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Post by driscollmusick on Jul 1, 2018 22:48:13 GMT
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Post by Mike Hewer on Jul 2, 2018 9:32:17 GMT
Oh Boy John, that music is seriously good.
The swell leading to 1'30' and the theme afterwards is so powerful and uplifting. What I also like is the story telling in the music and the dramatic flexibility in the language. I have no idea what is happening on stage and frankly don't care because the music is such a good listen on its own (ok well obviously not the vox, but even there it is easy to imagine the power of the expression thanks to the cogent music that underpins the lines).
Thanks to smart arranging and economy of means, the voxes will not have any trouble being heard. There is aural clarity to every bar and light and shade seems very well judged to me. The confident imagination you are displaying is admirable and the deft harmony and orchestration has wonderful dramatic poise....Love it.
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Post by driscollmusick on Jul 2, 2018 15:54:55 GMT
Thanks so much, Mike. With kind words like that I almost feel like I'm on that *other* site...  |
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Post by Tim Marko on Jul 3, 2018 21:01:28 GMT
John, This just keeps getting better! I'm with Mike, the lead to 1:30 is very well done.
I know you've been at this for a while, do you have any goals as to when you'll finish? I ask because I'm anxious to hear the complete work.
Again well done!
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Post by gx on Jul 4, 2018 15:15:02 GMT
Wow! John this is wonderful! Love the clarity of line, spaciousness, and your sense of dramatic tension. I enjoyed the little harmonic surprise near the close!
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Post by driscollmusick on Jul 4, 2018 16:42:19 GMT
Thanks, Gents!
Tim, next step is we're going to be working on getting some singers to record a few select arias (which means I need to nail those down notation-wise).
I had originally planned to finish the whole thing last October (~1 year from start), but that timeline is long gone. Especially as I work on later sections, I am finessing in a lot of detail that I wasn't bothering with up front (the first couple scenes are really just sketches), so I will have to go back and address that at some point, too.
Run time so far is about 1 hour, 11 minutes worth of music, and it's probably just over half over. I guess it took Beethoven two years to write his Ninth Symphony (~70 minutes), so maybe that's not too bad?
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Post by rayinstirling on Jul 7, 2018 17:27:12 GMT
Solidarity.........what’s that says John.
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Post by driscollmusick on Jul 7, 2018 20:15:06 GMT
Solidarity.........what’s that says John. Trying to shame me for posting something on Ning? Yeesh, get a life, Ray. |
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Post by Dave Dexter on Jul 8, 2018 11:26:27 GMT
Solidarity.........what’s that says John. Trying to shame me for posting something on Ning? Yeesh, get a life, Ray. Mm. Ray, your experience, skills and insight are very welcome here, but less of the acerbic bite would be welcome. I'm going to call that your 1st verbal warning for uncalled for "Rayness". Please send me a PM or start a thread here rather than continuing it here, please, if you want to query this. Same for you, John, even though you did nothing wrong. Sorry  For completeness, here's the policy on inappropriate posts and the warning system. |
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Post by Dave Dexter on Jul 8, 2018 11:40:49 GMT
John, I'm sorry for not getting to your music sooner - I've been busy, I'm not really an opera guy, and as you say it's a beast. I didn't want to have to skim it. Even as it stands I'm not going to go into details of timecodes much - there were some moments that I found jarring or unfitting, and many more moments that were triumphs of writing and orchestration. Though it would defy the point, an export without the vocals would be very welcome, as obviously those samples have their issues and like Mike I'm more listening to the underscore. I'll pick an example each of my good and bad, for clarity. Bad: 0-0.50. Good thing this is all personal and you can ignore it. I found the writing quite staid, unsurprising, do I mean "studenty"? Those ascending scales in the first 10s, which appear from time to time thereafter, just feel like filler and the orchestration/instrumentation didn't gel for me. However, some lovely moments even within this 0-50. Good: 10.04-10.20. This is immensely powerful, and almost too obvious a choice for my tonal self, but who cares - wonderful stuff even in midi form. And what happens right after the crescendo dies away? It's that scale that I don't like, you musical troll I think I figured out what I don't like about those moments - it sounds similar to video game music. Video game music is great, or can be, but in this case it's like the point where a character has picked up +5 armour stats and there's a little mystical sparkle to let you know. I don't feel it fits the overall mood. |
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Post by driscollmusick on Jul 8, 2018 17:08:08 GMT
John, I'm sorry for not getting to your music sooner - I've been busy, I'm not really an opera guy, and as you say it's a beast. I didn't want to have to skim it. Even as it stands I'm not going to go into details of timecodes much - there were some moments that I found jarring or unfitting, and many more moments that were triumphs of writing and orchestration. Though it would defy the point, an export without the vocals would be very welcome, as obviously those samples have their issues and like Mike I'm more listening to the underscore. I'll pick an example each of my good and bad, for clarity. Bad: 0-0.50. Good thing this is all personal and you can ignore it. I found the writing quite staid, unsurprising, do I mean "studenty"? Those ascending scales in the first 10s, which appear from time to time thereafter, just feel like filler and the orchestration/instrumentation didn't gel for me. However, some lovely moments even within this 0-50. Good: 10.04-10.20. This is immensely powerful, and almost too obvious a choice for my tonal self, but who cares - wonderful stuff even in midi form. And what happens right after the crescendo dies away? It's that scale that I don't like, you musical troll I think I figured out what I don't like about those moments - it sounds similar to video game music. Video game music is great, or can be, but in this case it's like the point where a character has picked up +5 armour stats and there's a little mystical sparkle to let you know. I don't feel it fits the overall mood. Thanks, Dave, for listening and writing up your thoughts. I know opera is not everyone's bag (especially when it's sung by wordless robots), so I really do appreciate your taking the time... Without words, what really gets lost in these mockups is the characters & plot. The baritone male character in the beginning of this scene is a blowhard and he's trying to impress the female lead with a bunch of hot air. So the trolling of the music there (and through multiple sections of this finale) is intentional. Those ascending major scales are all over the score (not just this scene) and occur whenever folks talk about the opera's "big idea" and how it will make them rich, famous, etc. It's intended as a deliberate counterweight to the real emotional events/music that happen in other scenes, but does express itself most forcefully here. Regarding the music at the very end you liked so much, well, you should... it's Mozart! Literally cut and pasted from the end of the Commentadore scene of Don Giovanni (with some variation of the vocal lines). It's not cheating, though, as a character literally descends into hell at the end of the scene (so a deliberate wink and a nod from the composer). That you didn't realize it was Mozart makes me feel proud that the seams were well-enough sewn. That it was your favorite part... Well, what can I say? It's some of Mozart's greatest music! Steal from the best! |
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Post by Dave Dexter on Jul 8, 2018 21:42:36 GMT
Well quite, while I'm annoyed I didn't spot the Mozart it clearly wasn't a surprise to hear it from your hands or seemingly a sudden jump in quality. I probably assumed it was the Grieg orchestrations paying off. It wasn't the only great bit, either, but it filled my criteria of "powerloud" so it stuck with me most.
So, by complaining that the the parts meant to be abrasive were in fact abrasive, I've confirmed that you achieved your goal. Now I feel better.
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