If you don't know who he is, wiki him and buy his music on iTunes. Now.
Have you ever heard a choir singing, and as you listened, your mind lifted itslef up, your eyes closed by themselves, your ears yearned for just one more suspended chord, and at that one majestic chord, your spine became jelly and a shiver went down your back?
Now, that's what I call talent!
Eric Whitacre uses a lot of what's called "dissonance". If you're not familiar with the term, it basically means two musical notes that don't sound good together (because they are either too close to each other, or they're not compatable chord-wise). Now, it may seem weird that such a good composer uses dissonances in his music, but all you have to do is listen to his "Lux Arumque" to see that he uses these musical nail-on-chalkboard sounds to create his own unique chords that defy normal musical standards. His choral piece "Cloudburst" is amazing as well. At the climax, I could feel the rain on my skin, and I jumped at the flash of lightning that lit up my mind. I observed as the clouds parted and gave way to just a peek of sunlight at first, and then the full majesty hit me.
His song "Sleep" put me to it many times at night. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but it seems like I always dream the wildest after I've heard that piece.
He has also written pieces for bands as well. "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!" Need I say more?
Recently, he wrote a freaking rock opera, titled, "Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings"
A rock opera.
This guy isn't even 40 yet! If I were to go into music, I probably wouldn't go into composition, but my goal in life would be to either perform in a choir conducted by him, or perform in his other musical productions.
