Neoclassical Suite is a column that will present 7 recent, distinctive tracks of the neoclassical-modern classical-contemporary -and beyond!- music field.
The Players
Allen Constantine
(neoclassical, cinematic)
Romanian composer and multi-instrumentalist Allen Constantine was born on the International Music Day 1st October 1985. His compositions are piano-based, cinematic, subtle but building and dynamic, and is based on a strong focus on harmonies and arrangements.
He started composing at the age of 9 and in his early childhood, he practiced the piano and accordion, taught by his grandfather. His natural gift and passion for music evolved and has followed him ever since and at the present time he also masters various instruments such as violin, guitar and drums.
Michael Koch
(neoclassical, solo piano)
Michael Koch is a pianist, composer and producer from Germany.
He loves to create music that moves us into our stories, dreams and consciousness, that finds its way directly into our hearts.
After many years writing and producing for other artists, in 2020 he went back to his first instrument-love, the Piano. With Wolfgang Kraus he released the Album Nähe & Weite, where he rediscovered the acoustic purism of the piano, with the clearness and sweetness of an acoustic guitar. The result of their collaboration are very heartfelt and peaceful songs.
In 2020 he was very impressed by the purism of playing piano, so that many pieces were created and will be published in 2021.
David Clavijo
(neoclassical)
David Clavijo was born on April 14, 1983 in Seville, and grew up in Alcalá de Guadaíra and La Puebla de Cazalla. Songwriter and guitarist Spanish, resident in Alcala de Guadaira (Seville), began to create his songs, with only 16 years, as is typical Pop/Rock of the 80’s Spanish. Shortly after, he had the opportunity to work as a bassist on soundtracks for films of his native Andalusia. Also he made contributions as a guitarist with Spanish artist’s music scene.
It was then that he began to understand that music gave him a wide range of possibilities. In his eagerness to see new places which inspired him in his creations and searching for it multiculturalism always present in his music, he experienced the pleasure of riding spectacular corners of the Spanish geography. Granada, Cordoba and Toledo provided large amounts of wealth were reflected ethnic later in his works, such as ‘East Winds’ or ‘African Spirit’. Maybe the turning point in his career was determined by a trip to the white isle of Ibiza, home of the current chill out and electronic music.
Again driven by the feelings aroused in him the extraordinary views of places like the magical Es Vedra, he composed themes fresh and dynamic as that of the same name of the legendary island, “Es Vedra” or ‘Sailing In My Dreams’. They also revealed the influence of renowned artists like Mike Oldfield, Enigma, Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre. His music is characterized by being full of hot rhythms and sounds. His melodies are looking surprise.
David is a composer who dares to all musical styles. His music sounds more sailing from space toward more ethnic, not forgetting the chillout and ambient. He has signed contracts many labels. Some of his tracks are part of compilations: ‘Macao Cafe Ibiza – The Next Episode’, ‘House: The Chill Edition’, ‘Cafe Del 30 Anniversary’, ‘Luxury Lounge Ibiza – Session Four’ between others, sharing tracklist with artists like: Torsten Stenzel (York), Nacho Sotomayor, Bliss, Roberto Sol, Clelia Felix or Chris LeBlanc….
Steve Barakatt
(neoclassical, cinematic)
For more than three decades, award-winning composer, pianist, music producer and creative director Steve Barakatt has collaborated with leading artists, record labels, studios, brands, and organizations on hundreds of projects around the globe. As a concert pianist, he has presented more than 500 live performances on five continents. His music has been featured on hundreds of TV programs & series as well as on major sports event TV broadcasts such as the FIFA World Cup and the F1 Grand Prix. As a recording artist, he has sold over five million albums worldwide and his music catalogue reached 100,000,000 views on YouTube.
He had artistic collaborations with Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Yaroslavl philharmonic Orchestra, Lahti Sinfonia, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre métropolitain, Radio Nacional de Espana, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, El Sistema, Angelique Kidjo, Natasha St-Pier, Nana Mouskouri, Maxim Vengerov, The Alexandrov Choir, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nic Raine, Yoav Talmi, Christian Vásquez, Yiruma, Richard O’Neill, Shirley Bassey, Leon Lai, Alan Tam, Kelly Chen, Daniel Chan, Agnes Chan, Sincere, Yoko Oginome, Miri Ben-Ari, Noriko Sakai, Audrey De Montigny, Sun Min, Wheesung, John Park, Shayne, Chen of EXO, Lee Dong Woo, Yesung of Superjunior, Sunny of Girls’ Generation, Luna of fx, Wendy & Seulgi of Red Velvet, Taeil & Doyoung of NCT127, Universal Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment, SM Entertainment, Yamaha, Roland Corp, Japan Central Music and many more…
The world’s most recognized composer of official anthems, Barakatt is the man behind “Lullaby, The UNICEF Anthem”, the Saemangeum MegaCity anthem “One More Heart, One More Dream”, “Motherland” to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lebanon, anthems for Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and the world’s 66 Royal Golf Clubs, and compositions for numerous other prestigious organizations and events.
Karl Hugo
(modern classical, epic music)
Karl Hugo is a pianist, composer, songwriter and videographer principally known for his solo albums, his work with figure skating champions, as well as his role in the successful international series, Just for Laughs Gags. Karl’s music library is aired in over 100 countries throughout the world on prestigious networks such as ABC, BBC-One, CBC, Disney Channel, Disney Channel Asia, Fox Japan, Telemundo, and TF1.
David Gómez
(neoclassical, cinematic)
David Gómez is a renowned pianist and composer born in Wattwil (Switzerland) in 1974, to a very humble immigrant Spanish family (his father is a gardener and his mother a housewife). He grew up in Mallorca (Spain) inseparable from the piano since he was a childand. He trained professionally in Holland as a Pianist and Orchestra Conductor at the Rotterdam Conservatory. With more than 20 years of international artistic career, he stands out for the excellence of his music in its contemporary classical and cinematographic genre, and for his concerts as soloist around the world whit his renowned show-tour ‘1 PIANO AND 200 CANDLES’. As a composer, he is a passionate storyteller with his piano, inspired by the most romantic love, life experiences and social justice. Between delicate melodies, ambient sounds and majestic silences, his music thrills, enamors and reaches with intensity the depths of souls and hearts. His record albums produced by the prestigious producer Joe Dworniak, reflect his artistic and professional evolution: The Island (2013), Pianographie (2017), Sous les étoiles (2019) and Lockdown on a Piano, Vol. I & II (2020) composed and recorded at his home in Madrid in absolute solitude during confinement by COVID-19. In their different creative stages, each album is a journey to the infinity of his inner universe. As a musician he is a tireless seeker, demanding and lover of the smallest details.
Lucas van Kesteren
(neoclassical, solo piano)
Lucas van Kesteren (25) is a neo-classical composer and pianist based in the Netherlands. Growing up with a background in classical music, he combines these roots with his love for modern musical genres. He studied playing piano at the conservatory in Haarlem and at the time of his graduation he released his first single ‘Libra’ in 2021. The style of music is calm and intimate, he tells his story without words and he means every note.
The Music
Christos Doukakis