now THIS is music! God bless you and your late partner.

It's only a small subset of the subject, I assure you! And thank you. I hope you enjoy my future uploads. ^^

OMG OMG OMG OMG This is my favorite piece ever, it's just tearing my heart in pieces!!! I was just gonna ask you if you have a recording of Vitali's Ciaconna! Oh my... I'm all in tears over here!

And most performance of this piece I heard was always too dramatic and somewhat even pathetic, you add such elegance and grace to it...the tempo is not too rushed, just perfect, it glues to one's heartbeat ....Oh... Thank you so so so much for sharing this with all of us!

We should all send a little prayer for your late partner now. Such inspiration he was!

Mmm, I can visualize my bow slicing through your heart with ev'ry stroke. Thank goodness I foresaw your query so that you did not need to voice it.
I have to give credit to the people who recorded it, they managed to really capture the acoustics of the hall and to mix the strings and organ with my violin playing very well, both are of equal importance, which I find is lacking in many recordings; the violin is too prominent rather than being a vessel in the sea of sound created by the accompaniment. Only there can one find the true strife and raw emotion that the piece portrays. Thank you, I never can believe that I can move someone to tears with my music, heh.
And yes, he truly was made of something else...

Man, that was quite an emotional ride, there. I've not many words to say for this (you know me :P), other than that was simply beautiful...

On an objective note, how long does it take to learn to play a piece like this? I can only imagine this took quite a while, but I SWEAR I've got ADHD so maybe it's just me.

And for Random...

Yeah! The effect is multiplied with a pair of good speakers or headphones and the volume dial pushed to the max, heh. Thank you. <3

And let me see. I worked on the whole concert for at least a year, learning the music took about six months, the other six were spent on perfecting every little detail, the crescendos, the vibrato, bowing technique and general interpretation. Of course, I also had to really get to know the conductor and orchestra - more than half the music is there, and it needed to be played just as I envisioned it; that took a lot of work too.

INCREDIBLY MOVING!!! simply amazing!! masterful!!

Yeah, I still get the shivers when listening to the recording. It really turned out beautifully, I think it would be difficult to recreate! Thank you, you don't know how much hearing such praise affects me! Makes making this music worth it.

so many emotions from listening to this

There's at least five, I'm sure of it!
Thank you, there's nothing like knowing that I can knead one's heart with a bit of music, haha! I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of my works (maybe past and future) as much (or nearly, heh, this is one of my best recordings for now) as you did this.

Simply beautiful. By the last 2 minutes I was in tears.

Thank you! This music is particularly suited to render emotions raw; I'm happy I managed to pull that off here, heh. It makes me tear up whenever I listen to it. :)
I hope I can continue to lubricate your eyes plenty! With the pollution in the air these days who can pass up the chance, eh?

Yes, it was certainly a very happy tearing up, and it is very much welcome, too! As for the pollution you speak of, I don't know if you mean a poor quality of air, or bad music, but hey, I'm in Los Angeles! We've got both! So on with the tears, I say!

I was talking about the air, in music I'd say there's a lot of noise drowning out the signal, and it may just be wishful thinking, but there must be some nice music being composed! And I've just been to Beijing, yikes, they've got a real problem. If my eyes are red, dry and burning I'd like to at least have some pleasure involved. =P
I'l make sure to get out my wrench and loosen the plumbing!

Oh, there's always a gem in the airwaves, make no doubt about it. And yeah, Beijing is pretty bad. I really need some good red dry burning eye moments too, especially when they don't have to do with extensive hours in front of a computer screen editing photos, or going outside at the peak of allergy season, hahaha.

I'm sure of it, though the background radiation is like that of the early universe these days! And it's times like this I'm happy that my work doesn't keep me in front of a computer long, heh.

Lovely. All your performances will definitely trump any performances I upload. :3

Random was a talented guy, wish I could've heard him more in this recording. Was he just in that intro or was he perfectly blending with the string orchestra the whole time?

Well, maybe until you go into a professional orchestra! Then I doubt it. I was lucky that I graduated from what used to be one of the best conservatories in Italy while it was in the end of its golden days, so their 'student' orchestra could parallel many greater ensembles, heh.
You should record some solo pieces! Now that you have a new horn to toot there's no reason not to. And the organ plays throughout (I don't remember if constantly or not, but I assume that it almost never stops, at least for the bass line), it blends impeccably well though! I have a hard time hearing it outside of a few quieter sections in the piece.

I'll most likely be doing a recital this semester, if I can find a pianist for what I'm doing in time. I did a recital last semester as well, but for some reason I never got a recording of it despite requesting one.

I've stated my interest in being a part of the school's graduate orchestra, which is above and beyond the orchestra I'm currently in. There's more than twice as many grad hornists as there are undergrad horns though, they were able to get enough horns for a Mahler symphony before needing my assistance. :P

They're going to do about 3 or 4 more performances before I get my Bachelor's and leave the school, so it's still a possibility.

Always bring your own pocket recorder! That's what I do. I can recommend the Zoom h4n, it's not too expensive and it has great quality for its portability. I look forward to hearing your recital if it works out!

So if you weren't leaving soon you'd be assured a place sooner or later! Well, good luck with that then, I know it's difficult to break through, but boy, is it worth it! After you get your Bachelor's are you planning to continue to a Master's?

I've been asked that a few times. I sort of solidified my plans for after my Bachelor's, but those plans will only last about 5 years at the most, so I wouldn't discount grad school after that as an eventual possibility. :3

I wonder what schools in Japan have good graduate programs for music, heh.

Oh yes, there are a few! I've worked with a Japanese pianist; I'm sure that I can ask her and give you a few suggestions. :)
I hope those plans leave you plenty of time to perfect your technique!

Sounds like a good idea. :3

And I will be practicing my horn in this time. Maybe I could get into a community orchestra during that little period. :3

Super!
And as for Japan, I talked to the pianist, but I won't be able to give you names until Saturday. But the bigger universities (if you can get accepted) have great music programs, a bit more focused on technique than interpretation (so she says, but she studied in the 70's), but yeah, no need to worry about how to learn any instrument. They've got impeccably high standards, as you can imagine.

and so he is joyfully remembered.... absolutely beautiful...

V.

Yes, hehe, thank you!

Ohhh the Vatali Chaconne? I love this piece! I have been trying to work on this one myself :) I love it.

Oh, good luck with it! It's great - you can even play it with no accompaniment and it still sounds nice~ Then all you have to add is a dash of strings and a spoonful of organ and you have this, haha. Thank you!

Wow.. I'm lost for words really, just astonishing. This captures more or less everything I love about baroque music. So powerful and gripping, and really leads you through the whole register of emotion. I suspect this will see quite a few playthroughs today <3

Yeah, this is one of those pieces that bring the world crashing down around you, especially at higher amplitudes, heh. I'm always happy to hear that, thank you! Try for 20 consecutive listens. =P

Ah, yes there it is precisely. Baroque always calls for high amplitude! Unless it's chamber music, then surely it is made to overwhelm (which it does). And while you may have meant it as a joke, I am infact getting there! It induces just the trance I need for painting.. :p

How else would you recreate the effect of standing in the middle of a cathedral with the encapsulating sonorities of the organ saturating the atmosphere as the strings gather in prayer, lead by a wailing preacher; the haughty violin?
And yes, I thought this piece would be particularly suited for just that! When I listen to it it's as if my soul and thoughts are being tugged from bliss bordering euphoria and melancholy bordering despair. Pity one can't easily compose music while listening to it, haha!