Twilight for solo piano, Op. 15

Twilight, Op. 15, is an album for solo piano. Written in 2021, it is a variation-suite consisting of a theme and 11 variations, but each variation has a unique character, and they can be played separately as individual short compositions, or as selected pieces from a set. The piece is 30 minutes in length.

The album was inspired by a painting with the same name, “Twilight” (shown in the video), by the Russian symbolist painter and cultural figure Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947), depicting a monk praying with a candle in a mountainous area with a domed church in the distance. The painting is mostly composed of different shades of blue, which influenced some of the harmonic choices in the piece (particularly in the theme).

The variations in order are as follows:

1. Theme (B-flat major)
2. Rêverie (B-flat minor)
3. Gymnopédie (E-flat minor)
4. Orientale (G minor)
5. Mélancolie (G minor)
6. Tempest (C-sharp minor - E major)
7. Hommage à Rachmaninoff (D-flat major)
8. Variación Española (B-flat minor)
9. Intermezzo (B-flat major)
10. Invocation (B-flat minor)
11. Fugue (B-flat minor)
12. Nocturne-Finale (B-flat major)

Happy holidays, everyone :)

I'll probably return to this topic again since this piece is so substantial.  I just wanted to say that I've never heard a fugue quite like yours in this set.  Usually fugues are bold forays into developmental counterpoint but yours is so understated and delicately emotional - one hardly even realizes that one is listening to a fugue.  Every so often there is a hint of Bach and a typical cadence letting one know that an episode has ended but usually fugues are heavily cerebral pieces of music but yours has the sweetness of a Brahms Intermezzo.  It certainly has it's climaxes and fireworks too which is expected of a romantic-era work.  Thanks for sharing!

Listened to all 30 minutes and will listen again.

As a fellow romanticist and piano composer, I can certainly appreciate how much heart and soul you must have put into every note.  To evoke such emotion and expression in a piano work is NOT an easy task.  You've mastered this art, and I'd love to chat with you more about your composition process.  I think putting expression into a composition is just as critical as the composition process itself, and unfortunately, this aspect of the composition process largely goes ignored.

Your first variation is absolutely an amazing masterpiece.  But then so is your second variation.  The Mélancolie variation is a beautiful melody, Tempest those octaves and key changes, that left hand coming in furiously...absolutely brilliant.  Your homage to Rachmaninoff, such a heartwarming melody that would make Rachmaninoff himself proud.  Intermezzo, you make wonderful usage of pauses, and your fugue with its touch of romance in a baroque style is just a pleasure to listen to.

I'd love to see you develop your artform in longer free form works, but you are a clearly talented composer and no doubt you can nail something like that.  How many years experience do you have?

@PeterthePapercomPoser@chopin Many thanks to you both!

1 hour ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

I'll probably return to this topic again since this piece is so substantial.  I just wanted to say that I've never heard a fugue quite like yours in this set.  Usually fugues are bold forays into developmental counterpoint but yours is so understated and delicately emotional - one hardly even realizes that one is listening to a fugue.  Every so often there is a hint of Bach and a typical cadence letting one know that an episode has ended but usually fugues are heavily cerebral pieces of music but yours has the sweetness of a Brahms Intermezzo.  It certainly has it's climaxes and fireworks too which is expected of a romantic-era work.  Thanks for sharing!

I'm quite glad you enjoyed the fugue, I've only tried a few times to compose in this form so far. Indeed, many other composers wrote fugues in much more grand and intense ways than I have here, and I was a bit worried it wouldn't fully come across as a "real" fugue, but I still thought it came out pretty decent. Though, I'm glad it made an impression on you, especially in that it sounded like something unique and interesting.

I hope you get to hear the rest of the piece, and I hope you enjoy it!

1 hour ago, chopin said:

Listened to all 30 minutes and will listen again.

As a fellow romanticist and piano composer, I can certainly appreciate how much heart and soul you must have put into every note.  To evoke such emotion and expression in a piano work is NOT an easy task.  You've mastered this art, and I'd love to chat with you more about your composition process.  I think putting expression into a composition is just as critical as the composition process itself, and unfortunately, this aspect of the composition process largely goes ignored.

Your first variation is absolutely an amazing masterpiece.  But then so is your second variation.  The Mélancolie variation is a beautiful melody, Tempest those octaves and key changes, that left hand coming in furiously...absolutely brilliant.  Your homage to Rachmaninoff, such a heartwarming melody that would make Rachmaninoff himself proud.  Intermezzo, you make wonderful usage of pauses, and your fugue with its touch of romance in a baroque style is just a pleasure to listen to.

I'd love to see you develop your artform in longer free form works, but you are a clearly talented composer and no doubt you can nail something like that.  How many years experience do you have?

Thank you! I'm very happy to hear that it was moving for you, and I'm glad you enjoyed the emotional characters of the variations.

I've been composing since I was about 9, but I wrote my first major work/opus when I was 13. In some of my other bigger pieces, I do try to explore free forms in larger scales, and I think I'll continue down path for a while.

Thank you both again for your kind comments!

A beautiful work, thoroughly accomplished. Composed from the heart and to me attuned very well to its title. It would be difficult to highlight variations I particularly liked: the Rachmaninoff and Española. That brilliant fugue also had tints of Rachmaninoff and the Nocturne brought the last minutes of dusk in some warm place.

I listened to the entire work straight through.

Wonderful. May I ask what piano you're playing? A Bluthner?

Thank you @Quinn! I'm very glad you liked the piece!

4 hours ago, Quinn said:

Wonderful. May I ask what piano you're playing? A Bluthner?

I'm actually playing on an electric piano, the Roland FP-80, a model that sadly is no longer made. It's probably the best model of the FP Supernatural series, as the quality of the series has since downgraded substantially.

Maybe it's just me but this sounds very much in the line of japanese jrpg piano version soundtracks, like final fantasy's piano albums or saga frontier. I mean obviously this is a lot more involved, but I can't shake the feeling. Also, the fugue is neat and it reminds me of Shostakovich's fugues a lot. Really good job with the recording, it's very nice and I think it's why so many people are reacting so positively. It's Too bad there's no score to look at.

Thanks @SSC! I'm glad you enjoyed it the piece and the recording!

I'm admittedly surprised about the comparison of the fugue to Shostakovich's own fugues, since he's a composer I don't normally listen to, but I'm glad you still like it.