Before Thunder (revised)

Quartet for Four Horns:
Fixed some spots I wasn't happy with.

Recent comments:


@ALRminimalistmusic
9 hours ago
Absolutely amazing and fascinating dark music ! An extremely original work of great beauty. I've listened a lot to the compositions in quarter tone of Charles Ives, Tristan Murail, and Aloïs Haba. Once you've trained your ear, it becomes very addictive. Thank you John, for these always surprising discoveries.


@marccaroul4123
1 day ago (edited)
John, this is a very intriguing concept you have here. Music seems to "grow organically". A quartet of just horns may sound like it should have very limiting possibilities in principle, but you managed to cover a lot of expressive ground here. One thing I would like to commend you for is how much your recordings are improving. The opening especially gave me the chills and sounded like real players. Also your legato transitions are very expressive and convincing. You took a risk with a less formal structure but somehow it's very compelling. I'm going to have to listen some more but this is my impression upon 1st listening. Your choice of artwork is very good too it works very well with the music. I like it. Some shocking microtonal distances for sure, also some very noble and hypnotic passages. Your imagination never ceases to amaze me, well done.


@FranzKaernBiederstedt
1 day ago
Dear John, what a sublime beauty of a piece! Fascinating harmonies! And such a delicate ensemble with the four horns! You're getting really inventive and creative with the microtonal experiments, lately! I have to admit, though, that I'm not quite sure if the microtonal colors work better in a tonal or in an atonal context. There are some passages that are quite traditionally tonal, even functional, but with microtonal aberrations. I struggle a bit to perceive these as a means to increase tonal/functional harmonic tensions and tendencies. In these contexts the microtonal colors seem to be more or less bad intonation to me, whereas I really enjoy the microtonal chords in the contexts that are less traditional, even rather atonal. I welcome these colors more when used to create new chord types and excitingly unfamiliar sonorities rather than their application as extensions in traditional more or less triadic harmonies. Of corse, that's just my five cents.


@robinhighcock8532
1 day ago
Great brass writing John, a beautifully paced piece.


@JeanJacquesCoetzee
1 day ago
Brooding, dark clouds with palpable tension - very well done.


@jeffreyhartmannmusic
1 day ago
Quite the listen John!,, Dramatic and with great contrast which is so effective!,, a treat and thanks for sharing…. Applause…jeff



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