Jordan Rudess is excited to report that he will begin recording “Explorations” with a full symphonic orchestra in July. He will be traveling to Gdansk, Poland – home of Sinfonietta Consonus which is the orchestra that just released Symphonic Theater of Dreams, an album of orchestral renditions of Dream Theater songs. The orchestra’s experience with Dream Theater’s music makes them the perfect choice for my orchestral album recording.
Jordan once had the opportunity at Juilliard to watch Pierre Boulez conduct Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”. The passion in the composition combined with the power of the full orchestral sound made a huge impact on him. He sat in front of his synthesizers for years, twisting the knobs, trying to recreate that power. With “Explorations”, he is finally be able to hear one of his own compositions brought to life by that unmistakable sound of a live acoustic orchestra. In writing this composition, he was able to bring together the elements of the most influential classical music he has experienced, along with the rock power and intensity that he is known for in his work with Dream Theater. “Explorations” is a total “progressive” music experience. “Progressive” in that it is a forward thinking composition fusing my classical and progressive/metal sensibilities, but also progressive in that this piece showcases the opportunity to perform using new music technology.