I like the theremin and waltzy meter towards the beginning. The texture sounds a tad watery, but the mix is still pretty clear. In fact, it’s almost jarring when the watery atmosphere fades away by around :30. The cadence at 1:05 or so sounds a bit melancholic, as does much of the piece, actually. There are a couple of places where I would’ve liked to hear a shift in the balance between a couple of the instruments. For example, the violin melodies at 1:35 don’t pop through the mix quite enough, nor do the strings at 3:23, and there are a couple of places where I do think the murky texture got a tad overwhelming (like at 1:25 or so).

The sound design of this piece is fantastic, though. I love the bells right at 2:00, the aforementioned theremin, the ambient textures, the flute at 3:10, and the rich strings later on. As always, your compositional details are scrumptious, like the tremelos at 2:30. The section at 3:50 feels like a big moment of triumph and arrival later on in the piece, although the descent back into the melancholy is swift (4:16 or so). I also thought the transition at 4:22 was a bit sudden. Even a pause for dramatic effect may have helped foreshadow the lightening of the mood there. The chord progression at 4:56 is a great way of concluding the piece, though. It felt simultaneously climactic and humorous, almost like our beloved protagonist is finally realizing it was just a dream after all. :)

Powerful stuff here, Alex. You’ve clearly shown your versatility as a composer, both in this piece and throughout the NGADM this year. Heartfelt congratulations on your success in this competition. It’s been an absolute pleasure listening to so much of your work over the past 5 months, which reminds me of old times to boot. :’D

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
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
1.5/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
9/10

This is beautiful.

the atmosphere of the song is amazing

Cette musique m'a enchantée. =)

So pretty! ^w^