(visit http.//www.carlschimmel.com to purchase score and parts)
"Two Variations on Ascent into the Empyrean" is a pair of short orchestral movements inspired by my children’s artwork. The drawings, for me, reflect the children’s fascination with the immensity of our world and provide a glimpse into the immensity of the worlds inside their minds. Both transport us into the heavens – the Empyrean – and beyond. But while Thora enters this realm via a small golden portal, Otto is propelled skyward by the colossal power of a rocket, leaving in his wake a spectacular rush of fire and smoke. "Two Variations on Ascent into the Empyrean" was composed for and premiered by conductor Glenn Block and the Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra.
