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.

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