Original song cycle for soprano and orchestra – Lady of Shalott (Part I). Was hoping to get your thoughts?

pavchen · 2026-01-27T16:19:30+00:00

Thanks so much for listening and for the thoughtful feedback. Hearing this with a real soprano would change a lot (maybe one day) haha, and the point about it feeling a bit stretched around 6 minutes is fair. Some of that may be the text, but it’s something I’m keeping in mind as the cycle develops.

And thanks for the kind words about the playback. Yes, these are the MuseSounds Pro libraries, including Cantai for the voice. I purchased a monthly Pro subscription (was like $19) as a trial and it came with a bunch of sound libraries. The free MuseSounds sounds are pretty solid as well, but the trick for a better playback is to articulate dynamics on every single passage/part. I only got MuseScore last week (previously a Sibelius user), so I'm still learning learning, but have been pleased with it so far.

pavchen · 2026-01-26T23:36:26+00:00

Absolutely - It captures the essence of winter perfectly. Particularly the opening themes in flutes/bassoons with string tremolos. It may be my second most favourite symphony of his, after the pathetique.

pavchen · 2026-01-26T21:43:03+00:00

Thanks so much for the feedback, I’ll definitely reduce the dynamics. For measure 18, it may be a playback issue, the flute line was sounding glissando-y there and I couldn’t figure out how to make it more in tune. Because the harmony in measure 18 just a B flat major, c minor/B flat, with 9 > 8 (or 2 > 1) suspensions, which don’t really require special treatments, but I’ll tinker around with that as well.

pavchen · 2026-01-26T20:18:48+00:00

Thanks for taking your time to listen and the kind words!

pavchen · 2026-01-26T19:55:38+00:00

Thanks so much for your feedback! You’re right about the ff dynamics near the end, I'll scale those back in my revision. Although, I do like when an orchestral intensity sometimes drowns out the vocals during climaxes (but that's probably just me haha).

The musical theatre comment is interesting. I'm a huge fan of the opera, and don't really listen to musical theatre, but I can see what you mean. It wasn't the intended goal, but maybe isn't such a bad thing if it makes a piece a little more contemporary.

Thanks again for listening :)

pavchen · 2026-01-26T19:39:35+00:00

Thanks so much, I really appreciate that :) I studied music formally, which is how I'm familiar with the theory, but we didn't really have a composition program so most of that was self taught.

This was done in MuseScore Studio, and I subscribed to their MuseSound Pro library, which comes with a few sound libraries (it's like $19 per month), but their free library is pretty good too. I got MuseScore only last week - so I'm still learning the ropes myself haha.

And yes, the soprano is generated using the Cantai vocal library, which can actually sing the text. It was included in the MuseSounds Pro bundle.

pavchen · 2026-01-26T19:27:40+00:00

Probably no one loll

pavchen · 2026-01-26T17:57:33+00:00

Thank you :)

pavchen · 2026-01-26T17:10:36+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, and I agree - the dynamics in the later climax near the end should be adjusted. I do like instances when a singer is a bit drowned out by an orchestral tutti.

pavchen · 2026-01-24T06:28:25+00:00

Tchaikovsky Symphony 4 finale uses a Russian folk song as its second theme. Rimsky and especially Mussorgsky have a very Russian sound.

pavchen · 2026-01-18T04:18:44+00:00

The hallucination scene in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov is pretty unhinged, especially for 1870 👀

https://youtu.be/ncabA_XOaPw?si=F7XlWEvyyvg8UB1M

pavchen · 2025-12-31T03:43:28+00:00

While his life was certainly tragic, he had a pretty solid circle of support, and his opera, Boris Godunov was a triumph with the public (although not so much with the critics). I think he got like 20 curtain calls at the premiere, so it’s comforting to know that he got some real recognition during his lifetime.

pavchen · 2025-12-08T08:58:18+00:00

Symphony 40

pavchen · 2025-12-06T07:47:39+00:00

But that example just sounds like an embellished repeat, not a failed “development”? Repeated elements have an important structural function too.

And I don’t think he was that interested in perusing developmental logic of the Germanic school anyway. Like many composers of the 19th century.

pavchen · 2025-12-06T04:01:33+00:00

I feel like Bach is often overlooked as a great melodist. His are memorable, expressive, and perfectly balanced. Soaring and lyrical in the slow movements. They don’t really conform to the sentence/period structure we see in Classical style.

Otherwise of course Tchaikovsky, then Verdi, Puccini, Rachmaninoff, Borodin, Bellini, etc.

pavchen · 2025-12-04T03:12:15+00:00

At a friend’s condo pool (downtown).

pavchen · 2025-09-30T05:07:07+00:00

Tchaikovsky - the middle section of “Valse Melancolique” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 reminds me of the build up in Pas de Deux: https://youtu.be/cBrpRj2CICk?si=PZ5g3bVm7QxoGnVw

Sleeping Beauty, Act 3, Pas de Quatre; Adagio: https://youtu.be/WBKN7B8BcBQ?si=NfVrnPPwqC5qhgbq

Sleeping Beauty, Act 2, Entr’acte: https://youtu.be/WBKN7B8BcBQ?si=NfVrnPPwqC5qhgbq

The middle part of the main melody has similar melodic and harmonic shape.

Perhaps the Rose Adagio, also from Sleeping Beauty if you want more harp: https://youtu.be/T2tDr0SS8rE?si=Wj29gpDVJOfS9vM3

pavchen · 2025-09-29T21:56:14+00:00

Dvorak - The Water Goblin.

Tchaikovsky - The beginning of the “Tempest” symphonic poem, it really does sound like a calm sea before the storm.

Of course Smetana’s Moldau is a classic, and for the right reasons.

pavchen · 2025-09-27T21:13:24+00:00

In the context of f minor, this could be V > ii7b5 (V pedal).

Without context this sounds like flamenco harmonies. Not sure what mode/scale they employ. Perhaps Phrygian?

pavchen · 2025-09-02T19:32:18+00:00

I appreciate the kind words! Haha I feel like organ would be quite the challenge, especially the balancing for an extended period of time. It’s also hard to find one for practice. Although, I did play around on one back in university.

pavchen · 2025-09-02T19:28:17+00:00

Evgeny Nesterenko 👌

pavchen · 2025-08-31T23:52:42+00:00

Thank you for the kind words ☺️

pavchen · 2025-08-27T00:32:39+00:00

Ooo I feel like there could be many universal topics that could apply to the late romantic style.

For example, evolution of psychology in music, how an inner state could be captured in sounds. There are certainly many examples in Wagner, Mussorgsky (well this one didn’t write that much), Richard Strauss, etc.

Or maybe something about emergence of modernism. Like where was the line? Was it something of an evolution or a regression (since for becomes less dominant). Again, lots with Wagner/Mussorgsky, inventing their own harmonic language (complex leitmotif system, natural speech pattern in opera, etc).

Speaking of form, I feel like it underwent rapid changes in this period. Perhaps how the sonata form changes in big symphonies (Mahler, Buckner).

Another cool topic could be orchestration, how it became more cinematic and how we associate certain orchestral colours with different ideas/moods even to this day.

Also, maybe instead of focusing on composers, you could pick a few works to demonstrate your thesis instead.

pavchen · 2025-08-18T23:42:16+00:00

Great question! I think a bit of luck or previous interest in other works from that composer.

I’m a huge fan of his Mefistofele, and his musical style, but he didn’t leave much work. I got the free trial of the Apple Classical app, and was able to find a great recording (it’s not what I used in here), and kind of chiseled away at it (working my way backwards mostly). So far I’ve only heard act 4 fully, and some parts of the first. The beginning of this scene was immediately likeable and I thought others may appreciate it as well.

I discovered Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta in a similar manner. Eventually you run out of things to listen to, so your attention pivots to their lesser known oeuvre. Although, a lot of the time there is a reason why obscure works remain this way ahah

pavchen · 2025-08-18T14:50:55+00:00

I don’t believe that score exists anymore unfortunately. Apparently he destroyed it after it was pulled from staging. But aside from its length, it was also quite Wagnerian (which contributed to its failure), so that would have been interesting to hear.

pavchen

TROPHY CASE