When the grief is deep and the pain unbearable, you must let it happen and honor this feeling. I try to convey this atmosphere by setting it to orchestral music.

Continuous eighth-note movements, sometimes driven by the violins, then by violas, cellos or contrabassi, drag the pain through the entire music piece, which ultimately ends in quiet peace .

Lamento For Strings

Welcome to the final part of this very personal and emotional 4-Movement-Symphony !

An orchestral work about "HOME" is a great undertaking, with high expectations, which one actually almost has to fail at.
Therefore, I embark on a personal journey of thought and try to paint musical pictures with four movements from different viewpoints.

The first movement, introduced by a pathetic orchestral forte meanders - moves across stylistic zones, sometimes on the borderline of classical tonality, sometimes loud and self-confident, then desperate, often romantic and peaceful from scene to scene.
Fugue-like quotations are juxtaposed with post-romantic sequences. Film music-like moments duel with almost classical reminiscences.
This movement represents the restless quest that touches on many things but finishes very few. The last tones fade away with a romantic, allusive love scene and gentle slumber.

The second movement is marked by illness and melancholy. As it has happened many times in my musical endeavors, life sets strong impulses and overturns my original plans. 
It turned from a movement that was originally intended for love, to a fantasy about fever dreams and fear, caused by my sudden sickness. So this movement was getting quasi a setting about Corona.
Fever dreams, fears for my loved ones, weakness and deep griefs and heaviness weigh down the sounds. The situation seems hopeless.
Several times my beloved tries to lighten the state of mind - orchestrated by the English horn. These are the short moments when the music changes from minor to major for a few bars. The illness, however, remains dominant until this movement ends with a touch of hope.

The third movement dabbles in joie de vivre. A 6/8 time signature in the corner sections and 3/4 time in the middle section suggest lightness. Nevertheless, the piece remains rather subdued and demonstrates that life brings many burdens with it. The expression: Home cannot be found through exuberant celebration.

The fourth movement initially alludes to several events in the preceding movements. To illness, to travel, to loss, to transient joys. 
As it progresses, it deals with the people who are truly meaningful, my children, my family, my darling.
The finish is a declaration of love for people. The music becomes more and more romantic and expresses the joy of life.

Home is not found in places or in moods. 
It is a gift: Home is where the heart finds peace and tranquility.

Symphony of Home

Symphony of Home: IV. Arrival

With this Orchestral Fantasy for Saxophone and Orchestra I want to take you on board of a desperate journey about desire and love.
Drawing from both the free-flowing improvisation of jazz and the attempt to express the elegance of classical music, the music sketches the vast emotional landscape of passion.
The song begins with a slow, sultry melody and over time increases the tempo, passion and intensity.

Whether you're a jazz aficionado, a classical music lover, or someone who simply appreciates ambient sound, this song may transport you into a world of passionate longing and desire.

Sound of Desire

The Sound Of Desire

Feel the sun, feel the gentle wind on your skin.
Taste the colors and the scent of summer. 
Resonate with the sound of nature.
Immerse yourself in a sensual world of joy, desire and peace.

Summer Vibrations - Fantasy for Bandoneon and Orchestra

"War does not determine who is right, only who is left" - Bertrand Russel.

This 4-movement orchestral work (Symphony No.3, Symphony of War and Peace) was my best teacher of how life and its twists conduct musical sensibilities and creation.

Originally, this Symphony was intended as a spring work in the year 2022. 
Inspired by the lovely stay in South Tyrol, warmed by the sun and energized by the beautiful surroundings, the first movement begins with joyful brass fanfares.

Sadly, already in the making of the first bars, the Russian War has broken out. Therefore the first movement is dominated by fear and anguish and stormy outbursts, which rebel again and again and collapse repeatedly right after.

The English Horn has a special role in this symphony. This time it symbolizes not romantic love, but the longing for peace and harmony.
Several times it joins the strings in a lovely hymn of praise to the pureness of life.

The second movement mourns the loss caused by the outbreak of war: the immense loss of confidence, security, and all the people expelled, silenced, or crushed by war.
The English Horn blows several times for hope, and the music always turns from minor to major as a result. The lonely violin sings its mournful tune to life.
All this is silenced in the finale. All is in despair.

The third movement ventures (in vain) into lightness. Set in a relaxed 3/4 time, there are several touches of dance and celebration, but they never really flow due to repeated changes in the tempo and the harmony.
The movement ends, as the previous movement does, in melancholy. The supposed Waltz dissipates into lamenting the lost joy of life.

The fourth movement contrasts war and peace. Therefore, the music alternates several times between absolute tranquility and relaxation and to the eruption of violent musical phrases.
After a massive opening and a extended silent sequence, the war battles takes over - one by one - all the instruments. The music erupts literally into chaos. Killing any harmony and beauty. 
What remains is an abandoned set of deep string instruments.
After a reprise of the 4th movement opening, the flute sings a lonely peace melody. (I re-used this part in my Ode to Mother's Love: Your Love Beneath my Wings)
Gradually the other instruments join in, the woodwind, the strings, and finally the brass and the percussion. Together they sing the lovely melody of peace.
I did not want to end that Symphony about war with a loud fanfare. Therefore the strings quietly conclude the end of this symphony, as a last reminiscence of the peace motif. 
Thank you for listening !

Symphony of War and Peace - IV. War and Peace

Welcome to this small Flute Concerto in F-Major 
- 2nd Movement: Exuberant.
Dedicated to a flute playing friend in Austria.

Flute Concerto in F major

Flute Concerto in F major - 2. Excuberant

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra - 2. Exuberant

How to cope with a grave personal loss ?
This concert tells the stirring story.

First, you go through pain and despair. Then follows a rebellion and call for encouragement, repeatedly interrupted by flashbacks and sweet but painful memories.
In the finale, you accept the new reality and you move boldly to new horizons.

The 3rd movement "Keys for a Bold Restart" launches with a jaunty piano virtuoso. 
The orchestra jumps in lively and together the instruments swing happily through the action.
Twice the piece collapses, the horn sounding wistful memories.
Each time, the piano leads back to joy with the happy opening motif.
With a lot of momentum and swing, the concerto enters its conclusion. The piano is left with the last notes, alone.
Emblematic of the cycle of life, the piano ends with the same notes with which the concert began. In reverse order.

The message of the concert: people pass, life changes, changes direction, new things come. 
The past shapes us, but we look ahead.

Keys for New Horizons

Keys for New Horizons - 3. Bold Restart

Keys for New Horizons - 3. Keys for a Bold Restart

When the sun is fading, hiding behind the leaves, 
the nature loses its fresh strength,
all colorful beauty takes a last breath.
This is the magic of fall !

A Piano and Symphonic Orchestra set this to sound in G-major:
Starting with Melancholy, as the lonely piano introduces the farewell,
continuing with exuberant joy, as the leaves swirl through the autumn air one last time.
Cevouring Strings carry the autumn up, into the far distance.
Finally the fall gives space to winter, presented by brass instruments. Like fanfares, they blow their expectations into the wideness of space.
The music closes with a fierce repetition of the initial melody, 
all wishes and promises are now directed to the long cold winter.

Sound of Fall

Feel the gentle rays,
feel the powerful brilliance,
feel the warm energy,
feel the Sunshine !

A sensitive classical-style declaration of love to our sun !

Sunshine

Romantic Orchestra Fantasy about the German Christmas Carol "Zu Bethlehem geboren".

Zu Bethlehem geboren

Orchestral Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra about the main emotions of our life.
The first part contains an introduction and describes flavors of fear and anxiety.

Season of Mind

Fear

Season of Mind - 1. Fear

Orchestral Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra about the main emotions of our life.
The 3rd part deals with romance and love.

Season of Mind - 3. Love

Orchestral Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra about the main emotions of our life.
The 4th and final part concludes with a combination of all Joy, Fear, Love and a Viennese waltz.

Season of Mind - 4. Coda

This is a brief excerpt from my Symphony No.5, the Ascension Symphony.
This scenario describes a chase against inner fears.

The Chase: Excerpt#4 from Ascension Symphony

A scenario of deepest affection and prayer.
This is an extract from my next Ascension Symphony.

Affection: Excerpt#9 from Ascension Symphony

This segments a subtle metamorphosis from deep melancholy to an upstream part of joy. An excerpt from my Ascension Symphony.

Metamorphosis: Excerpt#7 from Ascension Symphony

This is an excerpt from the second movement of the Ascension Symphony.
A prayer and meditation. It ends with absolute peace and harmony.

Dreams: Excerpt#11 from Ascension Symphony

Ascension Symphony: An Orchestral Odyssey in 4 Movements.

The 1st movement "Path of Destiny" begins with marching melodies 
and proceeds with haunting harmonies, evoking the tangled paths and painful losses encountered along the way. 
With turbulent brass and strings and mournful melodies, 
the music navigates through the labyrinth of adversity, 
while the dreamy motifs symbolize the eternal hope that guides the traveler through the darkest of times.

The other 3 movements will be uploaded shortly.

Ascension Symphony - 1. Movement: Path of Destiny

Ascension Symphony: An Orchestral Odyssey in 4 Movements.
2. Movement: Celestial Dream

Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, the traveler finds solace in a moment of profound introspection and prayer. 
Tender and celestial strings intertwine, offering a heartfelt plea for guidance and divine intervention. 
In this tranquil oasis of serenity, the music reflects the profound power of faith and the unwavering resilience of the human spirit.

The other movements of the Symphony will be uploaded shortly.

Ascension Symphony

Celestial Dream

Ascension Symphony - 2. Movement : Celestial Dream

Ascension Symphony: An Orchestral Odyssey in 4 Movements.
3. Movement: Breezy Ballet

In this part, the music evolves into a frenzy of lite dance and jubilant celebration. 
Infectious rhythms and exuberant melodies sweep listeners into a whirlwind of joy and harmony, 
as the traveler embraces the vibrant tapestry of life and revels in the sheer exhilaration of existence. 
With every beat, the orchestra pulses with the energy of liberation and liberation, inviting all to join in the jubilant festivities.

Ascension Symphony - 3. Movement: Breezy Ballet

Ascension Symphony: An Orchestral Odyssey in 4 Movements.
4. Movement: Summit of Gratitude

After fighting through irritating rhythms, harmonies and emotions, episodes of romance and love,in a triumphant finale, the music soars to majestic heights of triumph and transformation. 
With resounding fanfares and triumphant melodies, the orchestra heralds the triumphant ascent of the traveler, who emerges from the crucible of adversity reborn and revitalized. 
Through the soaring crescendo, the Symphony culminates in a radiant blaze of glory, emphasizing the melody of love.

Ascension Symphony - 4. Movement: Summit of Gratitude

Gloomy Serenade

Fantasy for Bandoneon and Orchestra.

Feel the sun, feel the gentle wind on your skin.
Taste the colors and the scent of summer.
Resonate with the sound of nature.
Immerse yourself in a sensual world of joy, desire and peace.

1. Part of my composition "Summer Vibrations".

Summer Breeze

Fantasy for Bandoneon and Orchestra.

Feel the sun, feel the gentle wind on your skin.
Taste the colors and the scent of summer.
Resonate with the sound of nature.
Immerse yourself in a sensual world of joy, desire and peace.

This is the final part of the neo-classical composition for Bandoneon and Orchester: "Summer Vibrations".

Summer Dreams

From the stillness, a tentative whisper grows slowly into a powerful declaration for peace.
This is a segment from my "Symphony of War and Peace".

Echo of Peace

The city dreams, the city lives. 
The saxophone duels with the piano in a whisper of the city’s relentless pulse and its enduring spirit.
Every beat tells a story of passion, struggle and resilience.

A neo-classical jazzy composition for Piano, Saxophone and Orchestra.

Urban Call

Orchestral Fantasy.
Peace does not shout loudly. It is composed of many notes and small pieces of love.
Extract from my "Symphony of War and Peace".

Whisper of Peace

A love story about the beauty of nature,
a love declaration to the sea.

Seaside Serenade

Fantasy for Bandoneon and Orchestra.

Feel the sun, feel the gentle wind on your skin.
Taste the colors and the scent of summer.
Resonate with the sound of nature.
Immerse yourself in a sensual world of joy, desire and peace.

A part of the composition "Summer Vibrations".

Summer Promenade

A neoclassical testament to the value of retreat,
where silence gives birth to the most profound expressions,
contrapuncting the noise of our world.

The 2nd movement of my Symphony "Alive!" (Release 11-October-2024)

Composed in the silence, solitude and fears of the Pandemic Lockdown.

Sigh of Retreat

I am a passionate violinist and pianist.
My heart goes beyond strings and keys. 

In the quiet solitude of the Pandemic Lockdown, 
music blooming in mind, 
I started creating intricate compositions that speak the language of the heart. 

Capturing these ephemeral moments, transcribing them with devotion to notes and sound, sharing them here with you.

My music creations are a testament to the value of retreat, 
where silence gives birth to the most profound expressions, 
contrapuncting the noise of our world.

Thanks for your kind listening and honest commenting ;-),
Helmut

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