Reader Ava Felsenstein lets us know about their sound design and synthesis project to create a create adaption of Smetana‘s symphonic cycle Má vlast (“My Country”, best known for its 2nd movement, The Moldau).
On its own, arranging, synthesizing and performing a 75+ minute work is a daunting task. What makes the project unique, though, is that Felsenstein is approaching the arrangement “through the sonic universe of Japanese electronic music pioneer Isao Tomita“.
Here’s what Felsenstein has to say about it:
“The project is not simply an electronic arrangement of classical music. The main challenge is a technical and creative one: how close can modern software instruments get to the unique sound aesthetics of Tomita’s 1970s recordings?
The entire production is created exclusively with plugins, without using original hardware instruments. The goal is to recreate the character of Tomita’s historic sound palette, including the world of Moog Modular systems, Mellotron textures and the experimental effects that defined his recordings.”
Felsenstein’s project to arrange and perform Má vlast through the sonic lens of Tomita is expected to be completed by the end of 2026 or in spring 2027.
After two years of sound design, programming and experimentation, Felsenstein says that “the project has become a study of both the possibilities and limitations of modern software, compared to the instruments that shaped early electronic music.”
We’ve included two examples from Felsenstein’s arrangement of Má vlast. The first, embedded below, is the 1st movement (Vyšehrad), arranged with the Moog Modular & Mellotron palette of Tomita:
The second example, is an arrangement of the 2nd movement (“The Moldau” aka “Vltava”):
Felsenstein’s sound design work and arrangements are spot on, sounding almost like they could be from a lost Tomita album.
We’ve asked Felsenstein to let us know when the project comes to completion, and we’ll share a follow up then.
Give his arrangements a listen, and share your thoughts in the comments!
As a Tomita fan this definitely feels like him. The flanging mellotron and characterful synth patches are spot on. Beautifully done. I’m also a big Smetana fan so it’s a double hit.
Few people attempt things in this style because the work load is beyond intense, but Ava nails it. The 2nd Movement of “The Moldau” is brilliant. It has a primary Tomita slant, but there’s some Carlos and Larry Fast in there as well. I’ll be on the lookout for the full release.
Spot on. This is the Tomita sound that I first heard on the “Snowflakes” album.
I would love to know what software synth(s) were used for this. As S-Trigger Dave said the workload in setting up the sounds alone must be immense, let alone re-orchestrating Smetana’s work so faithfully.
Wow!… and not so much wow due to the fact that I am currently working on an electronic version of Die Moldau. He beat me to it… ah well. My version will not be this Tomita-like.
Back in my early progdays (early 80s), we used Die Moldau as an intro to our shows. Not the whole work, but to the time sig change… from there the band took over.
Smetana means sour cream.
This is excellent and channels the Tomita soundworld wonderfully.
Looking forward to the full release!