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  • Brahms Lied orchestration - new song added

    Hello everybody

    Recently I had the idea that 'Oh Tod' out of the 'Vier ernste Gesänge' op. 121 by Johannes Brahms could be a gorgeous piece for orchestra as well. So here is my orchestration, mocked up with mostly VSL instruments:

    https://app.box.com/s/ntch2kacdx9sqtcl0em0e2twmvp2uegd

    Your thoughts and comments would be most welcome.


  • Good Ole Johannes would have been surely plesaed by your work.


    VI Special Edition 1-3, Reaper, MuseScore 3, Notion 3 (collecting dust), vst flotsam and jetsam
  • Thank you for listening Fabio. I'll take that as a compliment.


  • Hi Dominique,

    Although these Lieder were not meant to be orchestrated, you did a great job, not only in the technical aspect of orchestration, but in the emotional atmosphere as well. Your instrumental contribution describes so well the feelings and inner conflicts that go with death and dying, with departure and grief. When listening, I almost felt tears coming up, thinking of passed away beloved ones. Your music is not sentimental at all, but evoques (together with the original song) all the mixed feelings attached to definite goodbeyes.

    Glad I could listen to this and thanks for your marvellous work!

    Max


  • Really enjoyed the emotional depth you were able to pull out of the instruments.  Lovely!


  • Hello Max and Acclarion. That is very kind of you to say so. Thank you very much. I find the emotional depth of these songs by Brahms exceptional, and I am glad that my orchestration could preserve it apparently.


  • Here is a new orchestration of a short piece by Johannes Brahms I did. Johannes Brahms, 'Und gehst du über den Kirchhof' op. 44 Nr. 10:

     

    https://app.box.com/s/y66d6h3n24fc7l5pjmhr20csyiqfue97

     
    The mockup is all VSL this time.

  • Wow, this is so beautiful. I just listened to the originals (like the one with Brigitte Fassbaender) and I would have never imagined such an orchestral work in this - you did a perfect job not only in orchestration, but also in a great VSL setup.

    This is really great work, keep it up.


    Too old for Rock n Roll. Too young for 9th symphonies. Wagner Lover, IRCAM Alumni. Double Bass player starting in low Es. I am where noise is music.
  • Thank you very much Holger, I'm glad you like it. I'm thinking of orchestrating one or two more songs by Brahms on the topic of death. If I do I'll make sure to post them here.


  • Here is a third song by Johannes Brahms that I orchestrated. It's 'Schwesterlein' (Little Sister) from his 49 folk songs WoO 33.

    The song is about a boy repeatedly asking his sister to come home from some kind of fair. The evermore exhausted sister - probably suffering from consumption - repeatedly refuses because she wants to enjoy her last night and dance with her darling. I hope you can grasp from the music what happens in the end.

    https://app.box.com/s/h5n6vi1hp8gyuyxj86bfkkvrd4yjnd97

    In the mockup everything but the horns is from VSL sample libaries.


  • Hi Dominique,

    very beautiful and realistic work ! Bravo ! The mix is excellent too... Is it Dimension strings  ?

    Thanks for sharing.

     

    Best.

    Philippe.


  • Those are really beautifully played and arranged with a lot of expression.  The dynamics are really detailed and natural sounding.


  • Thank you very much Philppe and William. You can often read that VSL libraries sound sterile and lifeless. I guess that is because they don't have expression baked in. But in my opinion that's what makes them so flexible. You can (and have to) program exactly the expression you want to have. I'm glad you two think that I succeeded with that here. Yes, the strings are the Dimension Strings in a setup of 10-8-6-6-4 players. And the woodwinds are VSL as well. Thanks again for your kind comments.

  • PaulP Paul moved this topic from Orchestration & Composition on