Orchestral Compositions from 2020- 2023

Cells V is another piece in a series of compositions I am engaging with at the moment featuring the pitch class cell c c# e f# g g# and developing the temporal aspects of the music along lines suggested by golden section divisions (where the music developes according to fibonacci and lukas' series).
The focus of CELLS V is on creating a structure which brings together different textural blocks of music and allows them to develop their own momentum within the overall setting

CELLS V

This is a remix of Strange Vision using a different sound generating program with some additional edits. The effect of this rewrite is to greatly lighten the mood of the piece and to render the texture more transparent and making the music more positive and direct.

Strange Vision REMIX V 30 July 2021

Minor Key Ostinato 14 September 2021

Dialogues for Horn and Orchestra is an antiphonal piece for horns and orchestra with the two forces 
responding to each other in a slow and stately procession of musical figures until interrupted by a stormy disagreement. When the storm subsides as quickly as it began the statement and response structure resumes in reverse order.
The horn is heard sounding throughout the piece. It provides the melodic elements of the music that unify the antiphhonal structure.

Dialogues for Horn and Orchestra (eMastered May 30 2022)

"Song with Fanfare" is a short orchestral piece in song form which moves forward into a joyous fanfare ending.
It draws heavily on music of the Post-Romantic period

Song with Fanfare 10 November  2021

Minor Ninths: A study for Orchestra.

'Minor Ninths' is a piece which features the interval of the minor ninth in many guises. 

 As the music developes the intensity of the writing increases until it reaches a definitive climax

after which there is a gradual subsidence into a peaceful and meditative conclusion.

Minor Ninths: A Study for Orchestra 30 May 2022 (eMastered)Remix Noteperformer

On Approaching an Oasis during a Storm

This piece explores my emotional response to climate change, something which is very much part of the historical moment of the world into which I was born.
The music is dissonant, the harmonies all being derived from the chord of the augmented eleventh familiar to many as a jazz chord also used in blues. The modification of an idea at the end of a fast rising octaphonic scale, inverting its first appearance (descending), is intended to convey the important message of spirited hope coming from practical activists such as Greta Tunberg who work to alter the balance of power between institutional inertia and ecological necessity.

I am dedicating this piece to her and to all fellow climate change activists both old and young.

Production and mastering by John Cafarella. This track uses the East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Library.

Cafarella

On Approaching an Oasis During a Storm(Revised 30 December 2022)

My 'Adagio for Expanded Chamber Orchestra' draws heavily on the music of the late romantic composers Bruckner Wagner and Mahler but does its (acknowledged)borrowing in a uniquely improvisational and individualistic style style for which I make no apology.
The music in this piece is sometimes dramatic, and as the piece unfolds, its structure in terms of the golden section durations it employs become evident and I hope pleasing to the listener
This track was mastered by John Cafarella.

Adagio For Orchestra An Exercise in Late-Romantic Harmony (Remix 24 February 2023)

Fantasy in three Movements for small Orchestra

This suite of pieces holds to the fast-slow-fast traditional pattern of the Classical period .

The three movements are: 

Allegro Vivace in 4/4

Slowly in 5/4

Andante Con Moto in 6/8

The indivual movements will be published separately to Soundcloud.

I used sound cloud mastering service on the three movements separately 

as the duration of the suite is eleven minutes, longer than the

ten minute upper limit for Soundcloud mastering.

Tripartite Fantasy

This is a variation of a sort on a musical fragment which appears in the theme  music for the TV series 'All Creatures great and Small' and also in  the first movement of my Tripartite Fantasy and is  constructed as a free flowing set of improvisations on a simple basic idea This simple idea is treated in a linear polyphonic way resulting in a texture which moves between consonant and dissonant harmony ending on a C major chord.
N.B. A similar musical idea treated in a much different way also appears in the first movenent of my Tripartite Faantasy posted here: https://soundcloud.com/julian-cafarella/allegro-vivace-for-chamber-orchestra
This version was mastered by John Cafarella

Dr M : Sort of a TV Theme (Revised 17 March 2023)

This track is a new revision of my Dance Sketch originally posted on 1 July 2022. 

Dance Sketch is an upbeat downtown piece in a rather conservative tonal style

which exhibits a certain amount of fizz and sparkle whilst staying

strictly within the confines of common time.

The track is mastered by the Soundcloud mastering service.

Dance Sketch revision 12 december 2023

Four preludes ranging over the instruments of a Large Concert Orchestra,
1 C major for two pianos
2 in D major for large wind ensemble
3 in A minor: a canon for Horn and Flute 
4 in C major/minorfor full band of orchestra

These are essentially improvisations for sampled instruments carried out in a music notation program.
This track has been mastered by emastered online mastering service.

4 Preludes for expanded Chamber Orchestra (Revised 12 June 2023)

A short bright and dynamic piece for Chamber Orchestra composed in 

june 2021 and revised in June 2023.

Symphonic Invention

Symphonic Invention Revised 1 June 2023

Journey out of Darkness into the Light. 
This is a revision (of a Novenber 2022 revision) of a piece first uploaded in February 2022.
This track has been mastered by eMastered online mastering service.

Journey out of Darkness (revised 10 June 2023)

In this piece outbursts in the brass instruments occur with inreasing frequency disturbing the more settled song like textures at the beginning of the piece and set in motion a dramatic unfolding process in which calm and moderate feeling is more and more displaced by an angry and unsettled mood.
 As the piece progresses this unfolding takes on the shape of a  rondo-like development.
Chords formed from superimposed  triads in related keys play a large part in the harmony in this track.
This version was mastered byJohn Cafarella

At a Gentle Walking pace but with Gathering Momentum (Revised 12 July 2023)

A new remix of my track using a fresh set of sampled orchestral sounds and subjected to further editing of the score.
With many thanks to John Cafarella who has done the mastering for this track.

Andante-Allegro

At a gentle Walking Pace with Gathering Momentum Remix July 29

Solo in a contemporary style for Trombone encompassing a riddle.
(N.B.My attention has been drawn to the fact that this piece may not be playable at this tempo by a real trombonist in which case I would advise a slower tempo e.g. 105-110bpm insteadof 120bpm)

The Pilgrims Walrus for Solo Trombone: A Nominal Riddle (Revised 4 December 2023 Tempo110bpm)

This is a fairly complete revision of the original upload of August 2022. It is a jubilant piece that needs to be taken in its own terms. The musical vocabulary in this piece is very conservative and it obeys conventional structural norms. This version was mixed down using Noteperformer Sample library interacting with Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition and is being subjected to ongoing revision.
This track is mastered by John Cafarella.

Night of Golden Stars NotePerformer version (2 October 2023)

A suite of four movements for Small Orchestra and Percussion compiled from revisions of earlier uploads: 1: Ostinato (March 2020)
                                               2: Adagio   (April 2022)
                                               3: Allegro   (May 2022)
                                               4: Epilogue (October 2023)
Suite for Small Orchestra and Percusson was mastered by John Cafarella

Suite For Small Orchestra And Percussion (Remix 12 November 2023)

Andante Tremolando et Cantabile is a song like prelude featuring tremolo effects in the string section.
This piece uses the Native Instruments sampler Kontact with the notation softare Sibelius.
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Orchestral Compositions from 2020- 2023

Julian Cafarella Composer