COMPOSITION

SCORE

COMMENTS

CLASSICAL & ORCH.

N.C.F. Theme

7.60

Themes and melodies: 8.0; Orchestration and harmonies:8.5; Development: 7.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 8.0; Originality: 6.5

Camelot 2

8.60

Better points: the chords, harmonies and also instrumentation. Worst points: the themes are not very original and I think don't fit well with the description of the composition, which should be more cinematic, but follows an antique style of composition. Themes and melodies: 8.0; Orchestration and harmonies:9.5; Development: 9.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0; Originality: 7.5. Maybe it would be better to apply more contrast, difference and change of instruments in some sections, to "color" the music.

7.00

It has some good themes. But I think they should be more developed instead of just repeat them without, at least, some good variation.

Piano Concert 1 in C, mov 1

7.00

Unstable, with highs and lows. Empty passages mixed with VERY good piano passages. Best points: the piano passages. Worst points: the orchestration and the flow of the themes. 10 for the piano passages. 5 for the orchestration. The author has excelent ideas, but which will demand a lot of work. Is there something of Brahms here... or I am nuts? Very interesting... because Brahms ideas are very demanding and difficult to orchestrate.

My Clair de Lune

7.00

Because this is not a contest for midi performance, I don't know how to evaluate this one. It is unfair to compare such masterpiece with others, whithout taking in account it is not original. The arrangement? Well, such copies of masterpieces I always say the same: it is a beautiful colored picture which was painted in black and white. Ehehe.... interesting sound effect of the hand in the ... I don''t know the name in english. But this doesn't count to the score. 10 to the noises!! :-)

My La Malaguena

7.00

See above.

Menace

5.00

It is underdeveloped. Just an idea. You will have to work hard yet.

2nd Movement

7.00

It has na antique feeling (the themes and melodies), but mixed with modern instrumentation, what confuses things. Sometimes it remembers a movie theme, others it remembers a baroque composition.

Mechanoscape

8.50

I don't see any reason to insert such percussion ONLY based section in the middle. Cinematic doesn't mean necessarely a composition without cohesion. My feeling is that I am listening just sound effects segments joined, although the result sound is very pleasent.

Symphony 1, mov 4

9.00

Mozart strikes again!! Incredible how similar is, not to say it is equal. Everything is perfect. The only weakness is that it is not original (or better, in a sense it is, in other sense it isn't...). Hard to score, I don't know how to evaluate such composition when comparing with others more original in the contest. Oh my God, HELP!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, there is a way. Themes: 10; Orchestration and harmony: 10; Development: 10; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0; Originality: 6.0. Result = 45/5 = 9.0. Tricky?

Sometimes I Dance

8.80

Beautiful using Merlin sound font (because of the violin). Now let's play... Themes: 9.0; Orchestration and harmonies: 8.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.5; Originality: 9.5. Result = 44/5 = 8.8

Christus Cterben

8.60

Themes: 8.5; Orchestration and harmonies: 9.5; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0; Originality: 8.0. Result = 8.6. Notice the end was sudden.

Cello & Strings

9.80

Themes and melodies: 10.0; Orchestration: 9.0; Harmonies: 10.0; Development: 10.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 10.0; Originality: 10.0. Really beautiful. It needs a bit more orchestration.

April

5.60

Themes and melodies: 5.0; Orchestration and harmonies: 3.0; Development: 6.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 6.0; Originality: 8.0. Result = 5.6

The Spanish Sowcase Festival

8.70

The travels of Mozart in Spain, should be the title. The music flows in and out, oscillating between a Spanish feeling and Mozart nightmares... Without defining its own personality. Themes and melodies: 9.5; Orchestration and harmonies: 10.0; Development: 8; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0; Originality: 7.0.

March, Elegy and Victory

8.60

Mev.mid... Hard to find it with such name. Themes and melodies: 9.0; Orchestration and harmonies: 10.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0 (too much brass instruments); Originality: 7.0. Huh? A sudden change with percussion at about 8:30 to different style and then returning to the main theme which didn't fit.

Speedy

8.60

Themes and melodies: 8.5; Orchestration and harmonies: 8.5; Development: 7.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.5; Originality: 9.5.

Concerto Italiano

8.00

Themes and melodies: 8.5; Orchestration and harmonies: 9.0; Development: 9.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0; Originality: 4.5.

Themes of an Angry Specter

8.90

Themes and melodies: 9.5; Orchestration and harmonies: 8.5; Development: 7.5; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0; Originality: 10.0.

A Journey in the Flying Machine

8.90

Themes and melodies: 8.5; Orchestration and harmonies:10.0; Development: 9.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 8.5; Originality: 8.5. It is too much cinematic for my taste. It flows (or jumps?) from one scene to other, in detriment of a better coherence as we find in classical style music. Although acceptable for a movie, it is like a lot of pieces collected. Even in movies, the composers usually build a version for CD recording (and selling) which is not so much segmented as this one and where the sections are more consistent.

Piano Sonata mov 3

9.10

Themes and melodies: 9.5; Orchestration and harmonies:7.0 (only piano loses points, because it is not so demanding); Development: 10.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0; Originality: 10.0. Excellent contrasts.

String Quartet, mov 4

8.00

Themes and melodies: 10.0; Orchestration and harmonies:7.0 (only piano? Loses points because it is not so demanding); Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 9.0; Originality: 6.0. Why a string quartet in the name, if there is only piano? There are soundfonts with good enough strings, cello and violin, as Merlin ones I am using now to listen most submissions. This music played by piano lacks something important, it doesn't fit. In addition, the chords around bars 17-21 (I changed bar 21 to try and it sounded very better!) seems to be wrong sometimes. Also, there are notes which are silent (velocity=1 in the staff, they don't play...).

NON ORCHESTRAL

I Don't Care

5.00

Themes and melodies: 6.0; Orchestration and harmonies:5.0; Development: 5.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 4.0; Originality: 5.0

Where You Came From

5.00

Themes and melodies: 5.0; Orchestration and harmonies:6.0; Development: 5.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 4.0; Originality: 5.0.

5AM2

6.90

Themes and melodies: 8.5; Orchestration and harmonies:5.0; Development: 7.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 7.0; Originality: 7.0.

To Morrow Too

7.00

Themes and melodies: 7.0; Orchestration and harmonies:8.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 5.0; Originality: 7.0.

Time Passes By

5.40

Themes and melodies: 7.0; Orchestration and harmonies:6.0; Development: 5.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 4.0; Originality: 5.0.

Message From The Venus

7.80

Themes and melodies: 9.0; Orchestration and harmonies:7.0; Development: 7.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 8.0; Originality: 8.0.

Rain Dancing

8.10

Themes and melodies: 7.0; Orchestration and harmonies:8.0; Development: 9.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 7.5; Originality: 9.0.

Waltz Theme

7.00

Themes and melodies: 6.0; Orchestration and harmonies:8.0; Development: 8.5; Overall beauty (my taste): 7.0; Originality: 5.5.

Musical Happiness

6.10

Music for lunch... Themes and melodies: 7.0; Orchestration and harmonies:6.0; Development: 5.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 4.0; Originality: 5.0.

Just The Way You Are

6.00

BB built composition? Themes and melodies: 6.0; Orchestration and harmonies:8.5; Development: 7.5; Overall beauty (my taste): 5.0; Originality: 3.0.

Solitude

6.50

Themes and melodies: 5.0; Orchestration and harmonies:6.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 5.0; Originality: 8.5.

Hungarian Girl

6.00

Themes and melodies: 6.0; Orchestration and harmonies:6.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 5.0; Originality: 5.0.

MIXED & UNKNOWN

Walk in the Park

6.80

Themes and melodies: 5.0; Orchestration and harmonies:7.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 5.0; Originality: 9.0.

Did I Pass You By

6.00

Themes and melodies: 5.0; Orchestration and harmonies:4.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 4.0; Originality: 9.0.

April Tango

8.20

Themes and melodies: 10.0; Orchestration and harmonies:8.0; Development: 7.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 8.0; Originality: 8.0

Percussin and Swearin

6.80

Sound effects or music? The dilemma... And also my drama to score such composition. Well, who is in the rain get wet, so. ... Themes and melodies: 5.0; Orchestration and harmonies:8.0; Development: 5.0 (repetitive accompaniments do not help); Overall beauty (my taste): 6.0; Originality: 10.0

Tuna Salad

7.60

Initially, I thought this would be the above in reverse order .... :-) But I think this is better, more orchestrated although it suffers the sames weak points in my view: too much repetitive accompaniments and no melodies. Sudden end. The development is not good.

Little Tree

7.50

It has highs and lows, probably because of the cinematic nature too much segmented. The orchestration sometimes is "empty", underdeveloped. The themes and melodies are good, but the way they are used, repeating segments and then changing scene (the cinematic soul) lacks coherence. This music seems to be pictures at exposition, but the pictures are not well connected. Themes and melodies: 9.0; Orchestration and harmonies:9.5; Development: 4.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 7.0; Originality: 7.0.

Legend 22

7.20

Themes and melodies: 5.0; Orchestration and harmonies:7.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 6.0; Originality: 10.0

Progressive Divertimento

Very funny, specially the end and the mix with jazz (at the middle) and classical (at the end).

Eagle

7.40

Themes and melodies: 8.0; Orchestration and harmonies:6.0; Development: 8.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 7.0; Originality: 8.0

Great Wall

8.10

Themes and melodies: 9.0; Orchestration and harmonies: 9.0; Development: 6.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 8.0; Originality: 8.5. Very cinematic! But I think a so much cinematic composition prejudice development. The massive accompaniment repetitions should be changed once a while (!) and lowered the originality factor and also the overall appeal to me. Anyway, it has highs and lows, as the wonderful part where it reminds me Shark, the movie. Also, the effects achieved are amazing, but they keep repeating too much and after listening 2 or 3 times, it gets really annoying.

EXPERIMENTAL

Oleoneptric

7.20

Very funny. Themes and melodies: 9.0; Orchestration and harmonies:8.0; Development: 4.0 (so many repeated bars!!); Overall beauty (my taste): 6.0; Originality: 9.0

Theme 1

7.00

Themes and melodies: 8.0; Orchestration and harmonies:7.0; Development: 5.0; Overall beauty (my taste): 8.0; Originality: 7.0

Chopping up Freddie

8.80

My review in one word: sinister. Hum... Very interesting to imagine a nuts at 3 am under the light of a single candle playing in his old organ such wicked music. And the silence on the hill is broken by a sudden scream.... The orchestration could be better and the themes get more coherence sometimes.

TOTAL AVERAGE

7.40

Comments to all:

I used a method to review based on five items: Themes and melodies; Orchestration and harmonies (these two items can be separated in two items: Orchestration + Harmonies & chord progressions, as I did in the Cello & Strings composition above); Development; Overall beauty (my taste) and Originality. Notice I didn't use performance as criteria. I have to congratulate all participants, due the high quality of most compositions.