Even in a career filled with great moments, SOUND THEORIES VOL. I & II, the double-album live recording of guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and the Holland Metropole Orkest, stands out as a dazzling technical accomplishment, the culmination of a 25-year friendship, and a dream come true.

"The first time I heard an orchestra as a young boy, I instinctively knew I was hearing the result of little black dots strategically placed on manuscript paper by a person who could capture—and make real—the audio vision of their mind's eye. That's what I wanted to do," says Vai, who went on to compose his first orchestra score at fourteen. By his late teens, however, it was his undeniable guitar wizardry that set the world on fire, so although he continued to amass "hefty heaps" of scores through the years, hearing them performed by an orchestra seemed way out of reach.

Those familiar with Vai's astounding achievements—his celebrated stint as "stunt guitarist" with Frank Zappa, his Eighties work with Whitesnake and David Lee Roth, his excellent soundtrack contributions, and his wildly successful solo career—acknowledge that the New York-born virtuoso's high standards continue to push the boundaries of the guitar and of his chosen genre (rock), but he's not one to say no or back down from a challenge. Through the years, Vai managed to get a few of his orchestral compositions performed at world-class music schools like Berklee College of Music in Boston and Eastman School of Music in Rochester, but it would take the efforts of a Dutch national radio employee and a forward-thinking symphony orchestra to help Vai realize his boyhood dreams on a whole new scale.

HIDDEN IDENTITY

Vai first met Co de Kloet when Kloet's company imported Vai's first solo album, Flex-Able, to the Netherlands in the early Eighties. They stayed in touch, and after a lengthy 1997 interview for Dutch public radio, Kloet commissioned Vai to write 60 minutes of music for the Holland Metropole Orkest. Vai jumped at the chance and ended up writing two hours worth of music. Right from the first rehearsal, in 2004, Kloet says Vai's "hidden identity" as a composer to be reckoned with became apparent.

"At times, the uniqueness and sheer beauty of the compositions took control," Kloet says. "By the time we did the second run of shows, in 2005, we not only had a superb audio crew but a fantastic video team as well. Vai was way more confident, the music had matured, the orchestra and its conductor, Dick Bakker, were loving Steve. The whole evening was magic."

The feeling was mutual. "The leadership, confidence, and conviction that Co displayed throughout this entire process was bulletproof and supreme," Vai marvels. "He had to seduce the funds out of the Dutch government; organize and promote every show; oversee the bookings of flights, hotels and rehearsals; make sure everyone had what they needed, were happy and delivered what was required of them; and many other things that blow up my amps when I think about it."

Above all, the 60-piece Metropole—renowned for their collaborations with artists like Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole—showed a special affinity for his music, a fact not lost on Vai. "Most symphony orchestras have a repertoire of songs that are popular and accessible, the old favorites that they can sight-read," Vai says. "Then there are the more adventurous ensembles that actively look for challenging and thought-provoking pieces. One such ensemble is the Metropole Orkest."

NO REST FOR THE WICKED

For the shows on SOUND THEORIES VOL. I & II, Vai proceeded to write new orchestrations, dust off old ones, orchestrate old compositions, and "decorate" some of the more accessible instrumental guitar songs from his catalog with the orchestra. After hundreds of hours of data input, music proofreading, revisions, and rehearsals, Vai and the orchestra, augmented by a five-piece electric band, performed the pieces to ecstatic Dutch audiences in May 2004 and July 2005. The material—culled from five shows, one studio session, and a rehearsal/soundcheck—would've been good enough for most people. Not Vai.

"I listened to each section of every song, sometimes one bar at a time, and picked the performance of that section that had the most ‘right' notes and the best tempo, feel, and dynamics," Vai says. "After a master performance was edited together, every single note of every instrument had to be checked; if one instrument played a wrong note, we had to find and use the right note—if it existed—from an alternate performance. If the right note didn't exist, I had to try to cheat that note in from another section of the piece. If none of the similar notes in any other section worked, I would have to try and re-fabricate the note(s). Some pieces ended up having over a thousand little edits!"

Vai wasn't the only one burning the midnight oil, though. His superstar team included Metropole conductor Dick Bakker, music programmer Will Riley, arranger and orchestrator Tom Trapp, and composer, pianist and Finale guru Chris Opperman. SOUND THEORIES VOL. I  ("The Aching Hunger") features several Vai classics with his orchestrations tweaked by Trapp and Opperman, and although the compositional process for SOUND THEORIES VOL. II ("Shadows and Sparks") was more personal, he affirms it would've been impossible without his compadres, who pushed the limits of endurance, deadlines, music publishing software to make it all happen.

‘OVERWHELMED WITH JOY'

Two summers after the last encore, it's clear that it was all worth it. Listen to the exuberance of the performances and the orchestra. Feel the emotional weight, the life, the fire, color, and radiance these skilled players brought to the maestro's work. It's great to hear Vai classics like "The Attitude Song," "For the Love of God," "Gentle Ways," and "Salamanders in the Sun" —dressed up in a suit, adored by players who know how to rock for audiences that know how to show their love.

"Hearing this music as it turned out is the realization of some of those wondrous vibrating colors that mentally embraced me when I was that little boy who put his finger on a keyboard for the first time. It's an honor and privilege to hear this music performed by such a fine orchestra. How can I thank Co de Kloet enough? I can't.

"I'm overwhelmed with joy, and I feel extremely grateful and humble," Vai says. " With this record, I feel as though I was able to bring a specific stimulation to a small—yet interested—audience who finds the results satisfying. What else can you ask for?"

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