"Maurice Ravel" International Composition Competition - First Edition

Damn, if I had known sooner I would (maybe) have tried.

Listening to this piece brings back a bit of "hope" because it is the antithesis of the "sound" that is often (but without generalizing) chosen in composition competitions.

I don't know, I'm not very convinced; it might be because of the soprano, who has a vibrato that I don't like (I prefer those voices that execute the vibrato less quickly and are also able to increase and decrease its frequency gradually, even if only slightly; moreover, she didn't seem to intonate the notes very well and, since there is no text to sing, it had, in some ways, more "ease," but I don't feel comfortable being defined in this sense—it's not certain, because the pronunciation of some words could conversely prove to be simpler and less stressful for those performing them); regarding the reduced ensemble, these are the sensations I had upon a first listen.

The theme is not evil, but the moment when the soprano and cello perform the same notes doesn't work for me; the soprano could have interpreted another melody.

I've taken a general look, a very young reality and as such I hope it grows... given the funds they seem to have at their disposal.

There is also a second edition that seems interesting from several points of view; probably those who feel they can give more than the winners of the first edition (which was often deserted) cannot do anything better than participate.

Honestly, the proposed execution does not enthuse me, but the project I perceive seems ambitious to me... we shall see.

I participated in this competition, proposing a couple of older chamber pieces (already submitted for previous competitions) and a short "Orchestral Suite" written for the occasion (a real struggle, because I used a large orchestra). I didn't make it to the podium, but I received a certificate of participation with flattering feedback, which naturally pleased me. What can I say? In my opinion, this is further proof of how much judgment can be aleatory, and essentially tied to the tastes and expectations of the commission (everyone can see this in a positive or negative light...); as soon as I noticed the results, I tried to search online for some news about the winners, but I found very little. I deduced that they wanted to reward little-known composers, or at least those outside certain "modern" languages that often make music quite unlistenable. This piece by Malk, for example, is nice, but it's strange that in a 2015 competition a piece that refers back to an ancient style is awarded (I know a thing or two about that...). Therefore, the dilemma remains: how should we behave during a competition? Should we just be ourselves and not care about the judgment and the outcome of the competition? Or should we adapt our language by imagining what might please or displease the jury?

Ciao

Gino (from Rome)

Gino, can we also listen to your piece?

I am very curious.

In reality, there is a lot to listen to on the site regarding the competition winners... maybe they didn't do it right away, but as of now, it seems to me that there is a lot available.

For me, one should only be oneself; it is obvious that the members of a jury answer for themselves according to their own tastes.

Piccinesco wrote:

it is obvious that the members of a jury answer for themselves according to their own tastes.

Instead, in my opinion, it is quite the opposite. The members of a jury, who are typically always diverse in training and "aesthetic inclination," focus only on the technical aspects of a score (the grids provide for various parameters). You can even write in C major... but you must be credible.

I haven't heard Gino's piece now, but if a jury (composed of 5 members from different backgrounds, different training, and all esteemed musicians) has established that this piece is the best written... I really think the others were worse. This is why I urged everyone who thinks they can do better to participate... by "better" I don't mean according to one's own taste, but rather that they think they know how to write better. Sometimes it doesn't take much to ruin your chances in a competition; it is a minefield. It happens that at competitions no one is awarded, which occurs when no one reaches the minimum standard.

At home, we can do whatever we want, but if we accept the fact of exposing ourselves to the judgment of others (exams, competitions, artistic directors, etc.), then we must be ready to present nothing contestable. To reiterate, "nothing contestable" does not mean writing in C major! It's about how one writes in C major... perhaps we discover that others write better in C major. Without going far, it is enough to compare some pieces from the old composition workshops.

And then a lot of factors contribute, not to mention any additional costs resulting from the composer's "requests".

Frank, I agree but only in part, but what I meant and mean to say is that, for me, no one excluded, is independent of their own expectations and taste; it is like the unconscious: everyone can claim to mark their own life with rational and well-defined choices, but they cannot do so without the context and interaction with others (which, even in a minimal part, condition one's lived experience).

You speak of credibility and on this you can only find me in agreement; it is something (for me, but I don't think it's the only thing) that is extremely "strange" because it is objective yet at the same time not 100% definable; it works, or at least seems to work well enough, and that counts.

When I speak of taste, I don't mean two or three notes placed there and one of the jury members being enchanted; on the contrary, by taste I mean what a person expects in a certain sense (in addition to respecting certain aspects: musicality, form, development, functionality, and not least originality) from a composition; I don't believe that a member of a jury sets themselves aside to detach totally and choose based on parameters that do not take into account the most natural aspect.

The fact that I do not believe or do not want to believe it does not mean that this does not happen; surely it is the opposite, but it is not certain that this is what determines correctness and merit.

Marzapane wrote:

Gino, can we also listen to your track?

[...]

Marzapane, I replied to you in private.

Piccinesco, I think that in general the most "correct" word is convincing, which didn't come to me at the moment (I had used credible, but we're close)

Having said that

Piccinesco wrote:

I don't believe that a jury member sets themselves aside to detach completely and choose based on parameters that do not take into account the most natural aspect..

A professional must not allow themselves the luxury of rewarding their own tastes and going beyond a technical evaluation. A piece that we don't like can be written by God, and vice versa, a piece that we like can be written poorly. The issue is not in the judgment of a single piece; it is when you have to compare 100 of them and choose the one that is best written. In the scoring grids, "like/dislike" is not provided for. There are many other parameters that completely ignore the factor of personal taste.

Anyway, if someone very well-known likes to find their own... signs in the scores of others, they just need to avoid these competitions. For this reason, it is good to know who makes up a jury and to listen to the winning pieces from previous editions. Not so much to know which tastes are prevailing, but to understand the "expected" level (and avoid the usual suspects).

In this competition, I think that among the workshop participants there may be on average at least 3 or 4 people who can do better than the winner.

Clear.

Without compromising you (if you don't want to use names publicly, I would, since I have nothing to lose as I haven't even graduated), one of the surnames starts with C and ends with i, and the other (which I assume) starts with F and ends with e?

A friend of mine, a teacher/composer, told me years ago that she had been part of some juries in composition competitions, but decided to give it up precisely because of the influence of the "first" surname.

I don't know who you are referring to, but one between F and E is Fedele; the good pieces are those where his "calligraphy" is used... the one between C and I, who is it? The only name that comes to mind for me is Corghi, but I don't think it's him since he is of a completely different mold compared to Fedele. If he is on the commission and awards a piece, it usually doesn't happen because he uses his own marks. Besides, in a commission there are at least 3, at best 5 people. Therefore, one person alone can never truly decide 100%. My experiences tell me that usually the scores tend to be similar; it is rare for one member of the commission to say 10 and the others 6, or vice versa. It's played out in tenths; if one juror says 9.75, it's easy that the other says 9.65 or 9.85... etc.. Never large discrepancies.

Those are the ones I meant, but it is precisely Corghi who was presented to me as being too influential, at least that is what I remember.

They have just published the finalists of the second edition and there are several Italians.

In fact Gino, is it possible to listen to your track?

The list of winners is available

http://concorsocomposizione.weebly.com/risultati.html

Since some friends from the forum asked me for it, I have uploaded to Wetransfer the audio file of my piece submitted for the 2015 edition of the Ravel competition. Obviously, the quality is a bit approximate, as the file was created with Finale's SoftSinth (which, especially for certain timbres, is a bit crappy...)

The link is: https://we.tl/jMsntACPkz

Hi everyone!

Gino

Gino, I think it is a bit distant from the contexts typically required in competitions. Putting this aspect aside, I find a certain general pleasantness, but it did not particularly impress me as a piece.