JWFan Composers Our very own Marcus Paus kicks some ass..

[mrbellamy 6,286]

1 hour ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

A very fine piece!

 

And, an example of how to not be a Williams imitator.  Marcus' love for John is obvious in how fully he's absorbed what his music is about into his own psyche, not through the dutiful reproducing of various surface details and mannerisms that so many others are guilty of.

 

Yeah, I actually did feel that, starting at 1:38 in the Overture. It sounds very Williams-esque, but as a little splash of melodic color, not like a desperate "I gotta be the new John Williams!!!". It reminds me of how I can listen to, say, War Horse and recognize RVW while not feeling that the music is just doing that. John is a clear influence here, but Marcus captured that moment in his piece without feeling like he's going after a particular score. It's confident, feels like it comes from the heart. I might even say it's got the magic.

 

It feels like a pleasant and appropriate detour in its context, anyway, and then he has the good sense to musically let the piece go its way naturally off of it, colorful and interesting in its own right, and circle back to the idea. Other less apparent "Williamsy" colors pop up here and there in the other movements too, I suppose, but it's all carefully expressed within the overall piece. It's good music is what it sounds like. A pleasure to listen to. Wonderful, Marcus!

[Marcus 390]

Dear everyone,

 

Thank you so much for your generous, kind, heartwarming and inspiring comments! I'm so glad you like it!

 

The CD that was just released features even better sound quality, and of course no re-tuning of the timpani between the 1st and 2nd movements.

 

The CD, Bergen Philharmonic's "Opus 250" (celebrating the orchestra's 250th (!) season), is out on Lawo Classics, and is available from www.lawo.no (and probably from other online retailers as well).

 

Writing for a timpani protagonist was challenging, but certainly less so with such a fantastic soloist!

 

Will be working on both a clarinet concerto and a cello concerto in the coming months, the former relatively modest in scale, but the latter quite expansive and symphonic. But right now, I'm desperately behind schedule trying to finish a 45 minute solo organ piece. Even more difficult to write for than solo timpani...

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Get in touch if you need any input on writing for that grand old instrument. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Not bad. Though I personally prefer the compositions of Wael Binali when it comes to music from MB members.

[Marcus 390]

Greetings everyone! 

 

I just thought I'd share with you a video from a very recent premiere of "Love's Last Rites", a piece written for violinist Henning Kraggerud and the Arctic Chamber Orchestra. 

 

The piece was written to form part of an all new and newly commissioned program themed around Norse mythology, though my piece wasn't written to specifically address that. 

 

Rather, it became a deeply personal piece for me, and I'm incredibly grateful to be the recipient of what really is a rather spectacular first performance. 

 

Hope you'll enjoy! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Thor 7,497]

Nice piece, Marcus, thanks for sharing. Any reason why it evolved from being about Norse mythology to something more personal?

[Marcus 390]

Thank you, Thor! 

 

The myth I was assigned ended up strangely mirroring aspects of my own life, and as I became aware of this, the more "illustrative" aspects of the work seemed to fade, and a new, deeper kinship with the work took root. 

 

It's a typical case of Life imitating Art, but a rather rare example (in my catalog, at least) of affect and effect being one and the same. 

 

I don't usually write for consciously therapeutic, recreational or cathartic purposes, but in this particular case, I felt I was able to express something that might have otherwise remained inarticulate and unuttered. 

[karelm 2,913]

It's very beautiful, Marcus.  Congratulations.

[Marcus 390]

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it! I'm just in awe of Henning's beautiful tone and expressive playing...  He brings such depth and vulnerability to everything he plays; there's a human aspect to it that I just find very moving.

And his cantabile playing is simply sublime. Easily one of my favorite musicians working today!

[TownerFan 4,983]

Truly beautiful piece, Marcus. I love the overall tone, almost brooding and wistful, always very expressive.

 

Keep up writing and congrats!

[Marcus 390]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it! 

[Will 2,215]

@Marcus, I just listened to your Timpani Concerto today and was very impressed (mostly by the Overture). 

 

The very opening is really great. I love the enchanting magical figure at the beginning, first on keyboard and then with the strings. 

 

I also love that awesomely Williams-y brass bit at 1:29 (and its later winds appearance). 

 

The pastoral theme is also very nice. I like the brief chords at the end (as at 1:50 and 4:10), and then the little bridge (or whatever you'd call it) that follows. 

 

 

 

I believe I might have sub-conciously found 3:08 running through my head earlier as well. 

[justaguy 68]

5 hours ago, Will said:

@Marcus, I just listened to your Timpani Concerto today and was very impressed (mostly by the Overture). 

It's constantly on replay for 3 days in here. Great work indeed!

[NewBlueEyes 4]

We all know that he did great classical music and even the best film score of all by him. "Mortal". It's like a homage to some of the films of Bernard Herrmann that he did with Brian De Palma and Alfred Hitchcock. When you hear the quote of dies irae on the helicopter cue, it's almost like you are in a nightmare sequence from Vertigo. A lot of people in America would love to hear more of Marcus Paus in the future.