There are surely few authors who have captured the imagination of musicians as much as 19th century author Edgar Allan Poe. From Iron Maiden to the series of amazing releases on Cadabra Records, artists have used his words as inspiration for wonderful music, and here is yet another incredible example. Silent Orchestra are based around multi-instrumentalists Carlos Garza (keyboards, guitar, bass, mandolin, dulcimer, orchestration) and Rich O’Meara (marimba, vibraphone, percussion, keyboards, ukulele, whispering) along with guests who appear on just one track (with the exception of Kevin who appears on two), Sara Andon (flute, alto flute), Perry Conticchio (clarinet), Gabriel DiMarco (cello), Joni Fuller (violin, viola), Harriet Kaplan (cello), and Kevin O’Meara (ukulele, metal grinder). The original inspiration for some of these pieces was a 2014 Washington, D.C. Capitol Fringe Festival show produced by Nasreen Alkhateeb, Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw who invited Carlos and Rich to score the production, and since then they have been expanding on these themes to make them into more solid structures.
Until I read the press release and looked at the CD (so rare to be sent a physical these days, thanks guys), I had no idea there were just two people behind this and I had the impression it was more of a scored orchestra as opposed to just a few guys constantly refining and adding additional pieces here and there. There are no vocals, as this is music which does not need it, taking the listener on a wonderful journey. I am convinced that if someone had played this to me and asked me to guess the inspiration, I would have got it right first time, as there is something about the way the themes come and go which are just so much like Poe: it is as if the music is bringing his words to life without the need for any vocalisation whatsoever. It is hard to pick a favourite as they are all so wonderful, but perhaps it is no surprise that I tend towards “The Raven” which is brooding, haunting, and incredibly deep.
I have not seen a mass of reviews for this, which perhaps is not surprising in some ways as it falls through the cracks of different genres. Is it progressive, classical, a film score, or something else entirely? All I can say for sure is that it is utterly entrancing and thoroughly enjoyable from the very first time I put it on the player, and it has only got better since then. It is available on Bandcamp, and I suggest any lover of good music to check this out for themselves.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://silentorchestra.com/
