I recently had two of my sonatas for flute and oboe recorded by a work-for-hire group called Supreme Tracks, so I thought I'd share them. There are a few flubbed notes, and some moments where you can hear them struggling, but for one rehearsal and a recording session it's not bad. Wish I could have had the whole set of six recorded, but just having two done was pricey enough. Any comments or criticisms are most welcome!
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I listened to Sonata no4 and found it to be quite lovely and effortless which is always a good sign in my book.
Thanks!
Hi Steven, lovely pieces and recordings! These are very well written for the instruments, so I am especially curious why you've written so much music for flute and oboe! I left a few comments on YouTube. I especially liked #5 where I could feel you pushing on your boundaries a bit more.
Have you looked into players on Fiverr? I have had some success finding a few great singers at good rates, but you have to do your own diligence. Of course recording players separately in a duet like these would be tricky, but if you are comfortable mixing, it seems doable. Or if you reach out directly, you might find a wind player who can team up on their end for a specific recording project.
Thanks for listening. There isn't a particular reason I've written for these instruments, other than that I like the combination. I played flute once upon a time, so it's natural for me to write for it, and I think the oboe complements it well - a similar tone color, but with just enough difference to make it sonically interesting.
For pieces like this, I think it's vital to have the instruments recorded together. I have thought about looking on Fiverr, but especially for these, which are a bit technically challenging, I'm not sure if I'd get the best results there. I have definitely been thinking about Fiverr if I ever want to get some of my piano music recorded.
Hi, Steve - I enjoyed these. Concise and well constructed. Easy listening and the mixing/mastering made for a natural sound on hi-fi speakers. In the e-minor sonata was there any consideration given to relaxing the tempo to a point where the falling thirds are articualted better, while maintaining the briskness you desire? Same for Sonata 4, last movement....could the tempo have been held back just a little to let the figures speak better?
--Ray
Hi, Ray - thanks for listening. If I'd been at the recording session, or able to talk to the performers, I would have suggested just that. I'd have preferred to get a less messy-sounding performance at a slightly slower tempo.
Hi Steven. These are a charming collection of duets.
In general,I would have put more dynamic flutuation in the score. (I did notice that some articulations that worked well that were not in the score - like some staccato bits.) Also, the faster mov'ts I felt a bit hurried, and sometimes a bit messy. ust a tad slower I think would have tightened the rhythm while still mantaining the spirit.
My favorite movement was the slow movement of the 2nd link.
They are delightful!
Agreed, the fast movements are definitely a bit messy, and if I could have spoken with the performers, I'd have suggested taking things a little more slowly to get a cleaner performance. I also agree that I should have notated dynamics a bit more forcefully. And yes, they definitely used some articulations that were not in the score - some of these I think worked well, though in a few cases they played things staccato that I wish had not been. A good lesson to me to be more liberal in writing tenutos.