Two Resolutions

[RichardT]

Here's a link to mockups of my new work 'Two Resolutions'.

Does anybody have any experience about getting classical works played by real musicians? It's not something I've done before and I can imagine it's not an easy thing to achieve. Any advice would be very helpful!

https://soundcloud.com/samplehound/sets ... al_sharing

Two Resolutions is a work for choir and string orchestra about the COVID-19 pandemic. The Two Resolutions are life and death.

This is a mockup done in Dorico, using Noteperformer with BBCSO Core, Hollywood Choirs, and Spitfire solo strings.

'The Dark Forest' and 'See the Stars Again' are settings of words from Dante's Inferno.

'Litany in Time of Plague' is a setting of 3 verses of a poem by Thomas Nashe.

'Thanksgiving' is intended for audience members to be able to remember the lives of loved ones they have lost through words or poetry - the middle section is intended to be played as background for this.

[RichardT]

I've created a new playlist and deleted the old one because Soundcloud was chopping of the beginning of the tracks.

Here's the new one:

https://soundcloud.com/samplehound/sets ... al_sharing

If a mod is able to post the new link into the original post, I would be very grateful.

[zenguitar]

New link added to original post as requested

Andy

[RichardT]

New link added to original post as requested

Andy

Thanks very much Andy.

[amanise]

Richard that whole thing is just amazing. I'm totally gob smacked! I *really* hope you get to produce that, as you say, with a real orchestra and choir. If that doesn't happen for any reason, then there's just no justice, is all I can say. Thanks so much for sharing that with us.

[RichardT]

Richard that whole thing is just amazing. I'm totally gob smacked! I *really* hope you get to produce that, as you say, with a real orchestra and choir. If that doesn't happen for any reason, then there's just no justice, is all I can say. Thanks so much for sharing that with us.

Thanks Adrian!

[tea for two]

Does anybody have any experience about getting classical works played by real musicians? It's not something I've done before and I can imagine it's not an easy thing to achieve. Any advice would be very helpful!

For years I didn't realise there was a Self Promo foruume. Preehaps this would get more noticed in Recording: Gear & Techniques.

[Drew Stephenson]

Does anybody have any experience about getting classical works played by real musicians? It's not something I've done before and I can imagine it's not an easy thing to achieve. Any advice would be very helpful!

For years I didn't realise there was a Self Promo foruume. Preehaps this would get more noticed in Recording: Gear & Techniques.

Well, there's a reason the self-promo forum is separate and hived off - we don't want the whole place taken over by one-shot spammers.
But in this case Richard's core question would definitely fit the wider forum.

[Sam Spoons]

Here's a link to mockups of my new work 'Two Resolutions'.

Does anybody have any experience about getting classical works played by real musicians? It's not something I've done before and I can imagine it's not an easy thing to achieve. Any advice would be very helpful!

No firsthand experience but contacting amateur orchestras and possibly music colleges would be where I'd start.

[tea for two]

I phoned up Air Studios on your behalf Rich just to try to get a guide price for a day to record a String section and Choir they couldn't give a guide price as they rightly said there's variables.

Just hiring a Pro String section and Choir for a day could go into £thousands when I looked up a couple sites.

So I suppose somehow a 6th form or College or University String section and Choir recorded in their assembly hall I don't know how this would work how much renumeration would be involved.
Health and Safety. Legalities.
Or mebe local Church, recording in Church with those in Church that are in Choir play Strings. I've never done this so I'm guessing.
Recorded with help from SoS foruumees that have experience of recording such.

[RichardT]

You did, T42? That's very kind!

Even using Eastern European orchestras, we're talking at least £20,000 to record it professionally.
'Even' meaning they are cheaper, not that they are lower in quality.

I think you and Sam are right that the amateur route would be worth exploring.

[RichardT]

I’ve contacted some good amateur string orchestras and the Britten Ensemble, who play a lot of new works. Based on previous experience, my expectations are realistic!

[Dynamic Mike]

I listened to about half the tracks last night and was really impressed. I don't know anything about orchestral recordings so I can't offer any advice other than I think the process would make a fascinating forum thead, or even magazine article.

One thing that didn't occur to me until I'd finished listening is that the way it's been composed and created currently, is in itself, indicative of the experience of lockdown.

[RichardT]

Thanks very much Dynamic Mike.

Yes, it has been a Covid era process!

I agree it could make a good thread or article, depending on how I get on.

[adrian_k]

Just to say, really enjoying listening and thanks for sharing. Sincerely hope you get this played by a "real" (if we know what that means any more ) orchestra.

[RichardT]

Just to say, really enjoying listening and thanks for sharing. Sincerely hope you get this played by a "real" (if we know what that means any more ) orchestra.

Thanks Adrian!

[Folderol]

Listened to the first few tracks - very enjoyable, and it has a sort of 'authentic' strings type of sound, instead of the somewhat muddy sound you get from many synths.

[RichardT]

Listened to the first few tracks - very enjoyable, and it has a sort of 'authentic' strings type of sound, instead of the somewhat muddy sound you get from many synths.

Thanks Will, yes, playback of sampled strings is coming on by leaps and bounds at the moment.

[RichardT]

In case anyone is interested, here's a new version of 'Two Resolutions', my work about the pandemic.

I've spent the last month writing words to 3 of the pieces, fixing problems the music and setting up a new version of the playback software. To my ears, it's sounding much better.

It's finished now, apart from writing some more words, and getting a professional string player / conductor to review it.

Then comes the work to get someone to perform it, which may never happen!

https://soundcloud.com/samplehound/sets ... al_sharing

[amanise]

Sounds quite a bit richer to my ears on the gear I have here Rich.

Amazing stuff - I love the whole thing, and I really hope it ends up going where you want it to.

Excellent!

[RichardT]

Thanks Adrian - I've increased the reverb on the voices particularly to make the sound more even, and the new version of the software plays everything back more cleanly, smoothly and properly in time. I think that some of the richness comes from the software handling legato lines much better than before.

If no-one wants to play or record it for real (as it's a very long work by an unknown, the chances are really very low), I'm hoping that in a couple of years time the rendering software gets good enough that I can release it.

I could pay for someone to record it, but my thinking is that to do a better job than automatic rendering will do in a few years, I'd have to hire top-notch musicians and singers, a project manager, an administrator, a music librarian and a top-notch studio and I'd be looking at £20K-£50K. It's just not worth it, even if I had the money to spend on such a vanity project!

There is already some vocal software called Cantamus that reads in MusicXML and generates the sound of a choir singing it. It currently sounds uninteresting and artificial, but that's where sample playback was just a couple of years ago.

[amanise]

Less of a vanity project (that's what someone like me specialises in) and more labour of love by the sound of it. It needs some organisation like the BBC that has both the recording facilities and the orchestra already set up - and potential avenues for clawing back those costs, we even have a few ex aunty Beeb bods on here. It'd be interesting to see what they think, I reckon.

[RichardT]

Thanks, Adrian. I may submit Eyam to BBC Introducing and see if anything happens.

[Drew Stephenson]

This is sounding really good Richard, sorry I wasn't able to contribute in the end, but clearly you didn't it!

[RichardT]

Thanks Drew, no problem. I am working on the lyrics for three movements, and when they are done, it’s finished.

I’m waiting for feedback from a professional violinist and conductor on how I’ve written the score. Looking forward to that!