Neoclassical Suite is a column that will present 7 recent, distinctive tracks of the neoclassical-modern classical-contemporary -and beyond!- music field.
The Players
Jasmin Lacasse Roy
(crossover classical, acoustic)
Looking for a truly unique blend of the old and new in classical guitar? Jasmin Lacasse Roy’s consummate musicianship draws on a wide range of inspiration: from Hendrix to Debussy and back. As a composer of startling originality, his style plays with the boundaries of expectation, reimagining the repertoire in fresh and surprising turns. As both a composer and performer, Jasmin’s work features hints of Glass and Rachmaninov, though he’s a firm believer that neoclassical music isn’t only for the keyboard. His eclectic mix of vintage aesthetics and modern flavours do away with old Edwardian sentiments in favour of imaginative contrasts that evoke a vibrant cosmopolitan scene. You won’t be finding his work in your local record store’s dusty pile of classical guitar vinyls anytime soon. His musical aesthetic is a sumptuous combination of ease and activity that invites both attentive listening and immersed contemplation.
Kawakawa
(neoclassical, solo piano)
Sam Taylor was born in Kawakawa in The Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Whisked off to England as a baby, his young self grew to imagine Kawakawa as a mythical, utopian and distant paradise on the other side of the world that he would one day return to. Echoes of this childhood fantasy can be heard in the music of Kawakawa and Taylor’s own brand of apocalyptic-torch-song.
Daniele Carmosino
(Feat. Mark Aanderud)
(epic music, neoclassical)
Daniele Carmosino is a Barcelona and London based Italian music producer and film composer. He takes an original approach to scoring, melding classical and urban influences. This fresh sound resonates with movie audiences and tells stories in a unique way.
Thomas Hewitt Jones
(neoclassical, cinematic)
Thomas Hewitt Jones is an award-winning composer of contemporary classical and commercial music. Winner of the 2003 BBC Young Composer Competition, his music has been published by Boosey & Hawkes, Oxford University Press, Banks Music, the RSCM, Encore Publications, Universal Music, and is frequently heard on radio, TV and the cinema in the UK and abroad.
Thomas has written three ballets which toured the UK in 2008–2011 with Ballet Cymru, most notably a dance setting of Dylan Thomas’ masterpiece Under Milk Wood. His choral and instrumental music is frequently performed worldwide. He has also written numerous Christmas carols, including What Child is This? (OUP, 2012). Recent large-scale works include Wildflower Meadows, a song cycle commemorating the First World War, and the Christmas cantata Incarnation, released on Regent Records, both with words by regular collaborator Paul Williamson.
Commercial commissions have included work in America and scores for films in the UK, as well as music for the London 2012 Olympics Mascots animated films, with stories by Michael Morpurgo and narration by Stephen Fry. Thomas has also composed the music for a new musical version of Rumpelstiltskin which premiered at The Egg, Bath in December 2014. Recent performances include the premiere of a new set of songs charting the history of Bath with words by Paul Williamson (Bath Abbey, 2015), and the UK premiere of choral and orchestral work Panathenaia at the British Museum, commissioned by Hugo Ticciati.
julian bridges
(soundtrack, world music, classical)
julian bridges is a musician and filmmaker based out of Los Angeles, CA.
He studied jazz drums and classical percussion at the NATIONAL CONSERVATORY OF PARIS and the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, THEATRE & DANCE. he studied filmmaking at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Jonathan Fitas
(neoclassical, idm, downtempo)
Known for his multimedia works that make use of space and audiovisual immersion, Jonathan Fitas’ music is a subtle mix between classical music, electronic textures and sound design. Fitas has built the sonic signature for brands such as Hugo Boss, Asics and Volkswagen thanks to an extraordinary ability to create very cinematic melodies and ambiences. This ability was also employed to conceptualize an acoustic immersive experience for two 2019 multimedia exhibitions held at “Atelier des Lumières” art centre in Paris.
The unfolding of Jonathan Fitas’ first EP “Beyond The Loop”, to be release on naïve in June 2021, resembles the soundtrack of an epic film, at times tinged with nostalgia, and testifies to the autobiographical dimension of the composer’s work. By opening classical music to new sonorities, Fitas’ embodies the renewal of a stammering music scene.
Olovson
(neoclassical, contemporary music)
Olovson – aka Jacob Olofsson – known for being one half of the Grammy Award-winning, eclectic, dance duo, whose work includes music productions for artists such as Frank Ocean, Dua Lipa, Silk City and Camila Cabello.
Born in Sweden but counting both Stockholm and Los Angeles as his home. The debut is a collection of solo piano compositions that mark a transition into a new, surreal and imaginative theme for the Swedish producer and composer.
The Music
Christos Doukakis