David Loebel conducts the New England Conservatory Symphony in a performance of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances. Recorded live in Jordan Hall November 13, 2013 by Jeremy Sarna

Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances-Andante con moto  Tempo di valse

I'm away from the piano at the moment, so I thought I'd share this with everybody...

Compositional sketch for a modern Pastoral Appassionata String Quintet.  Primary composition sometime in November 2013.  Work in progress.

Somebody asked if this is a "sad" song.  Here is my answer:

It is not a "human emotion" song.   It is more a divine/nature/universe  song.  It does not have human emotions like happy/sad.  It has only what is.  It has only pure beauty. Like a waterfall.  Or a mountain.  Or a star. A waterfall is not sad.  Or happy.  It only is. It is simply pure beauty.

Pastoral = of or referring to nature or the creator

Appassionata = with passion  (but in this case, it is not passion like between a man and woman.  it is more passion of the creator for his creation or created for his creator.)

It is more of a spiritual music.  This is what I will do more of later in life. Like these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_minimalism

I aspire to follow in their footsteps one day.

Somebody asked about the plug-ins used:

Solo Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin 1, & Violin 2 from NI Kontact (standard set from Komplete) for this sketch.  Sometime later I will ideally record the real thing... (Or at least use more advanced string libraries.) 6 Instances of 2CAudio Breeze (which I am the developer of) are used here to make the Kontact Strings sound reasonably good. 

http://2caudio.com/products/breeze

The strings samples themselves are not that good.  The reverb is!  :)  That's the trick here.



Many new solo piano compositions to share with you all soon!  Happy New Year!

Andrew Souter -- Pastoral Appassionata For String Quintet (Sketch)

David Loebel conducts the New England Conservatory Philharmonia in a performance of Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony no 3 in A minor. Recorded live in Jordan Hall December 4, 2013 by Alex Hug.

Mendelssohn: Symphony no 3 in A minor- Adagio

Divertimento for Clarinet, Flute and Oboe - Malcolm Arnold (4th mvt)

Drama, scurrying strings, anticipation, dark mysterious depths.  A mosaic of sound and texture. 
Fragmentum. For orchestra. From Symphony of Mosaics.

© P. McAleer 2025 all music contained in Fragmentum for orchestra.
© P. McAleer 4th October 2025 this upload.

Watch the video on YouTube https://youtube.com/shorts/DZGAJXRBKqY?feature=share

FRAGMENTUM - October 4th 2025 Update

Franz Clement (1780-1842)
World premiere recording

Franz Clement Violin Concerto in D major - II. Adagio

Weiss - Sonata in F major - Courante

Tamara Brooks conducts the New England Conservatory Chorus and Orchestra in a performance of Verdi's Requiem that The Boston Globe called "an unusually searching, indeed, sublime, spiritual experience." Recorded live March 5, 1992 in NEC's Jordan Hall, Boston.
For more information: http://necmusic.edu/tamara-brooks-1941-2012

Giuseppe Verdi - Messa di Requiem- Sanctus

An Irish Tale - Clarinet Concerto

Everything Is Connected: Explore the music of CLOUD ATLAS - In Theaters October 26 
http://bit.ly/Tyd7BS

From:  Cloud Atlas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

An Irish Tale - Clarinet Concerto

ComposerDude