Thanks Errikos, I appreciate it.  

That was really well done!  I like the video - was that woman a ballet dancer?  She was very good.  Also, I didn't hear any problem with the music.  You are too critical!  I am also doing both film and music so it is great to see somebody else working on both.    

Dietz, thanks I'm glad you liked it!  

I think I was channeling Vienna because I had forgotten I used the reverse map in that scene.  I had a Baedecker guide to Austria circa 1908 that was the basis for it...

Seventh Sam - I love it!  

The fact that you will be rejected inevitably if the people at that station know it is MIDI shows a mindless, knee-jerk prejudice that in itself demonstrates the feebleness of the classical music establishment.

(edited after coffee consumption stopped)

What I would do in your situation is make up names and even identities of performers for the VSL chamber music recordings, and then submit them. If they were accepted it would be WONDERFUL to have them played - and then tell the fools at that station it was all MIDI. 

Wow, I'm glad Dietz understands all this and I can just use it... the end result is fantastic! 

"Hone their craft"?  Are they kidding? 

The reality is you give music to players and "hope their craft" will play it right. 

Creating a good MIDI performance is far more a matter of honing and perfecting than working with live performers which is mainly sitting and listening to what they do - for better or worse.

I have been very disturbed by rejections from film festivals - and yet the same sort of thing has to happen there as what you mentioned.  The ones who are most similar to what is "approved" win.  And  "lackeys" is the correct term - a local film festival advertised on Facebook for people to help select the "accepted" films.  In other words a doofus off the street is determining what is worth seeing.  The exact same principle has to apply to contests like what you mention.  It is total bullshit.  The normal state of affairs with art in a population of 7 billion.       

Hi Jos, that is a really charming piece and well-done with the performance!  I can definitely see a ballet choreography going with this - I hope that is going to happen.

Thanks a lot Tom, that's nice of you!  I have submitted it to some festivals - not sure what's going to happen with that though. I'm glad you noticed the noise track - I like film optical sound noise, and used that.  Somewhat perverse to add exactly what people desperately tried to get rid of in the past...

Thanks Jos, I appreciate  it!  

Hi Philippe, thanks and you're right about that Baedeker book and the map!  In the feature film the main character, in a more straightforward story line, is dreaming of this place.   I'm not sure but I think this went too far off to be included in the other film.

Macker, thanks and you're right I was going for less of a story but still having something there in the background.  That way I could improvise though in ultra-slow motion one frame at a time. 

I did a stop-motion animation film called Metaphysician's Dream over the last year (hand-made animation takes a while...) and used Vienna Instruments/MIR for the music score  -

it is Solo Viola, Bass, Flute, Celesta, Harp, Musical Glasses, and some old Roland Juno 60 analog synthesizer -     

Metaphysician's Dream

Hi Jos,

I am sorry to hear about your mother. I hope you find peace, and it is good to work on music for that I know from personal experience.  When everything else goes bad, I turn to music.  Maybe the only thing that can make one feel better. 

It is good to see you posting pieces here again - that is something I really missed on the VSL Forum - your music.  On this performance it sounds great.  You are going to do a composition of your own using a similar instrumentation?  I would definitely look forward to hearing that.  The only critique I have is I thought I noticed the "global" legato setting - you might change it to  "mono" on these instruments.  But otherwise it sounds excellent.  I hope  you can continue posting music here - it is some of the very best!       

That sounds fantastic.  Best of luck with it!  It sounds like something that needs to be used with, or would greatly compliment, virtual instruments.   

Errikos, the fugal development and counterpoint in that is impressive.  It is strange to hear that theme.   Macker, I need to hear more about what exactly is this mysterious project you are engaged in. It sounds fascinating!

Thanks Macker!

That is such a tremendous sound - what a fabulous organ and such a powerful piece.

my thanks to Macker nevertheless

That looks like a great collaboration and very interesting to see the interaction between the live players and VSL.    

Tom, it is not a commercial project at this time. It was a commercial disaster at the time it was made.  So you are right - at this point, there is some masochism involved.  But I love hearing the VSL sounds and have had a goal of getting old scores that were not properly played previously,  recorded especially in this case with Appassionata strings.  This is actually a very small orchestra in the number of parts, with five string parts, one flute, one clarinet, two Dimension horns, trombone, bass trombone, percussion, harp, and the soloistic piano part.   As it is I have the Appassionata doubled with Solo violin 1 and 2, solo viola, solo cello 2, chamber cellos. Also orchestral violins on violins 2. So it is actually a large number of string players but a small number of parts.   I am thinking of trying another  approach with a tiny number of players using just the solo strings and a few Dimension players. That would be a realistic ensemble for a studio orchestra playing this kind of music.  

Errikos, thanks - however the film is just horrid.  And it is not a horror movie.  So it should not be seen. It needs to be destroyed, with the entire negative going up in a bonfire.   

I should probably create a description of the plot though, which I still like,  when I get the entire thing together. And then, a listener could possibly create his own, far better movie in his mind. 

Here is that track that gave me a headache- 

Night Chase

Thanks Tom and MMKA!   The synthesizer tracks were additional music that was needed after the orchestral score had been recorded with a small group of players (university students whom I recorded illegally in an auditorium on campus and got in trouble over).  Those additional tracks were done with a Yamaha DX7, Roland S-50 and a Proteus module and were just played into the tape recorder with no MIDI or written score so that was part of re-doing it.  There is one insane cue that was weirdly chromatic  in 7/8 and I am still unsure if I got it exactly right!  (I will put that one on here for your amusement...)   Also, those tracks didn't exist any more in a separate music track, only the full mixed soundtrack,  so to orchestrate them I had to avoid listening to the footsteps, dialogue, trains going by, a lot of screaming and glass shattering.