What is Post-classical Music?
Post-classical music or Neo Classical music is a new musical genre emerged in 2000’s. Post-classical is the music is based on Classical music but it adapt electronics instruments and digital recording technologies, and is influenced by many other music genres. A characteristics of Post-classical Music is each music owns peculiar sound or mood because the recordings usually held by one musician, a musician and an engineer or few musicians and an engineer.
The forms of music are various and flexible, but piano solo, piano quintet and Electronica styles are popular.
Careers of Post-classical musicians are various and the extremes of traditional and non-traditional. Some musician studied the orthodox traditional education in an academy or a University. On the other hand, some musicians learned music with creating music by computer, DAW and electronic musical instruments. Many artists are influenced by many genres both Classic and Jazz especially, also such as Minimal Music, Cinema Score, Pop Music, Electronic Music, Electronica, Ethnic Music, Techno and Hip Hop.
Related genres are Modern Classical, 20th Century’s Classical Music, New Age, Ambient and Electronica. I think predecessors of Post-classical are George Winston, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Micheal Nyman, Harold Budd and Brian Eno. The representative Post-classical artists are Nils Frahm, Akira Kosemura, Dustin O’Harollan, Max Richter, Ólafur Arnalds and Carlos Cipa.
Fogo by Rolo Rossi (Shagradamadra, 2010)
A piano solo album by Rolo Rossi released in 2010. The profile of Rolo Rossi is unknown. He has released this album only. He must be a session pianist.
The taste of album is cool, refreshing, bright and dynamic. The compositions and his piano play are deeply influenced by Jazz, rhythm is swing, melodies are improvisational. This music resembles today’s Jazz Piano Solo like ones of Brad Mehldau, Alan Pasqua and Giovanni Mirabassi. But Rossi’s music is undoubtedly Post-classical or Classical music and there’s no cloudy and smoky harmonies of Jazz.
A good and unique style Post-classical piano solo album matches the summer season.
Compositions 2017-2019 by J. G. Robinson / Dead The Long Year
“J. G. Robinson” is the alternate project of Australian artist, Dead The Long Year.
“Compositions 2017-2019” must be a piano solo or piano dubbing album. The compositions are simple, apathetic and mindless or fantastic.
Various piano tones were made by settings of microphones and a compressor. You may mistake to hear the tones are an electric piano, an acoustic guitar or a synthesizer pad. Also e made use of reverb, echo, chorus and delay effecters, and he constructed good sound atmospheres, but the touches are few. On the other hand, the raw (dry parts of effecters) piano tones are clear and clean.
There are elements of Ambient like “Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror” by Brian Eno & Harold Budd, but this album is a good pure piano music.
Collected Piano Works by Ryan Teague (King Tree, 2022)
A compilation of Ryan Teague’s piano work EPs released in 2022.
“Sussurra” is piano solo Minimal Music suit of two songs. The compositions are deeply influenced by Phillip Glass.
“Inventions For Disklavier” is tree songs suit of Minimal Music like Steve Reich. The songs were made bu piano duo or piano dubbings and sythesizer pad long tone chord. This suit is Minimal Music but has bright and dynamic taste.
“Piano Study” is four song suit is consist of melancholic and minimal songs like Phillip Glass, Micheal Nyman, but there exists much a Classical Music taste like Chopin and Liszt. This suit resembles works of Fabrizio Paterlini and Dustin O’Halloran.
“Even Space” is a strange and mysterious song is made of a chord progression of a succession of diminish chords and augmented chords.
This album is a works of today’s Post-classical Music also deeply influenced by Minimal Music, I think. I recommend this album to people who want to listen to a refined and sophisticated Minimal Music.
Seasons of Piano by Starling ((Self Released?), 2023)
Very pretty, pure, bright, fresh and refreshing piano pieces are basically Classical and deeply influenced by Jazz, also have today’s Pop sense.
Composer | Starling Tan (Official Site)
Sense of Self by jazzD ((Self Released), 2023)
“Sense of Self” by jazzD is an eight tracked piano solo album. The regular work of jazzD is game composer of game programmer?
The compositions are beautiful and chic also bright, casual, funny and funky, so you can easy to listen. The piano plays in this album is half improvisational and swinging like Jazz and Blues. But it’s very clear and refreshing not ambiguous.
The music is so called an instrumental piano solo ChillHop or an instrumental game soundtrack work. I recommend this album to beginners of Post-classical, and ChillHop and Jazz fans.
Pianoworks by Eluvium (Temporary Residence, 2019)
The first piano solo album by an American Ambient and Electronica artist, Eluvium (Mathew Robert Cooper). A 25-tracked ample volume album.
The songs are simple and minimal compositions. No use of difficult chord progressions and play techniques. Calm and relaxing music, you can listen to it as “Ambient” or “Minimal Music”.
The songs are undoubtedly contemporary and new, but coexist nostalgic and sweet taste like American Traditional and Folk music, Blues and Ragtime. The compositions are few notes and touches, it makes good use of a studio ambience and reverb effects, and echoes of playing chord.
“Myriad Days” is a beautiful, cute and perfect composition or song with the impressive riff theme.
“Genius And The Thieves” is a nostalgic and ennui but simple but refreshing good song.
“In A Sense” is an apathetic, minimal and relaxing song.
“Prelude For Time Feelers” and “Radio Ballet” are arpeggio based minimal nostalgic, mellow and sentimental songs.
Eluvium / Mathew Robert Cooper (Official Site)
Piano Works Vol.1 by Bruno Bavota ((Self-released?), 2019)
A Twelve-tracked Post-classical piano solo album. The compositions are minimal and melancholic. The piano play made good use of arpeggio backings. I remember piano solo works of Philip Glass. The taste resembles Philip Glass and Fabrizio Paterlini. A good piano solo album for relaxing and reflection.
Bruno Bavota – Official Website
