Waldszenen / Forest Scenes (draft title)

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

Well then, I want to ask for some feedback on this symphonic work (still in progress). I named it for the moment "Waldszenen / Forest Scenes" - synonymously for some of the moods in it. The "end" is the beginning of the part following, I'll write it as a fugato. Do you think the development is understandable? Do the "weird" parts fit to the rest! Is it worth to continue? Or whatsoever you think it's worth to be criticized.

Many thanks in advance!

[Simon Wiedemann]

I don't think it's weird, I like it. Nice and eerie and quite pretty...

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

Thank you Simon - for having a listen and for "liking"!

Simon Wiedemann said:

I don't think it's weird, I like it. Nice and eerie and quite pretty...

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

Fredrick, thanks a lot! Being compared to Mahler absolutely is a compliment or even more. I'm really glad that it works for you. I'll post for sure more, when the next part is finished. But you'll have to be patient - I haven't as much time for composing as I wished. Thanks again for your time and commenting!

Fredrick zinos said:

Rudi.. The orchestration is very very good. It uses instruments to their best advantage and the sound is completely right for the mood, and in fact, probably creates the mood. There are things in this that remind me of Mahler and that I mean as a compliment. There is a certain sense of darkness that borders on being "creepy" but I think thats what we generally experience when going, for example, from a bright sunshine filled meadow into the forest where the sun is filtered and maybe never even reaches the ground. Weird little creatures, real or imagined, scurry about and we feel eyes on us but never see the watchers. Things are murky and there is a feeling of un-reality but not unpleasently so. You have convyed this complex mood perfectly. 

 

You MUST continue work on this. It is very good, entertaining and enjoyable. Please post more when able.

 

 

[Salvin Cransby]

Pretty good, Rudi.  I like the quick rhythmic parts. Did you use 12-tone rows?

[Ann Rodela]

I enjoyed your Waldszen/Forest Scene because you painted a picture with a sense of wonder and and a sense of danger. I think the vibrational qualities of the wind instruments made it feel like there were birds in a forest while the percussive shakers gave it the sense of a quiet alarm. I think you could easily expand this work. Please keep us updated on your progress. :)

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

@Salvin: Initially I started writing using a whole-tone scale, but as a scale it sounded to much Debussian. So I added a few half-tones. But there are still small motifs in a whole-tone mode left. Rhythmically in some parts I'm working with dotted notes. Thanks for listening!

Salvin Cransby said:

Pretty good, Rudi.  I like the quick rhythmic parts. Did you use 12-tone rows?

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

Thanks Ann! Indeed there are birds, roe deer, snakes and spiders in my forest. I'll keep you updated. Thanks again for spending time and for the "like"!

Ann Rodela said:

I enjoyed your Waldszen/Forest Scene because you painted a picture with a sense of wonder and and a sense of danger. I think the vibrational qualities of the wind instruments made it feel like there were birds in a forest while the percussive shakers gave it the sense of a quiet alarm. I think you could easily expand this work. Please keep us updated on your progress. :)

[Matt Le Mare]

Rudi

Thank you for asking my opinion. I regard yours highly and it is an hour to be a composer-freind. I would like to echo what has already been said about the piece. You should continue with it. Could it be more extreme in loudness, ppp, fff? Extreme in the moods/imagery you have used? Could the whole orchestra play a single melody? It's a great piece and really engaging to listen too. It truely stands on it's own and is highly considered, full of colour and highly conducive to imagery. The title appears to need to change. I like the Forest metaphor, but this feels a little cliched, but does capture a sense of space, journey, character/form. The music sounds more universal if that makes sense!

All the very best

matt

[Andrew Gleibman]

Hi Rudi, this work is certainly worth continuing. It contains beautiful pastoral images, humor scenes, contrasting instrument combinations, rhythms and harmonies. As to the critique (although not too constructive), you should develop the music form. It is not entirely clear for me (I perceive several beautiful fragments without dramatic development). I think you have 2 options: a) remain in pastoral environment, like in 2th movement of Beethoven's 6th, and add something unexpected,  e.g. nightingale or echoes; b) to grow a strength to a distinctive culmination. Both "a" and "b" can be implemented. Once more, the sound textures are very attractive.

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

Thank you, Matt! The honour is all mine. What you are writing is highly worth considering to me. The dynamics here are between ppp and f - there's a lot headroom left for dynamic development and evolution of moods. I'm glad you mentioned the problem of getting clichéd - I tried hard to avoid this. I also think, there's more in it, than mere forest impressions. Thanks again!

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

Hi Andrew, thanks a lot for taking time! Your critique is in fact very constructive. I was suspecting myself that there's a lack of development. I think I could do more with my material. I just had a listen to the mentioned Beethoven movement. Well, his concept of nature is really unclouded, virginal. But what I can see too, is that I'll have to do a lot more regarding development. I often have too many ideas. I should give them more time, more chance for presentation.

[Rudi [Rudolf Schmitt]]

Thanks, Jon! It will be a good idea to to let up on the accelerator here and there. I'm glad that you mentioned my wish to write something musically ambitious being accesible for an unskilled audience. I'll have a listen to Berlioz and Mussorgsky - good hint! Thanks again for spending time on listening and commenting!