This song has a great motivation behind it as well, 'blue' is the middle name of her brother who died of skin cancer, it id a journey of life and death.
I performed this while at Interlochen last summer. When we started to rehearse the piece at the beginning of the week I was indifferent to it. By the end of the week when we performed it, this piece was one of my favorite that I did at Interlochen. I felt like this has been one of the most expressive pieces I've ever performed with an orchestra.
This is a a truly beautiful piece of music. Having echoes of another composer like Copeland or Ives, this is such a bad thing? Beethoven wrote some music that sounded Haydn-esque. I enjoy hearing new music that is approachable, harmonic, and that's not afraid to be emotive.
This piece is very well scored, which I find very attractive and commendable. MuseDuCafe is right, though, that it does have the ambiance of film music, and it is clearly beholden to Aaron Copland (himself a successful film composer, e.g. The Red Pony and Our Town). I do wonder why composers today write tonal, linear music but go to great lengths to avoid any memorable features, such as a theme or harmonic progression with real profile. Isn't it the memory, not merely the effect, that lingers?
to me...it's a celebration of both life and death. Who knows what's on the other side when we leave this earth for good? I attended the live performance and this song literally lifted me from my seat, eyes closed. No shame, just pure joy.
It's truly amazing the effect music can have on a human being. Makes life worth living at least one more time, don't you think?
I support the notion that just because we have basically unlocked all options of tonality doesn't mean 21st century composers need to use them ALL AT ONCE. This wonderfully beautiful piece of music in my opinion should serve as a model for which modern composers should follow (or even consider). Less emphasis on theory and more on what the composer pictures in his/her head (or what one could call emotion).
There's one in every crowd. "Too pretty pretty pretty"? Such acute analysis. Go on, sneer at the art and feel superior. Of course I'm somewhat biased, being a couple hours removed from hearing this same orchestra perform this composition in concert. It was breathtaking. And I'm used to young folks dismissing worthy modern classical pieces via their knee-jerk association with "movie score gestures" (gestures?)
Finding this a little too pretty pretty pretty without being beautiful or otherwise interesting..It comes off more as 'high-end' ambient music (and the ambient genre could use the 'elevation' for sure.) I wonder if it is now a composers duty to also write quasi poetic texts about 'what the music is about' and which pre-conditions the listeners reaction to what they hear.This sounds like a string of near cliche movie score gestures. I really wonder what all the 'noise' is about this composer.
@MuseDuCafe In my opinion, this is a piece that has so much density and complexity that you really hear it best from the inside; We played this at IMEA All-State 2005 in the Honors Orchestra, and we were lucky to have an incredible composer who brought this piece to such life! Hearing some of the passages in sectionals is truly incredible, because there are like...three parts for each string section (I think). Obviously, this is all just my opinion, and since performing requires spending a
@MuseDuCafe (cont'd) great deal of time around the music, it just grows on you, and becomes its own language which mysteriously makes sense, and with which you can express such great emotion!
@MuseDuCafe screw you. this is amazing music, our school did it as our competitive marching show and it was extremely enjoyable. the emotions felt were undescribable.
If this was the last song I would hear while I was alive., I would be content with life. This is the most beautiful piece I have ever heard. Thank you :D
Whew. I played this piece a number of years ago, on the English Horn. Kind of inconvenient as I could never seem to find a free recording of it. I ended up buying it.
Honestly, I feel that this piece wasn't too difficult to play, at least, for me. I do recognize the difficulty of the piece for the percussion and basses.
@sprodje We played this in the Illinois Music Educator's Honor orchestra at All-State as well as Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, one of the best concerts I've ever had the pleasure of playing in!
Very nice orchestration and I loved some of the heart-achingly beautiful melodic lines. To my ear, the piece sounded a little rushed so I would have liked some more space to allow the listener time to soak in the moment or even a few moments of silence to give the listener rest. I also felt that there was too much material introduced so some material was not developed enough (from my listening of it) and other materials seemed superfluous. Overall, very beautiful.
Nice piece as far as modern works are concerned.
jcsv12345 2 days ago
Lol
jcsv12345 2 days ago
reminds me of close encounters of the third kind
ZSk8er12321 2 months ago
This song has a great motivation behind it as well, 'blue' is the middle name of her brother who died of skin cancer, it id a journey of life and death.
JezzieLS 2 months ago
I performed this while at Interlochen last summer. When we started to rehearse the piece at the beginning of the week I was indifferent to it. By the end of the week when we performed it, this piece was one of my favorite that I did at Interlochen. I felt like this has been one of the most expressive pieces I've ever performed with an orchestra.
BlueViolist 2 months ago 3
@BlueViolist
Octavio!
Kismeki7 2 months ago
am I really supposed to wait 9 minutes and 32 seconds to favorite this!?
theonlyred4 2 months ago
TEARJERKING BEAUTIFUL!
sierragragg 3 months ago
I am playing this in a youth orchestra that i'm a part of. im on piccolo :) so excited!
animelvr510 3 months ago
This is a a truly beautiful piece of music. Having echoes of another composer like Copeland or Ives, this is such a bad thing? Beethoven wrote some music that sounded Haydn-esque. I enjoy hearing new music that is approachable, harmonic, and that's not afraid to be emotive.
ly776 8 months ago
This piece is very well scored, which I find very attractive and commendable. MuseDuCafe is right, though, that it does have the ambiance of film music, and it is clearly beholden to Aaron Copland (himself a successful film composer, e.g. The Red Pony and Our Town). I do wonder why composers today write tonal, linear music but go to great lengths to avoid any memorable features, such as a theme or harmonic progression with real profile. Isn't it the memory, not merely the effect, that lingers?
scmager 9 months ago
Comment removed
scmager 9 months ago
Comment removed
scmager 9 months ago
to me...it's a celebration of both life and death. Who knows what's on the other side when we leave this earth for good? I attended the live performance and this song literally lifted me from my seat, eyes closed. No shame, just pure joy.
It's truly amazing the effect music can have on a human being. Makes life worth living at least one more time, don't you think?
pandatiem 9 months ago
I support the notion that just because we have basically unlocked all options of tonality doesn't mean 21st century composers need to use them ALL AT ONCE. This wonderfully beautiful piece of music in my opinion should serve as a model for which modern composers should follow (or even consider). Less emphasis on theory and more on what the composer pictures in his/her head (or what one could call emotion).
efmusic5 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
There's one in every crowd. "Too pretty pretty pretty"? Such acute analysis. Go on, sneer at the art and feel superior. Of course I'm somewhat biased, being a couple hours removed from hearing this same orchestra perform this composition in concert. It was breathtaking. And I'm used to young folks dismissing worthy modern classical pieces via their knee-jerk association with "movie score gestures" (gestures?)
negriljerry
negriljerry 10 months ago
Comment removed
negriljerry 10 months ago
Finding this a little too pretty pretty pretty without being beautiful or otherwise interesting..It comes off more as 'high-end' ambient music (and the ambient genre could use the 'elevation' for sure.) I wonder if it is now a composers duty to also write quasi poetic texts about 'what the music is about' and which pre-conditions the listeners reaction to what they hear.This sounds like a string of near cliche movie score gestures. I really wonder what all the 'noise' is about this composer.
MuseDuCafe 10 months ago
@MuseDuCafe In my opinion, this is a piece that has so much density and complexity that you really hear it best from the inside; We played this at IMEA All-State 2005 in the Honors Orchestra, and we were lucky to have an incredible composer who brought this piece to such life! Hearing some of the passages in sectionals is truly incredible, because there are like...three parts for each string section (I think). Obviously, this is all just my opinion, and since performing requires spending a
Cllstnvlnst329 9 months ago
@MuseDuCafe (cont'd) great deal of time around the music, it just grows on you, and becomes its own language which mysteriously makes sense, and with which you can express such great emotion!
Cllstnvlnst329 9 months ago
@MuseDuCafe screw you. this is amazing music, our school did it as our competitive marching show and it was extremely enjoyable. the emotions felt were undescribable.
ArchuletaObsessed 9 months ago
Played the viola part (and solo) in this back in 2009... tricky... but totally beautiful.
SeverusPump 10 months ago
Has a movie-soundtrack feel to it at certain parts.
I really like the soaring string crescendo with brass chords that starts building up at 3:00.
rjherie 11 months ago
If this was the last song I would hear while I was alive., I would be content with life. This is the most beautiful piece I have ever heard. Thank you :D
jdogh 1 year ago
I played this for New Mexico All-State back in 2006
cubsrule2040 1 year ago
Whew. I played this piece a number of years ago, on the English Horn. Kind of inconvenient as I could never seem to find a free recording of it. I ended up buying it.
Honestly, I feel that this piece wasn't too difficult to play, at least, for me. I do recognize the difficulty of the piece for the percussion and basses.
A fun piece, for sure. :D
halo6lord 1 year ago
@NateTheGreat555 Bassoon! How about you?
niknotnick09 1 year ago
@niknotnick09 The bassoon part is great to this song :) playing it in district orchestra next weekend. so excited!
mrtacointhebox 1 year ago
Pennsylvania District 11 Orchestra will be playing this. I'm ecstatic and terrified at the same time.
niknotnick09 1 year ago
@niknotnick09 Yeah we will! What instrument do you play?
NateTheGreat555 1 year ago
@niknotnick09 So is PMEA district 7...are they that badly out of music that they're using the same for two orchestras? :)
mrtacointhebox 1 year ago
state orchestras and professional orchestras playing this...my district is playing this. whyyyy i think it may be a tad bit difficult for us.
p0ckypenguin 1 year ago
Pretty much the best symphonic piece ever.
Played it in the California All- State :D
Rhythm is super difficult on bass T.T
sprodje 1 year ago 2
@sprodje Oh yes, I can remember our basses having quite a bit of fun with the rhythms starting at 7:25 as well.
kindofdoon 1 year ago
@sprodje We played this in the Illinois Music Educator's Honor orchestra at All-State as well as Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, one of the best concerts I've ever had the pleasure of playing in!
Cllstnvlnst329 1 year ago
@sprodje just curious, how many symphonic works have you heard?
jfkopps 3 days ago
what orchestra is this?
greendiva31 1 year ago
@greendiva31 The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under Robert Spano.
kindofdoon 1 year ago 4
I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!! I have nothing more to say than this: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!
Vlessgorian 1 year ago
we met her today at BGSU where she went to school. I'm a freshman music composition major =]]
moviesmyway 1 year ago
Very nice orchestration and I loved some of the heart-achingly beautiful melodic lines. To my ear, the piece sounded a little rushed so I would have liked some more space to allow the listener time to soak in the moment or even a few moments of silence to give the listener rest. I also felt that there was too much material introduced so some material was not developed enough (from my listening of it) and other materials seemed superfluous. Overall, very beautiful.
s1gustaf 1 year ago
Disappointing that the ending is cut off where the orchestra rubs the rims of wine glasses for the last hints of sound.
lwhouse3 1 year ago
what orchestra is this?
nyctrpt12 1 year ago
AWESOME music! Thanks so much for sharing.
emilygclarinet 1 year ago
aw this is so prettyy ! :)
ivoryzebra88 1 year ago
We just performed this for a second time
I love this piece very much
bogs714 1 year ago
Excellent.
InkRaven 2 years ago 2