"Conducting My Symphonic Anxiety" by Jimmy Verace is a symphonic piece in six parts, composed for a full orchestra.
The music is intensely dramatic, progressing through a wide range of dynamics. With its epic-sounding orchestration, the album constantly conveys a struggle—a never-ending battle between darkness and light.
The album opens with the grand and epic "Choose Now For Time Is Running Cold," setting the tone for the rest of the work. This piece, which closely resembles the grand orchestral compositions of the late Romantic era, is expressive and dynamic, taking the listener on a roller-coaster ride of emotions.
"Fantasia" adopts a more contemporary style in both composition and orchestration. Here, the melody is fragmented across the sections of the orchestra, and the rhythm shifts so frequently that it creates an unsettling feeling, akin to the moments before a storm.
"Be Still And Know" delivers the battle we’ve been anticipating, with haunting choral elements enhancing the melody. Its grandiose effect transports the listener to a battlefield, right in front of the enemy lines. The blaring horns of Hades, the descending dissonant strings, and the powerful beats of the low strings and percussion all brilliantly take the listener’s breath away.
"Mania" is a fanfare—a music of conquest and triumph. However, the celebration is short-lived, ending in descending arpeggio-like patterns that lead to a low and dark coda at the bottom of the scale.
As its name suggests, "March Of The Angels" is an epic march of the victory to come. The main rhythmic motif serves as an ostinato in the orchestra's lower register, and the march continues until it culminates in an explosion of light.
The final piece, "Symphony One: The Great Overcome," is a lengthy work that, as the title implies, stands as a full symphony in its own right. The battle between good and evil persists in this epic-sounding piece, with the struggle continuing until the orchestral bells finally announce the triumph of salvation with a long ascending coda.
Jimmy Verace is a dramatic composer, and his influences from maestros like Gustav Holst, Carl Orff, and Dmitri Shostakovich are evident in both his composition and orchestration. His music is a storyteller, full of drama.
Listening to epic orchestral music is best experienced live, and I sincerely hope that someday we can hear this album performed in concert. Until then, we can enjoy the epic tales of light and darkness narrated by Jimmy Verace on digital streaming services.
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