Hi Everybody
Here is a track I thought I’d like to share with you called “Pavane for a Dead Tsarina”. The choral sample on the track is from the cantata “Ivan the Terrible” by Sergei Prokofiev which is based on the music he wrote for Eisenstein’s film of the same name. It is performed by the Ambrosian Singers conducted by Ricardo Muti and released on EMI Classics.
I hope you find it interesting.

Pavane for a Dead Tsarina.mp3  (File Size: 6870KB - Downloads: 554)

lol consider me scared at first when you said you were fooling around with “Ivan the Terrible.”

But you did a simply stunning job with maintaining the feeling from the original piece to your arrangement.

Simple and beautiful, I loved it.  If at all possible, could you go into some detail about how you went from taking inspiration from that cantata to what you ended up writing? 

It sounds extremely well thought out and carefully planned.  Thanks again and awesome job.

Hi jbirdsreturn
Thanks for your kind comments on the Pavane. I’ve always loved the music Prokofiev wrote for the film “Ivan the Terrible” since seeing it on TV in the 70’s while a music student. I got a CD of the cantata and was able to sample the part from there.
I did the sample on Tuesday night so on Wednesday morning I worked out the key and harmonies of the original. I then worked out the harmony in 4 bar phrases writing a rough guide on manuscript then playing it into the sequencer. The string track in the first half is just a copy of the choir part transposed up an octave. I then dropped the choir and worked out the horn part again four bars at a time. Yamaha have always had great brass sounds but I think Shiny Brass on the XS is the best ever since it works well over the whole keyboard. I got the idea for the brass harmony on Wednesday evening and also did the oboe obligato. This morning I did the string/choir/trumpets/timpani section based on the brass harmony. The bell was fortuitous, the Timpani voice also had a bell patch so it seemed a good idea in a piece meant for a funeral. I studied music to diploma level in the 70’s and did my qualification in composition so I do have some experience to fall back on.
Thanks again for your kind interest.

Yamaholic

i must sy i m impressed

it’s not an easy job to pull a classical orchestral stunt, for me that is LOL

but you came out with flying colors, really great arrangement of instruments.

you have made “ivan not so terrible”

cheers

Sombre, but beautiful.