Hi Daniel,

This is firmly in the Romantic piano concerto tradition of Litolff, Scharwenka, Busoni, Moscheles, Paderewski, Tchaikovsky--to name just a few, with a bit more adventure perhaps. I'm not aware of another concerto that uses a waltz in the opening movement (assuming this is the first movement), but I rather like the idea.

The orchestra still seems a bit strange, which is fine. There is no use putting in clarinets, or oboes, or trombones, or whatever if you don't hear them. But it would certainly present some difficulties to a conductor reading the score. For example, there are chords on one of the string ensemble staves that are in the range of the violas, cellos or basses, but no indication which instrument or instruments you want to play them. It might help to use the standard violin I and II, viola, cello and double bass sections. It would not hurt anything that I can see to do the same with the flute (sometimes flutes) and horn (sometimes horns). Where there is a single line that carries or duplicates the melody, one might guess that you may intend a solo instrument, but it is far from clear.

The measures you mention are pretty effective cadenza stuff. The phrase using the horns sounds like a wind gust, which works all right in the context of these bravura sounding measures, but could seem more integral to the movement as a whole.

The best thing is the melodic writing, I think. Some Romantics seem to have had the melodic capacity, some seemed often to struggle. Your themes seem to flow so easily that they hint at a huge store held in reserve.

I continue to enjoy your dramatic piece and look forward to any new developments.

all best,
mgj