Rhapsody in C Minor

“Rhapsody in C minor” for Orchestra

Completed over six months, my work for orchestra and piano, titled “Rhapsody in C minor,” combines a variety of influences. It was originally conceived late in the summer of 2023, when I sought to complete a project more ambitious than I had ever achieved before: a piece for a large orchestra of a duration of ten to fifteen minutes.

With this project came many emotional highs and lows as well as great excitement and challenge. The music itself emulates such contrasts: The main motivic material of the piece, first introduced by the violins immediately after the opening chords, follows a rising contour of three notes (C, D, and E-flat) and then a sudden drop (B). In accordance with this shape, the entire piece is structured similarly, with building intensity followed by quiet moments.

With this in mind, I created a broad range of dynamic and emotional sentiments, from quiet and intense, to immensely powerful and loud. The orchestration draws upon influences from pieces like Hans Zimmer’s “Time” from the film Inception, and the sudden contrasts are inspired by those found commonly throughout Beethoven’s works.