actually kinda difficult to spot (I'm still not sure if I hear it - is it played by trumpets and brass in unison?)  The waltz you introduce at the halfway point is quirky and jubilant.  Overall this is quite an understated piece with a very underwhelming ending.  You have some very artistic meanings behind your music - have you ever written just a simple piece of absolute music?  I think the context is very important to properly understand your pieces and I'm not sure if I am imagining this play correctly.  I am guessing that there's a programmatic reason why you include so many waltzes in this piece?  I also find spotting the Dvorak quotes quite difficult - is there a meaning behind that as well?  Anyways - it's quite an interesting and jaunty piece and fyi:  I am a big fan of your music - I just recently discovered some of your music on here and realized that you are probably very busy with getting your master's degree.  You are a very underappreciated composer on this website but I think that could be fixed if you only submitted one piece at a time and let people digest that first before moving on to another.  Thanks for sharing!

 

Thank you for your comment. I have written several hundred pieces, with a number having some narrative quality affixed to them and some being absolute.

The general effect of the structure is kaleidoscopic, where the internal makeup of a large section is constantly shifting in focus before a more clear endpoint is reached (ex. bb. 1-162, which operates a one complete scene or series of closely-related scenes). After a rest, the primary waltz then begins and introduces more material (such as a citation at b. 187 of the trio theme from John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" march).

The main quotation is from the fourth movement at fig. 5 in the first and second violins (in Dvořák, this is the melody beginning in the trumpets, b. 10). What is utilized is an intentionally misremembered quotation for the purpose of acting as a catalyst for development in the piece. The general contour is preserved and the direction quickly branches outward from there. From figures 17-18, there is also a more secondary usage of Dvořák's theme in the second movement (again, purposefully misremembered to allow for a less-restricted quotation); specifically, the swell from bb. 146-150 in my score is the most recognizable, though the contour is slightly disturbed and the harmony used is more abstract. The goal is less for recognition and more for the generation of material from one set.

In general, the piece is meant to be more light-hearted than serious or profound in nature. A somewhat playful, flippant ending is very intentional. I enjoy experimenting with my approach for structure, source material, narrative, etc.

Thank you again for your comment and your kind words about my music. I do not plan on posting very often, so I will take up your suggestion in regards to that.