First things first, I apologize profusely for the delay in the posting of this update, but it was unavoidable.

First of all, I was hospitalized for a while. I was only joking way back in my earlier days as curator when I said that being deathly sick would be one of the reasons why I would post an update late. I never knew I'd actually have to conjure the excuse. I knew right from the start that getting funky diseases from patients would be unavoidable when you're training to be a physician, but seeing bright red blood in your sink and hearing your chest gurgle as you breathe because of a bleeding hole in your lungs can be quite alarming. Thankfully, a classmate's father happens to be one of the top pulmonologists in the country, so I was in excellent care and am on my way to recovery.

Second, I waited quite a while for one of the judges to send in his scores. Because of his incredibly tight schedule, he was unable to comply despite several extensions to the deadline. I eventually gave up and had two staff members score the pieces in his place.

And last, but definitely not the least, I am now in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, endorsed as the most tiring and hellish of the rotations. On duty days, one barely has time to eat, let alone sneak out to update a column. This is particularly true if designated to the admitting section. No rest for the wicked, I suppose... I hope I don't get stressed out and bleed.

Now, onto real business. "The Grand Audition 2009" has come to an end, and with it, a confession. I'm going to say flat out that Cerulean Sun did not win. Even if it had received the top marks, it could not have won. Why? Because I composed Cerulean Sun. I also made Low Altitude and Iron-Leafed Canopies under the false name leveler in an attempt to fill out slots. Though initially half-hearted attempts, they eventually bloomed into true efforts, particularly Cerulean Sun. Into that piece I poured all the techniques I have always been somewhat reluctant to use, such as extensive chromaticism reminiscent of Rachmaninoff's style. The playing field was level, and they have triumphed magnificently. A little confession, though—it made me chuckle a little to see that I garnered the lowest mark in the Theme criterion, whereas theoretically, I should know exactly what the submissions should be like. I might've led people to believe that the piece should sound malevolent, which is not the case. It's only supposed to feature a theme associated with a villain, but doesn't necessarily have to sound evil. They could've chosen Guadosalam for Seymour and created a lively polka from it and it wouldn't have mattered.

And so... who has emerged triumphant? Check it out here. Congratulations to both of you, Rexy and Antonio, for a job well done. Good tidings as well to Tom Plets and Jormungand, who were unfortunately unable to submit pieces for the final round. The journey was a long and beautiful one. My ears continue to ring with the sound of your masterpieces. I hope all of you continue to support and submit pieces to Sound Test for as long as it exists.

Holy wall of text! I haven't had such a long update in quite a while! I haven't even talked about the featured piece yet. Anyway, I'll keep it short. Most of you probably know this piece as my last entry for "The Grand Audition" back in 2007 that won me the title (and incurred the wrath of one of the finalists). If you don't have a copy yet, go ahead and download it. I'm immensely proud of this piece, and I would be very happy if it makes you happy.

Well, have a wonderful Christmas, everybody! Until next time!

Fermat's Last Theorem

Sound Test Curator