Length: 3:41

The listener gets introduced to the forest-theme by just pizzicato strings and a flute, but eventually other instruments join them to paint the forest's ambience with more colors. The mischievous fire-theme gets introduced after a rather abrupt, and possibly unexpected, change of mood.

The fire, which brings nothing more than death and destruction leads us to a rather sad toned part, ending in a climax where both elements of the forest-theme as well as the fire-theme are apparent. The piece concludes with a contrast of high strings playing 6 notes of a 'variation' on the forest-theme, while being supported by a monotonous brass party, blowing the final minor chord. It's not a happy ending, but I don't think the picture got one either. :(

By far the best melodist in the competition. The wind writing seems particularly idiomatic. I don’t understand why the work is called ‘Blisters’, though that doesn’t matter. Fires as mischief makers? Well, If you’d been in a fire you might think otherwise! The work is too short to make real impact or paint an appropriately fiery tone poem, but it shows considerable promise nonetheless. I particularly liked the melancholy mood which gave way to an increasing sense of threat toward the end of the piece. I would suggest the composer look at Prokofiev’s method of revising sketched melodies by putting memorable hooks in weak phrases.

By: wobbie

This was one of the last entries to be posted and it came as a great relief for me - here was someone who had understood the question asked and attempted to take the listener into the picture. There was an exciting beginning with a good build-up of tension and relaxation, and there was much variety in the orchestration mirroring the constantly-changing fire. I liked very much the use of the Chorale-type melody which sounded a bit like “Bist du bei mir” by Bach, which would have been very appropriate in a fire situation. The balance between the beginning, middle and ending was well handled. This was a piece which I could (listen to) again. I think it could be much better if it was expanded into a real tone poem, but in the time space used a lot was achieved.

By: Judge No. 1 (See Notes)

By: Judge No. 2

General

1. Complexity - There is so much within this song. Not too complex, nor too simple.
   

2. Instrumentation - The orchestra throughout the song was beautifully used. Not much else to say.
   

3. Composition - I loved the pizzicato strings. It helped give me the feeling of the forest. The melody was very efficient, while not giving off too much, (and) the harmonics really gave the way for the melody.
   

4. Initial Inspiration - This is where the the score may seem awkward.  I feel the song is a bit more mysterious, rather than dramatic. I feel the forest, as it has more mystery within those woods rather than chaos. I hear the chaos, but I do feel the arcane overplayed it, but it was nicely interpreted.
   
   

Specifics

1. Opening - Wonderful opening. Nicely done (as to) how it leads the way for the rest of the song
   

2. Middle - Great way to keep the listener interested. This song is composed very generously, giving the listener a true orchestral song.
   

3. Ending - The ending is very climactic. I felt the strength of the orchestra right here, and it will continue to be remembered within me.
   

I have high hopes for this song, and the composer. This is one song that gets me jealous. Good work!

From the composer of: Abysmal Flames

From the composer of: Affordable Wisdom

• (At 1:15-1:20) It ends with a detached note, kills the mood of the music. It is a bad transition used here.
• (Around 2:32) There is a pause down there, which I don't know why. Also there should be more development on the melodies here. The transition to the next section was too fast.
• 2:50 onwards - The mood here should be more dramatic. better orchestration should be used if this part of the music was to be more appealing
• 3:10 onwards - Again here better orchestration should be used. It was kind of too thick for me when the repeated notes were played. Not too ear pleasing at all.

I do, however like the chord progressions that is used at the slow parts. Very nicely used at the right notes. The solo melody at the start could be more outstanding in terms of orchestration and dynamics. It sounded nice but it wasn't too impressive at all for a first impression. Perhaps the accompaniment was too soft and that was the reason why.

From the composer of: Fate of the Forest

From the composer of: Forest Fire: A Brief Tone Poem for Orchestra

It sounds like the composer has a good grasp of orchestration, counterpoint, and melody. As I mentioned earlier, the constant interaction of instruments made the piece enjoyable to listen to without getting bored at any point. One of my major complaints is that with such a command of the orchestra that the composer clearly has, I was waiting for it to explode into frenetic fury. Perhaps this expectation is one of the things that kept me listening until the very end.

From the composer of: Inferno

From the composer of: Music for Trumpet and Strings

From the composer of: Of Desperation, Death, and Hope

From the composer of: Prelude for Solo Piano

From the composer of: Tell Me About The Forest

• Harmony: Simple but well done. You adopt a tonal/contrapuntal type language and you maintain this consistently through the piece. The first theme was very interesting as you explored many key areas and did not come to rest until the beginning of the second theme. The use of modal mixture i.e. Major triads switching to the parallel minor was also a nice addition. The one thing I found unconvincing was how your second theme is entirely in F minor. You briefly venture into a couple of different tonal areas but you never actually formally modulate at any part during this part of the piece. This results in the work feeling tonally stagnant.
• Development: I liked how you used the same material throughout the piece and how you used some more advanced techniques such as imitation and counterpoint. The counter melodies were also nice. That being said, development can be much more interesting when you (vary) your ideas more. Your direct imitative section worked well only because of your application of timbral color. There was also a transition section when all of your instruments move in unidirectional motion. I felt this was
  really the weakest moment in the piece. Conversely, your transition at
  1:12 from your first theme to your second one was very strong and
  interesting.
• Orchestration: Overall, you use the strings like a synth pad. Strings are capable of playing much more than this and I find it odd how you have the brass section more active than the strings at point. Strings are a highly virtuosic choir within the orchestra and more often than not should be treated as such. Near the end of the piece perhaps tremolos or a more active texture in this choir would have been a stronger choice.
• Form: You make a good use of a binary form with a rounded binary form in which you express your first theme as a quasi movement structure in Bb minor and you transition into your second section which is through composed and exists in F minor. This use of form is effective and makes for an interesting piece of music which climaxes near the end, making for an effective depiction of a catastrophic event.
• Overall, your writing style is still young and your technical ability is that of someone who is still beginning his craft. However, you make the piece work in spite of these limitations. Good job.

Musicality [16/20]:

• The piece is simply beautiful, and works well for what it is.

Relevance [20/20]:

• Arguably one of the most relevant works here because of the strong cinematic influence. You did what you set out to do, congratulations.

Overall Thoughts [B+ / Very Good]. This piece is simply beautiful. There is not a dull moment anywhere throughout the work and the material just flows from beginning to end. The mood very accurately depicts a tragic event and would make for an excellent film score.  You have every right to be proud of this work.

From the composer of: The Dance of the Clumsy Bear

From the composer of: The Wildfire Suite