Dave,
Some timestamps and thoughts as I listen:
0:10 - I like that you set up a V-I cadence but whole-tone it to the b5 instead. Parallel Lydian indeed :)
0:13 - Catchy A theme; a nice mix of smooth and jarring that gives the piece a vaguely sinister feel that I quite enjoy.
0:35 - I like the "slippery" feel of these portamentos. Almost starts to sound dixieland-ish, but for strings. As the theme develops, the playing seems to unravel and loosen slightly. Have you played with further humanizing the players here (esp. delay setting)? That might accentuate the effect, especially the portamentos.
0:38 - Either the meter changes to triple time for one measure or the 4th beat of this measure is rushed. Either way, it throws the rhythm off kilter in a way I really like! Was this intentional?
1:10 - These fast runs don't sound convincing to me. Up 'til this point the piece could easily be a demo for SYN-zed dim. strings. In lieu of a performance trill patch, maybe toning down the release a bit? I'm hearing too much sample overlap and it's creating a phase-y effect.
1:16 - 2 against 3 really works here. Again, not *too* dissonant, but doesn't let the listener rest easy. Playfully sinister. Is that poor, abused monkey planning to murder the circus owners in the distance? :)
1:40-2:10ish - B theme has a nice contrast to the manic nature of A theme, though short lived. Very "welcome to pleasantville" vibe. The pizz. ostinatos sounds particularly nice.
2:40 - Runs are again sounding a little off. Not as much as before. The rest is really, *really* solid. I wonder if VSL would consider this for their demo page...
2:52 - What an interesting way to segue back into the A theme. It almost comes out of nowhere. What's neat to the harmony geek in me is that the resolution back into the A theme is on the same chord (7b5 on ii, I think?) as the deceptive cadence in the first half of the A theme itself. By this point, I'm familiar enough with that progression that the theme sneaks back in from the prior episode almost unnoticed...like a monkey planning to murder its captors. The "true" modulation happens halfway through the re-introduction of the theme itself! Lots going on under the surface here. Love it!
3:35 - Nice, crisp ending. /applause
This is great! Only the fast runs stuck out to me as needing improvement. Everything else was stellar. I listened on laptop speakers on purpose (to test mix quality...and my ears :P ) and it sounded nice and crisp. You clearly know what you're doing.
I learned a great deal listening to this. Thanks for sharing!
- Sam
EDIT: Ape, not monkey...