I like the pensive mood at the beginning and the somber cello riff shortly thereafter. The progression is a little slow-paced, but the string swells help add some sense of anticipation and drama. I really like the violin melodies at :56 and the chord progressions at around 1:10. The injection of energy at 1:24 was a welcome change to the texture, and the piece then transitions well back into a mellow and minimal section after the 2-minute mark. The clarinet solo there is particularly lovely, and I also like how you incorporated some non-Western instruments at around 3:10. During this lengthy middle section, it might’ve been nice to find ways of filling out the texture a bit more - a richer atmosphere, or perhaps percussion, would’ve kept things engaging despite the series of slow-paced and tranquil motifs. That said, you transition quite effectively back into the energetic string section at 4:17, and I like the added percussion and dense orchestration at the end. Overall, I’m particularly impressed with the production quality and sound design here. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, Lordant! ^_^
Mixing, mastering, and balance
2/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
9.25/10