One note made all the difference!

Fixing the intro to "Look and See" has provided the most startling illustration I've ever encountered of how in music production, a tiny change can be extremely significant.  The rewritten synth "lead" part now goes up a 6th to a high A-flat, instead of up a whole tone to the alien-sounding Lydian intrusion in previous versions.  (The Lydian mode is my favourite mode, but I'll admit it is challenging to use well.)  Having a bigger ascending interval there makes more sense anyway for another reason: it fits the yearning character of the song.

And with that, the stage is set for the grand finale.  The "Escapade" suite itself is all that remains.  And as of this week, we more or less have confirmation that the thing that required me to keep the piece's length under 8 minutes is going ahead.  More on that later!