Neoclassical Suite is a column that will present 7 recent, distinctive tracks of the neoclassical-modern classical-contemporary -and beyond!- music field. 

Note: All Bio/about sections provided/written by the artists.

The Players

Shrey Panda

(modern classical, instrumental hip-hop)

An alluring modern classical & instrumental hip-hop blend with ecstatic, electric violin parts by Austin’s hip-hop violinist Shrey Panda…

“Shrey Panda is a hip-hop violinist from Austin, TX. Through melodic violins, classical instruments, and colorful beats, Shrey Panda is creating a new genre of music where listeners will be able to contemplate their own life experiences and connect with the music on a deep, emotional level. Stay tuned for additional releases and get ready to experience music in a completely new way..” (Shrey Panda)

Counting Waves

(neoclassical, solo piano)

An affectionate solo piano piece by Oshawa-based David Serra’s project Counting Waves, will be delicate soundtrack for this Christmas and beyond…

“David Serra is a classical trained pianist and orchestrator living in Oshawa, Canada. His project Counting Waves has a focus on Melody. David blends recordings of solo piano and also piano with orchestral soundscapes. (Counting Waves)

David Marlow

(neoclassical, cinematic, solo piano)

A gorgeous solo piano piece with immense cinematic values by British / German musician, conductor, pianist and composer David Marlow, full of nostalgia…

“British / German musician, conductor, pianist and composer David Marlow loves to blur the lines between different genres and break down boundaries between different musical worlds. Combining elements of classical music with electronic and synth sounds he creates hybrid atmospheric instrumental soundscapes that are sometimes branded “neoclassical” or “contemporary classical”. Born to British parents he grew up in Germany, learning the piano and singing in choirs throughout his childhood. He trained as a classical conductor and started a performing career that led him to orchestras throughout Europe. Working as musical assistant to Andris Nelsons at the Bayreuth Festival for many years he deepened his insights into the music of Richard Wagner who can be said, amongst many other things, to be the grandfather of film music. Having always loved the world of film David Marlow worked on the biopic Louis van Beethoven as music supervisor and musical director. He loves to tell stories with his music and create ambient cinematic musical images, often collaborating with photographer Christian Palm @grauwertartist. He is based in Cologne (Germany) and at Studio Floisdorf, a place for creativity in the countryside.“(David Marlow)

Virginio Aiello

(solo piano, neoclassical, ambient)

A  syrupy and gentle lullaby for felt piano, that according to its creator Virginio Aiello “is particularly suitable as a relaxing song for children”…

“Virginio Aiello graduated in Piano and Jazz Music at the Conservatory “S. Giacomantonio” of Cosenza (Italy) and in 2007 he followed with honors the MA Degree in Jazz composition majors. He has won numerous competitions including the first prize at the Piano Competition “City of Castellaneta” and the second prize in the piano competitions “AMA Calabria” and “Città di Terzo”. He is a professor of piano at the Secondary Schools, First Degree (Music). He is still a most varied guest in television and radio broadcasts such as Rai Radio 3, Radio Velours Tango in Paris, Radio Swiss Jazz (Switzerland). He has worked on many musical projects, ranging from classical to contemporary, from jazz to tango, performing in Italy with various musicians. In 2015 he published “El Barrio” with the Sertango Quartet, a recording made of original classical “Tango Nuevo” tracks, which achieved a great feedback both from audience and critics and that was even mentioned by the periodical “Musica Jazz” as one of the best recordings of 2015. In 2019 Virginio Aiello released “Piano Songs For Children”, a project linked to the book “55 Pezzi Facilissimi per Pianoforte” an educational book of easy piano songs for children. He has published the following books: Metodo Pratico Di Pianoforte Jazz Complementare; The Jazz Accordion Complete Book; Piano Works Vol. 1; Tecnica Moderna Per Pianoforte (Pop & Jazz); The Modern Accordion Technique; Il Pianista Accompagnatore; 55 Pezzi Facilissimi Per Pianoforte.. ” (Virginio Aiello)

Steve Barakatt

(neoclassical)

‘Winter Breeze’ is Steve Barakatt’s latest single part of his highly acclaimed album ‘Néoréalité’, a flawless piano-based composition with effortless melody and continuous progression. 

“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.” (Steve Barakatt)

HRDY

(neoclassical, contemporary music, waltz)

An admirable piano waltz by HRDY (Wouter Hardy), is a more than ideal taster of his upcoming first Album about to be released by the end of 2022…

“HRDY, also known as Wouter Hardy, is a Dutch composer, producer and musician. Hardy discovered the piano and played his way onto the stage with the artist Kovacs where he inhabited the role of musical director and pianist for some time.

Hardy made his 2019 global debut as a producer on the record ‘Arcade’ by Duncan Laurence. The song sits currently at #30 in the Billboard Hot 100 and Top 10 US Airplay.

Over the last months, Hardy has been working on his solo project HRDY, composing music to be released on his own studio album. Influenced by music pioneers such as Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Max Richter and Joep Beving, his compositions blend the styles of the neo-classical era with ambient, electronic sounds, resulting in multi-leveled, immersive and cinematic music pieces. HRDY released his EP on August 27, 2021 and will be complementing his full-length debut album in the course of the coming year.” (HRDY)

Soinà

(neoclassical, jazz)

A spotless neoclassical, noir jazz amalgam; A genuine soundtrack for the cold, winter nights by the fireplace…. Lovely stuff! 

“Irina Bouzmakova, Russian pianist and accordionist, Francesco Sgroi Baritone sax, tenor, alto and soprano. The Duo, thus composed, was born in 2018, from the meeting of the Russian pianist Irina Bouzmakova and the Italian saxophonist Francesco Sgroi. Contemporary, fluid and intriguing music project, first as a cover by artists such as Piazzolla, Galliano, Nyman, glass, Einaudi, Tyrsen and others, to develop a personal style and a repertoire between Jazz, contemporary and classic (we remember the collaboration in 2020 with the philosopher writer Marco Rocca in the context of the reinterpretation of the figure of Giacomo Puccini). In the winter of 2020 the vinyl recording “01 Metempsicosi” creates great attention in the field of “cultured independent” music A new album of originals will be released in the winter of 2021 and will then be distributed on these platforms. As a side project, the “HouseDanz 01” project consisting of electronic music produced and distributed under the same label .” (Soinà)

The Music

Christos Doukakis