With deepest respect for this extraordinary artist, I have wanted to post a deserving review for quite some time now but have feared that my words would not adequately honor his genius.  When art so deeply moves me to depths which cannot be described, when the effect is this profound that I cannot articulate it, I find myself overwhelmed with such awe that it almost becomes unhealthy and I need to step back and retreat for a while. 
Beyond Maestro Vek’s remarkably impressive technical ability and incredibly powerful performances, it is in the emotional depth and stunning beauty of his wonderfully crafted compositions and arrangements which make his music so special.  When my soul swells with such emotion that tears fall like rain, I know this to be true art at its finest. Although art may be subjective, I personally feel that the sophisticated genius of this incredible composer and arranger, makes Jace Vek our most gifted American composer and pianist of this era.
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Your gift is a blessing generously bestowed to all lovers of music.
Thank you for sharing the music in your head, thank you for sharing a part of you.
Shine on...
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Jace is a truly talented musician.  I would suggest you buy this album.. as there  are no bad songs here.  What a rare treat to listen and be connected to ALL of the songs.  He truly puts you in his world, his music.  

KLC
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Who is the Sylvan Royal Philharmonic really?
Composer and pianist Jace Vek has cornered the market on his own sub-genre of music. I call it symphonic contemporary instrumental. The live music, with a strong piano score and full orchestral backing, has depth, drama and power. Most of that power comes from Vek’s inner passion, brilliant composition, but there is quite a bit from his fingertips. 

In the luminous opening track, The Last Sunrise, there is the sound of change. Strong, sumptuous piano score and lush orchestra produce, like the butterfly affect, movement of planets around a star. As the light of day recurs, shadows silently fail and once again the land is treated to the illumination of the sun. Warmth spreads upon the land making the changes we take for granted. Water condensates, clouds are formed and cover the earth. As more energy is musically created, winds blow and life-giving rains fall. But that is only the beginning of change as water wears away stone, winds sweep clear the plains and all man can do is step back and watch. But will it end?

Brooke’s Lullaby is a beautifully sad and tender work with doleful woodwinds fairly weeping and the piano whispering not just goodnight, but also hello. There is music that touches the heart and affects it deeper than any knife can possibly go. This tune has that emotional melodramatic Phantom of the Opera kind of sound or perhaps a film score feel. Marvin would be proud.

The sarabande was a processional dance made famous in the Spanish courts around the 17th century. Vek modernizes the form in a truly inspirational piece called Sarabande Rhapsody which is over ten minutes long. You can almost visualize powdered wigs, satin brocade on every hem, and formal dances at a masque. Very lively at times and yet, sadly soothing, the power of the incensed music is like opening a page in a dusty European history book. It is by far the best track on the album.

Lastly, Thadet Variations, another one of Vek’s longer pieces, is ambitious as well as serious and another very notable track on the CD. Somewhere up in the “Night Sky” twinkling among the galaxy of visible stars are ancient heroes, rare animals and beneficent gods. Hercules battling Hydra for his penance, Pegasus, magic steed of Bellerophon and Orion, hunter of the gods and many other mythological beings clamor for our dream struck attention in the velvet blackness. These star trails are not necessarily the ones you see with a telescope, but maybe the kind you feel with the heart. The nocturnal symphony pulls us aloft and carries us higher than our expectations and deeper in space than our dreams. 

Jace Vek, at age four, like Rued Immanuel Langgaard, heard the music of the spheres and was able to transform the sounds into music. At seven he excelled at improvisation and learned much by memory. His heroes had classical names like Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin. His talent knew no bounds and he finally ended up under the auspices of Academy Award winning film score composer Marvin Hamlisch. Today he amazes audiences with his fusion of flowing New Age music combined with dramaturgic classical elements. And so now there is this remarkable album; Jace Vek Live With the Royal Sylvan Philharmonic.
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