Dimitrie Cuclin's ninth symphony

[doctorpresume]

A couple of months back, I reported on this forum as to the extent of the cuts made to the score of Dimitrie Cuclin's ninth symphony as performed in the recording posted on this forum.

Disappointed as I was to discover the scale of the editing that had gone on, I decided that things should not rest there, and so I'd like to make a public announcement that I've begun a project to create a virtual recording of the complete symphony. I'm using sequencer software, and eventually plan to use Vienna Symphonic Library software to create the sounds (if you've never come across what is achievable with VSL, seek out their website and check out the demos). I don't yet have VSL, and they're not the only package for that sort of thing, so that part of the plan may change in the fullness of time, but right now, that's the aim. Oh, and at this point, I would say "don't get TOO excited" – it's a massive project, I can't see it taking anything less than 18 months, and 2 years or more might be a more realistic estimate (I do have a day-job and a life, so I won't be able to dedicate vast chunks of my time to this).

Anyway, I wanted to get some substantial work under way before I made this announcement, and I've today reached a point at which I think I can finally make this announcement. The overall plan is to put the complete score into the sequencer, then go through note by note finessing the performance to try and make it sound "musical", and then to generate all the sounds before compiling them in an audio mixer to create a recording of the complete symphony. And today I've finished the first basic step – I've laid in the complete Double Bass line. I don't plan to do each instrumental line complete, one at a time, but I wanted to lay in a complete line across the whole symphony so as to map out the rough tempi and the frequent metre changes. So, right now, I have a very basic layout for the whole symphony – right now, I think the basic tempi I've put in are too fast, but they were chosen for general purposes at this stage to get an idea of relative speeds, and will almost certainly change. I'm waiting till I've got more melodic material before I consider appropriate tempi, but as things stand, the whole thing is currently some 56 minutes long. The lengths of the movements are as follows:

1 – 12m35s (351 bars – the bar counts are more accurate than those I posted in my previous breakdown of the cuts, incidentally)
2 – 14m28s (986 bars)
3 – 12m33s (414 bars)
4 – 16m44s (882 bars)

When I made the breakdown of the cuts, I extrapolated a running time of about 83 minutes. I don't think my tempi are out by quite that much, so I suspect something in the 70 minute mark is probably going to be more likely when  I've got the tempi sorted out to more appropriate speeds, but at least that'll give you something to go on.

Anyway, I'll give updates here as and when I reach interesting points in the process. Having laid in the Double Bass line complete, I think I'm now going to work through the score sequencing the notes for the whole orchestra and working from rehearsal figure to rehearsal figure (so, filling in everything up to figure 1, then everything up to figure 2, and so on). Across the four movements, there are 32, 51, 25 and 46 figures.

Anyway, nothing more to be done this year, I'm visiting in-laws for New Years. So, a couple of days off and then it all starts in earnest.

Wish me luck!

[Alan Howe]

I take my hat off to you! We'll await further reports with bated breath...

[eschiss1]

Thank you very much indeed! I forget, did you ever mention main tempo headings for those movements, by the by? That would also be good to know incidentally, and I know of no one else with a copy of the score offhand

[doctorpresume]

Still away at the in-laws right now, so that's not an answer I can provide right now. I'm travelling back today, though, so I'll have a look in a few hours and get back to you then.

[eschiss1]

Thanks!

[doctorpresume]

The headings for the movements are as follows:

1: Allegro moderato
2: Allegro vivace
3: Andante
4: Allegro giusto

Worth noting that those headings are only the beginnings of the movements (and Cuclin doesn't do anything as helpful as provide any metronome markings!), and things change with some frequency. That said, as a general indication of the mood of the movements, they'll do for now. I'll provide a fuller breakdown of things when I'm ready to unleash the whole symphony; no point doing it now, as those headings won't correspond to the extant 39 minute recording.

[eschiss1]

well, aircheck or studio tape or something, I think, but you're still right!