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ACHILLES Concert Overture
Last post Sun, Nov 03 2019 by William, 15 replies.
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Posted on Mon, Sep 02 2019 23:21
by William
Joined on Sun, Nov 24 2002, USA, Posts 5738

Here is a piece I recently revised and performed as part of publishing the sheet music:

Achilles  

It is Vienna Instruments and mixed in MIR Pro Vienna Konzerthaus Conductor's position with Miracle Close Hall Enhance.  The instrumentation is:

Flute 1

Flute 2

Flute Ensemble

Oboe 2

Oboe Ensemble

Clarinet 1 doubled

Clarinet Ensemble

Dimension Trumpet Player 1

C Trumpet

B flat Trumpet

Cornet

4 Dimension Horns doubled to match 8 horn ensemble with four part divisi

2 4-horn ensembles for two part divisi

8 horn ensemble for unison

Trombone ensemble

Solo Trombone

Contrabass Trombone

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion ensemble

Glockenspiel 1

Chimes 1

Appassionata Violins

Orchestral Violins

Appassionata Violas

Appassionata Cellos

Orchestral Basses
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Posted on Wed, Sep 04 2019 04:40
by Errikos
Joined on Tue, Jun 12 2007, Posts 1115

One of your better ones and that's saying something. Very crisp and totally evocative/cinematic, It could hypothetically adorn some big war Hollywood production with powerful heroic, as well as dark contemplative scenes!

Alas, no ostinati...

If you can't notate/MIDI it yourself, it's NOT your music!

In these modern days to be vulgar, illiterate, common and vicious, seems to give a man a marvelous infinity of rights that his honest fathers never dreamed of. - Oscar Wilde
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Posted on Wed, Sep 04 2019 23:31
by William
Joined on Sun, Nov 24 2002, USA, Posts 5738

Thanks Errikos - you see I thought of a title.  It was not actually about Achilles originally - mainly just about 12/8 time with some syncopation and a lot of modulation - but I was so wrathful at not having a title, Achilles suddenly popped into my mind.  
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Posted on Fri, Sep 06 2019 21:15
by Acclarion
Joined on Sat, Aug 15 2015, Canada, Eh!, Posts 616

Love it, Bill!  I'm digging the contemplative mood around the 1:30 mark and the suspense at 4:40.  And, as always, the grandiosity of your orchestration shines through brilliantly.  Congratulations on another gem, and hope the sheet music is purchased and performed!

All the best,

Dave

http://DavidCarovillano.bandcamp.com
Do You Hear Me? Orchestral Album now available!
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Posted on Sat, Sep 07 2019 02:32
by William
Joined on Sun, Nov 24 2002, USA, Posts 5738

Thanks Dave.  This was originally written in 1982.   I only last month came up with that section you mentioned.  But throughout all that  time I had a feeling it should be revised... I guess I work somewhat slowly.  Need to speed things up probably. 
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Posted on Sat, Sep 07 2019 03:30
by Acclarion
Joined on Sat, Aug 15 2015, Canada, Eh!, Posts 616
You're in good company...Faure did similar revising of his Requiem over a two decade period. As for writing it in 1982, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed listening to it then, as I was likely enjoying Sesame Street classics instead 😉

Dave
http://DavidCarovillano.bandcamp.com
Do You Hear Me? Orchestral Album now available!
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Posted on Sun, Sep 08 2019 07:01
by tchampe
Joined on Wed, Apr 25 2018, Posts 101

Another great tune, Bill. You told a big story in just a few minutes and swept me long every bit of the way...although for some reason, just listening to it made my lip swell up. Man, you know how to write gnarly horn parts! I would purely love to take a crack at 'em, but I would probably be like the horn player in the first reheasal of Don Juan, who asked Strauss what he had done to deserve this!

I know you've heard this from me before but I really think this piece would work beautifully as a wind band composition. First off, it's a dramatic concert overture, which is absolutely the wheel house of symphonic band literature. Most of the main themes are carried by winds and percussion and the string sections would translate beautifully to woodwinds. I realize that writing for band doesn't have the cachet of writing for symphony orchestra, but we do have one small advantage for the contemporary composer...we actually play new music! Bands don't have centuries of standard repertoire that is the only thing our audiences want to hear. If a tune is good, we'll program it.

Actually, I'm being selfish here. I'd love to play more of your music. Also, I would absolutely love to hear you bring the full power of your MIDI skills to bear on a wind band tune. I think it would jump to #1 on my play list. (WARNING! Mini-rant!!) Have you noticed that, in the vast VSL Demo Library there is one...count it, ONE...movement of one...count it, ONE...piece for band: an old Jay Bacal rendering of the March from the Holst Eb Suite. And as much as I admire Jay, this isn't even one of his best efforts. It seems that this is a market that VSL has very little interest in. They have all the necessary instruments, at least, which is more than I can say for the brass band instrumentation that is so poular in the UK. For that, they have next to bupkus. (End of Mini-rant)

I sure hope you get lots of performances of this excellent overture, but I can't help thinking that the odds of this would be higher if it existed as a wind band composition.

Tom

(BTW, I got your email and I'm working on an answer. Stay tuned!)
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Posted on Mon, Sep 09 2019 14:25
by William
Joined on Sun, Nov 24 2002, USA, Posts 5738

Thanks Tom, I was thinking that it might do better for band. I have the same attitude concerning band performances - unlike symphony orchestras, who have quite enough music and don't need anything more thank you very much - bands are always playing new things.  

Also I wish VSL would do symphonic band sections.  Especially EPIC CLARINETS  - like a 6 or 12 player section!   I have done some work with doubling the 3-player sections but it is not the same as the big symphonic band sound. 

In fact, if VSL sampled just an additional 12 clarinet section and a 6 flute section the symphonic cube would be a full concert band if you use the other solos, sections and ensembles with no doubling:

piccolo

11 flutes     

5 oboes

17 clarinets

5 bassoons

5 sax

12 trumpets (with cornet)

8 horns with full divisi

5 trombones (with contrabass)

euphonium

2 tubas
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Posted on Tue, Sep 10 2019 03:32
by William
Joined on Sun, Nov 24 2002, USA, Posts 5738

I wanted to thank the person who gave this piece a "Dislike" on youtube.  

It gives me a reason to mention it again.

Also, I wonder who goes to the bother to "Dislike" something like this.  Also - my symphony recording. 

Why bother doing a "Dislike"?   I just don't give something a "Like" if I don't like it.   The fact that it is anonymous - part of the internet "culture" of trolls.  
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Posted on Sun, Oct 20 2019 12:09
by Paul McGraw
Joined on Mon, Feb 29 2016, Georgia, USA, Posts 422

Hi William, awesome piece of music. The interplay of ideas is very pleasing. Marvelous counterpoint in the slow section. 

Regarding the "dislike" it is just one more symptom of our collapsing culture. Take away the anonymity and you probably would not see such stupidity. This is the same type of thinking that leads morons to deface buildings and entire neighborhoods with vulgarity and ugliness and claim it is art. No cure in this life. I put my hope in Heaven.

In Achilles  I would have liked to hear more from the trombones, admittedly this is because trombone is my instrument. :-) I know they are playing during the tuttis, but I mean a little more often than just the tuttis.

https://www.orfium.com/profile/ptmcgraw/
https://soundcloud.com/paultmcgraw
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Posted on Sun, Oct 20 2019 15:48
by William
Joined on Sun, Nov 24 2002, USA, Posts 5738

Thanks Paul!  I shouldn't have mentioned the dislike!  Though I think you're right about anonymity.  

I like that idea about more trombones.  Hmm....
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Posted on Tue, Oct 22 2019 07:03
by synergy543
Joined on Fri, Apr 01 2005, Posts 135

William, its great to hear another one of your pieces.  Very refreshing to hear the use of dynamics, contrast and drama in music again.  So much more exciting than just Epic.  Thanks for posting.

Greg (Gregory D. Moore)
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Posted on Wed, Oct 23 2019 01:12
by William
Joined on Sun, Nov 24 2002, USA, Posts 5738

Thanks Greg!  I appreciate your listening and commenting!  
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Posted on Sat, Nov 02 2019 03:23
by jasensmith
Joined on Tue, Jan 15 2008, Arizona, Posts 1582
Yet another triumph William. I must say that you never disappoint.

I listened on my car stereo, as I usually do, and was just overwhelmed by a pincer movement of clever composition and skillful orchestration.

It's funny you say 1982 because, for some reason, the old Battlestar Galactica TV show came to mind while listening. Not so much the main theme but just that style of arrangement.

Oh! And the sound quality was just exquisite especially the lows. It was like a blockbuster soundtrack but without all the blockbuster reverb. Very crisp and clean.

Well done.

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it."
- W.C. Fields
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Posted on Sun, Nov 03 2019 12:20
by William
Joined on Sun, Nov 24 2002, USA, Posts 5738

Thanks Jasen. I remember Battlestar Galactica the show but not the music.  It was probably very good though.  
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