Hi Mike,
I'm honoured to have such a detailed, thought-provoking assessment of my piece. I will admit, I didn't study/pursue composition (my background is in performance) because I knew I'd make a terrible student, as I'd be distraught to hear criticism from teachers and reluctant to shape my music according to their tastes...a process that took many of my friends that did pursue composition and fundamentally alter their style, especially when working with strong-willed instructors determined to churn out versions of themselves. Basically, by not pursuing composition formally, I feel I've liberated myself to write according to my whims, utilizing my instincts, logic, and skills acquired through a lifetime of music study, but removed from any obligation to analyze and study the form, harmony, and other musical conventions that from the basis for compositional instruction. It's worked for me, but of course, limits my ability to go beyond what I already feel comes easy to me.
I really just express my thoughts through music and attempt to communicate those ideas as effectively as possible. That said, on a subconscious level, I do consider the listener and try to make music that's unified, cohesive, and perhaps even, "easy to follow", although, as with most anything new, a larger musical work probably does require a few listens for one to gain a sense of familiarity. Your points are completely well-founded and food for thought...not that I plan on doing another concerto anytime soon (unless that magical "C" word...commission presents itself!)
As to the production challenges: I'm in full agreement with the range of dynamics and the timpani's placement in the mix. We're both frustrated here that our new studio space (acoustically untreated as of yet) presents a completely different sonic image than our home threatre/car stereo, etc. We're constantly playing guessing games with balance, etc. And I'm not a huge fan of how the percussion instruments "sit" in the Mir space alongside the other instruments, because I'm always tweaking levels up and down by miniscule amounts and finding such tiny adjustments to have too large an impact.
Thanks again, and sorry for rambling! I am so grateful for your expertise, and humbled by the depth of knowledge and experience that you and others on this forum possess.
All the best,
Dave
p.s. Thanks also for listening 3 times...had I put that on Spotify, I could have treated myself to a lunch from those 3 streams...assuming that I could buy lunch for $.0000000004 :)