Excellent piece and so unique...this is a wonderful composition Jos. I've listened a few times all the way through and keep going back to it. I love the accordion and remember listening to my Opa play (he was from Köln). The instrument is mesmerizing when put into concerto form. Masterfully done!

I do have a question....it seems like this movement is written in C Major yet the title says G minor...what am I missing Jos?

Here is the final movement that completes the concerto:

2. Adagio cantabile

Thanks for all the prior comments, support and input on this piece. This was a stretch for me as a composer. I think I researched enough to believe that all movements are "playable".. .I'm not real sure about the tempo in the last movement as it relates to the theme changing from arco to pizz and back again so quickly (especially since double stops are involved). I need to run that by a couple of my wife's friends who are violinists in one our local symphonies.. .just haven't had the opportunity yet.

Merry Christmas/Happy Haunkkah/Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to all!

Wonderfully done with a superb melody. It's almost "militaristic" in nature with a march like cadence but it fits the journey being represented. Nice holiday gem! I also noticed it's rendered with SE instruments... I know the work you put into this to get it to sound so awesome!

Merry Christmas back to you... and thanks for the wonderful music!

Hi Anand. Thanks for your input. What I find extremely valuble is your comment concerning the rendering. I have to say, going into the publication of this movement, I felt that it was one of my best renderings. Understand that I take absolutely no offense to your critique...in fact it's appreciated that you speak your mind so honestly.... it's put there to help, not to hurt. So it's amazing that we as composers/renderers of music can be so close to a piece that we miss what others can hear or observe. I really don't want to change a thing in this movement....yet....I need to go back with the same critical ear that you/others have and try for improvement.

One of the primary things I love about this forum is the critique that continually challenges us to create the best music and renderings that we can. Thank you for giving the piece a listen... and for your input.

Here is the final movement to the violin concerto:

3. Allegretto-Allegro furioso

I still have a lot of work to do on the slow 2nd movement so I jumped to the final movement and finished it.

Thanks.

VSL Special Eds 1 and 2

Also thanks Max and Paul for your comments on the first movement... I appreciate them!

Thank you William. I think you are spot on about the last movement... full throtle Pag for sure would be awesome if I can pull that off (not sure that I have enough romantic period in me to pull that off)..

Thank you Anand. Your first comment surprised me a bit until I went back and listened again with your thought in mind. I really did not intend to progress from what I love so much i.e. classical. Maybe after a while, a composer simply makes a natural progression... but I was not "targeting" the romantic period... it just comes across that way I guess. I wanted to give the violin a "good workout" and deep down I guess I believe it wasn't until Beethoven and beyond that the violin concerto really featured the soloist and the instrument's capabilities.

You are correct in that the meter is 3/4. There is enough rubato in the opening violin statement to throw you off a bit but it's all in 3/4. It's also Sonata form with an introduction added.

I'm working on the second movement 4/4 and G major key. The third will be presto and return to E minor. Thanks again for listening and commenting... it's sincerely appreciated.

Here is the first movement of a new project. ... Violin Concerto in E Minor

1. Allegro appassionata

Thank you.

(Special Editions 1 and 2)

ADDED 12-04-2017...

3. Allegretto-Allegro furioso

Originally Posted by: William

 

Also, and this is tied in with a basic way the VSL library is constructed, one can "build" the musical performance using this approach.  For example, a single line is played and sounds fairly good, but is lacking in "punch."  So one can then add in a single articulation like sforzando or even a light dynamic accent, and it adds just enough for the line to be played better.   This kind of thing is very natural  with VSL because of the way it bases everything on actual musical expressions/articulations, i.e. sostenuto, legato, fortepiano, etc.

I use VSL exactly the same way William.

I think I mentioned in a prior post that my wife plays oboe in a local orchestra. After their practices, various sections/groups/solos etc. perform for the rest of the musicians for fun. My wife and the first flute wanted to perform a duet... they both liked Gabriel's Oboe (I think because it's a short piece) but it's obviously a solo oboe piece (accompanied by strings). So they asked me to write a flute part and turn it into a duet. They will perform this piece using my VSL strings background from this rendering. I should mention that they did not want me to alter any of the original oboe part. Here is the result (Special Edition 1 with Appassionata strings):

GABRIEL'S OBOE  (Oboe-Flute duet arrangement)

The fun part of this little project is that in a couple weeks I get to record both of them in my studio. I will repost with the live oboe and flute recordings as a comparison (with the appassionata strings background).

Thank you all for the comments.

Richard. Well, after looking at what I did closely, I only used Special Edition 1 on this piece (I dont own the "plus" addition). None of the Special Edition 2 instruments were needed. The articulations used in the strings were sus, leg, det, sta, and sfz. The wind articulations used were sus, leg-sus, leg, sta, and sfz.

I don't always use sta for staccato notes.....for the strings sometimes I use det or leg and just shorten the note/play time in Sonar to get a staccato sound... it all depends how the sound comes out but that technique sometimes helps to create a better sounding staccato passage. I also use x-fade and expression to control for every instrument (manual input instrument by instrument). The volume of each instrument is only adjusted when I set the final mix... this is just a tweaking process. My reverb is VSL instrument reverb set to about 35 on each instrument, Then I use a tad bit of reverb for the master channel but just a hint more.

Hope that helps. Wayne

Great post Anand. This is so hard to comment on for me because it caused me to dig deep into my feelings, beliefs, etc. about music. Your closing comments say that you enjoy this and you hope we do too.... well, I have to say for myself I did not enjoy it at all. I really struggled to get through the eight minutes (but I stuck with it and finished listening). 

Having said that, I am in no way passing judgment on the composer, composition and performance all of which are at done at a highly professional level. It made me reflect deeply as to why I personally didn't care for the piece... and I believe I came to a conclusion that I didn't understand the music. Ultimately, it's a combination of my lack of music education (even though I'm musically trained) and strong preference for certain musical styles: in other words, it's MY shortcomings or lack of appreciation for music other than "my preferences". And that doesn't make me feel very good (I feel terribly less musically adept than I want to admit).  

Some modern musical styles real pull us out of our comfort zones. And just because we don't understand does not make it "good", "bad", etc. music (I don't even want to bring up the subject of what IS music and what's not... who am I to tell someone else what's good and bad...).

I actually envy you Anand that you find enjoyment listening to this... I really do. You have a "higher level of music appreciation" than myself. As tedious as this was for me, it was a good lesson in musicology and served as a wake-up call: I had forgotten how much more there is in music than just my preferences. I find I had become lazy by avoiding modern music and music trends. Thank you for the wake-up call.

The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing (and living!).

This was an experiment I wanted to try using the Vienna Symphonic Library Special Editions 1 and 2 only. I think it needs more work in a few spots but I believe it's not a bad first try. Just for fun....

Mozart Symphony #40 in G Minor

1. Allegro molto (short excerpt)   (revised 10/08/2017)

Well done Max....I love what you did with this piece! Very crisp and clear and notated perfectly.

Thanks so much William! And yes, it's near impossible to get our works played....you really have to know someone who can help you out. I've been lucky to have my wife's group perform my wind dectet and my high school's theater company (I taught AP Physics in high school) perform 3 of our musicals (we sold out 24 performances!). Those are memories I will always treasure. The rest of the music....well.....it's there just for the enjoyment of writing it.

This movement finishes the Trumpet Concerto in C Major:

2. Allegretto

Sometimes I think the slow movement is the hardest to write. It requires so much expresion and since the tempo is slow everything is exposed. But I do love to write these... Thanks for listening.

Here is the completed work... Trumpet Concerto in C Major.

1. Allegro

2. Allegretto

3. Allegro Molto

Thank you Guy and Max...I really appreciate it!

What a beautiful melody creatively expressed by your orchestra Max! I love the clarinet/woodwins opening. Also the horns at around the 4 and a half minute mark. Majestic in it's simplicity....so pastoral and soothing. Well done. I could wake up in the morning listening to this...what a way to open your day!

Great piece of music Dave...composition is wonderful. All 3 instruments are involved in communicating the mystery of the melody. "Enchanting" comes to mind...well done!

And congratulations! How wonderful new life is!

Thank you Willaim!

Thank you Anand! That means a lot to me... Haydn happens to be my favorite!

Here is the completed work... Trumpet Concerto in C Major.  (Allegretto added Weds. 20th Sept, 2017)

1. Allegro

2. Allegretto   (latest addition)

3. Allegro Molto

Hello folks. I've been able to stay busy thanks to all the prayers and positive thoughts sent my way. I have good days and bad just like anyone else but overall doing as well as expected. Here is a new installment for my trumpet concerto....

1. Allegro

Special Editions 1 and 2 (without plus). Thanks!

Max, Paul, Philippe, Anand, MMKA, Sreffen, William, Dave

I want to extend my deepest thanks to all of you for the encouragement posted here for me to tackle my disease. I can't express enough appreciation for what your words mean to me. The docs have said that at this point I will never be able to rid my body of the cancer. However, the treatment/medications are designed to slow the growth or stop the spreading any further and at the moment, we are making good progress. I actually had a great week... no bad headaches or sickness (quite a few daily hot flashes and soreness in the injection sites but that's not so bad).

So with your advice about keeping music in my life, I decided to try and finish my current project (I already had a lot of ideas sketched out on note paper). It was really what I needed to get my mind off the whole sickness thing....music is a wonderful therapy! Here is the 3rd movement...

3. SCHERZO

If you are interested, the entire 4 movements are now posted on my YOUTUBE sight. Thank you so much again guys for your encouragement to "hang in there"... you're awesome!

Here is the 4th movement to this symphony. Some bad news is that my cancer came back rather aggressively and has migrated into my bones. The medications I now have to take have really caused problems with focus, creativity and stamina. Seems all I want to do is sleep. I really do want to finish this piece... two more movements to go but they seem lately to be almost insurmountable. It's been quite a while since I have visited the forum...there is some wonderful music posted by several of you whom I follow.

4. PRESTO   Symphony #6 in C Major

Special Editions 1 and 2.

With the outrageous cost of these cancer treatments/drugs, I have about given up on upgrading my VSL library. Oh well. I think the special editions have served me well.

Excellent composition Jerry! I have always wanted to write a concerto for violin but I don't have the expertise to write for that instrument. If I did, I would want to capture the "passion" that your piece demands. We write in different styles and forms but I so appreciated what you did with this work. Bravo!