Concert Piece for Piano and Orchestra

[zeitblom]

Here is a recento composition of mine. It is rather an exercise in style and orchestration than a serious thing, but I hope it doesn't sound to bad.
And, of course, I hope the links will work :-)

1. Allegro deciso
http://www.box.net/shared/so9ftnqfjq

2. Lento
http://www.box.net/shared/ic0r2b1qyp

3. Vivace
http://www.box.net/shared/4ij474o7o4

Thank you for any kind of feedback.
Daniel

[reith]

I'm listening to the first movement. It's good; well-scored and produced. You make good use of your motifs and some interesting piano techniques. Hints of Ravel (unfortunately the player hasn't a timer so I can't tell you at which point those hints became apparent). It's close enough to tonality to make listening easy. There's some pretty interesting harmony. A good concert piece.

Makes a sharp contrast with what I was listening to on Radio 3.

I'll try to get to the following movements later.

Ok, I've time to listen to the Lento. A very nice opening. The opening harmony seemed mid-60s style to be dispelled straight away by the second chord. If anything, greater contrast in the dynamics might help this movement. The first piano solo, a few bars in, needs to be at the volume it is but the quieter parts need to be quieter still (in my view anyway but of course, as the composer, you know what you want here). Just a question of "broadening" the dynamic range. Again, darn that there isn't a progress bar on the player. Just wanted to say I liked the build up a few minutes in but I'm not so sure about the more rhythmic section following. It didn't seem to cohere - just marched on relentlessly suggesting dark science fictions things. I was glad of a return to the opening Lento. It rounded the movement off nicely.

[zeitblom]

Just back from vacation. Thank you so much for your feedback, reith.

Originally Posted by reith

Ok, I've time to listen to the Lento. A very nice opening. The opening harmony seemed mid-60s style to be dispelled straight away by the second chord. If anything, greater contrast in the dynamics might help this movement. ... Just a question of "broadening" the dynamic range. Again, darn that there isn't a progress bar on the player. Just wanted to say I liked the build up a few minutes in but I'm not so sure about the more rhythmic section following. It didn't seem to cohere - just marched on relentlessly suggesting dark science fictions things. I was glad of a return to the opening Lento. It rounded the movement off nicely.

Your observations are very useful to me.

N.B.: I will post the score as soon as possible.

[zeitblom]

Ok, here is the score of my Concert Piece. Thanks for your feedback!

http://www.menna.ch/music/scores/klav.pdf

Greetings
Daniel

[zman]

I just listened to the first movement, and WOW, what an energetic and exciting piece!! I was expecting a cadenza about 2/3rds of the the way through the movement (right where you would expect it).

Speaking as a concert pianist that has premiered hundreds of new works, I would have liked to hear a nice big fat nasty almost impossible-to-play cadenza.

Shades of Bartok to my ears, especially the cubist writing of the first and second concerti.

I'll listen to the rest later.

Cheers, John.

[zman]

OK, I've listened to the rest and here are my thoughts:

Movement 3: don't change a note - very exciting stuff.

Movement 2: I think it's disjunct and rather rambling, and I don't think that it has enough contrast to offset and punctuate the outer movements. I would prefer something entirely melliflous and gently melodic. As it is, it begins with some lyric material, but quickly moves to the jagged, cubist techniques you use the Allegro deciso and Vivace.

May I suggest that you listen to Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto Op. 38? It's a piece that won the Pulizer Prize back in the 60's if I'm not mistaken. Notice how the lyricism of the slow movement constrasts the bombast and angularity of the outer movements.

Anyway, just a thought. I hope I haven't offended. This is definitely music that I would play.

Cheers, John.

[zeitblom]

Originally Posted by zman

Movement 2: I think it's disjunct and rather rambling, and I don't think that it has enough contrast to offset and punctuate the outer movements. I would prefer something entirely melliflous and gently melodic. As it is, it begins with some lyric material, but quickly moves to the jagged, cubist techniques you use the Allegro deciso and Vivace.

Anyway, just a thought. I hope I haven't offended.

Dear John
Far from being offended, I appreciate very much your suggestions. Just one question: what do you think if I keep the beginning section of the second movement and change the middle section - with the canonic theme -, giving the movement a more soft and melodic character? Or do you think I shold redo the whole stuff?

This is definitely music that I would play.

Feel free ;-)

Greetings
Daniel

[zeitblom]

Originally Posted by zman

Speaking as a concert pianist that has premiered hundreds of new works, I would have liked to hear a nice big fat nasty almost impossible-to-play cadenza.

Speaking as a non-pianist, I fear I would write a really impossible-to-play cadenza. Maybe this work should be done rather by a real pianist ;-)

Thank your for your encouraging words.
Greetins, Daniel