Liszt Dante Sonata - Orchestration (Caleb Hu)

This was definitely my most ambitious orchestration yet in terms of color, scale, and technical virtuosity. It was a good introduction to late Romantic and 20th century orchestral effects, where I had previously been sticking to the conservative forces of Brahms and Schumann. I like Ashish's analysis of this sonata surrounding the 9 transformations of the Theme I, because it ties in with the whole 9 circles of hell part. 0:00 Intro, a series of tritones (the Devil's interval) 1:16 Foreshadows Theme I 1:27 Theme I. The brilliance of theme I is that it is nothing but a descending chromatic scale (symbolizing the descent into the underworld) and yet it takes so many interesting forms throughout the work. 3:27 Theme II. Contrasting the hellish nature of Theme I, Theme II evokes Paradise and salvation. 3:59 Transition 4:27 Theme I. Transformation 1. 5:08 Theme II. Transformation 1, a gorgeous cello solo. 5:46 Theme I. Transformation 2, woven into the cello solo. 6:23 Theme I. Transformation 3. 7:16 Theme I. Transformation 4. 8:18 A series of transformations on the intro—in a traditional sonata, this section would be described as the development. 9:50 Theme I. Transformation 5, as it is tempestuously combined with the tritones of the intro. 10:11 Theme II. Transformation 2. 10:58 Theme I. Transformation 6, recapitulation. 11:39 Theme II. Transformation 3. 12:26 Theme II. Transformation 4. 12:56 Another transformation of the intro. 13:13 Theme I. Transformation 7. 13:35 Theme I. Transformation 8. 13:54 Theme I. Transformation 9. 14:02 Theme II. Transformation 5, splitting into three lines (the three heads of Satan as described in the Inferno?). 14:15 A final transformation of the intro, at it's most majestic. Made on Musescore 4, with Musesounds