Mirabai Ceiba – She (Video)

Categories: Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest, Video|Tags: , , |

“Peaceful and meditative work by Mirabai Ceiba. Acoustic performance dedicated to all the women out there. A song that opens a gate to inner self giving the chance for spiritual and emotional development.”

-Nagamag.com

The serene beauty of duo Mirabai Ceiba’s upcoming album The Quiet Hour is a timely antidote, set for a June 11th release on Spirit Voyage. Mastered by Martyn Heyne (7K!), gently plucked strings and beckoning textures lead the listener on an inward journey of calm centeredness. Angelika Baumbach’s voice wells up like an undulating stream, blossoming forth with sublime poetry.

The deep, loving bond between Baumbach and her musical life partner—multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Markus Sieber (Aukai)—is palpable, as their instruments and voices intertwine on Mirabai Ceiba’s most intimate and meditative album to date.

The serene new single “She” embraces calm acoustics, an inward pulse, and the defining quality of silence.

https://www.mirabaiceiba.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mirabaiceiba/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2qBg3GRK1U9XCkJ9JabBt3
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnjjMT2nK6LEQyUta6sCgTA

Andrei Poliakov Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , , |

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Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Andrei Poliakov:
The foundation of my works is a well-educated neoclassical, romantic soundscape, but as soon as the music begins, it starts looking for cross-over opportunities to develop into an exciting house-party, jazz, pop, or electronic music, all these easily transforming to warm classical follow-ups – hence the eclectic style which I hope helps me tell better stories without words.
Essentially, I treat a musical genre as an additional color for the compositions, like seasoning in food; these colors help me get the emotions across and tell the stories to the listener with better precision and stronger impact:

I do not feel bound by a genre or a style, and instead I use and abuse the variety of styles to paint a deeper and more colorful, meaningful musical picture. Nevertheless, the Piano is always staying as a centerpiece of my compositions as I believe the richness and diversity of sounds of the “king of music” easily trumps any other instrument I know


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Andrei Poliakov:
I am a professional musician, composer and producer, received a fundamental classical music master education as a pianist and an oboist in Russia, and then continued with the professional musical career performing with world-renowned orchestras. Later I diversified my musical taste and capacity into jazz, rock, and pop genres, performing and recording with various bands and solo.
Since 2012 I have been living in Switzerland, Geneva, engaging into various professional activities both in artistic and business domains.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Andrei Poliakov:
I started learning piano at a very early age of 3 or 4 years old: my parents are pianists and music has always been in the center of my life.
When I was in school (yes, seriously underage…) my favorite pastime while cutting lessons was to grab a couple of friends, buy a box of beers, go to a nearest abandoned building (which we had a lot in Russia in the 90s), sit down on a window sill, take a sip of a cold one, and put the 6th symphony by Tchaikovsky, or the 2nd (no, 3rd… any of them!) Rachmaninov’s piano concerto on a Walkman and basically drown in emotions and thoughts… and beer.

Hence, the music that has influenced me the most, comes from the second half of 19th – first half of 20th century – and I must admit, most of it is Russian music or music with Russian roots. Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Skryabin, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravinsky – but also Mahler, Bruckner, Richard Strauss – these composers influenced my taste the most. Depth of thought, wide array of emotions, unimaginable soundscape and extremely clever and elegant arrangement solutions; beautiful harmonies and melodies…

Being a teenager, I of course dived into the world of rock and pop music, starting with The Beatles - the band that still remains my all time favorite, and all the usual suspects: Queen, Michael Jackson, Metallica... and this journey continues to date.


Nagamag:
Is there a story behind your latest release "Moonlight" and would you like to share it?

Andrei Poliakov:
I dedicated this short piano essay to the Moon and to the most beautiful village in the world: Céligny - a tiny little place in Switzerland, where I live.
Céligny is inhabited by incredibly kind, smart, and very warm people, has an unbelievably rich and beautiful nature, and stunning views along with very old historical houses drowning in floral multi-coloredness, and there is #MontBlanc 🏔 on the horizon... and don't get me started on the birds' chirping and singing...

Once it was a home for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the latter is buried in the old cemetery of the village.

Céligny is an unfathomably cozy place on this planet, and I feel very blessed to have had a chance to engrave my very intimate memories of this village.

I have actually composed the Moonlight in the heart of a former water mill!

And then one early morning in February I woke up and couldn’t fall asleep again. I decided to go for a walk and took along a video camera, and there was a full Moon in the skies! I was so enchanted and intrigued by mysterious flair of that morning that I couldn’t stop the camera running - and then I decided to use some of that footage for the video of this track.


Nagamag:
Is Moonlight going to be a part of a bigger project you are working on right now?

Andrei Poliakov:
Yes, this new solo piano release “MOONLIGHT” is continuing to form my live album “Moonlight & Sunshine”, and it follows the previous releases of 2020: “Declaration of Love”, “Lullaby”, and “La Promenade in Paris”
The “Moonlight & Sunshine” album has an uncommon approach for the neoclassics genre: every next release features 2 different versions of one motive, coming to life as a piano solo piece, interpreting a narrative in the moonlight, and as a fully arranged piece, revealing the same story under the sunshine.

The album has been evolving live on the major streaming platforms as a playlist (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others), thereby gradually forming the full album as new pairs of tracks are released.

The album Moonlight & Sunshine on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3MCyNWldBXCbZdLKehspn2?si=882c2e2dc09d4074

In a few weeks I am planning to follow up and release the fully arranged track called "Sunshine", which is inspired by the melodics of Moonlight, but features a duet of piano and violin (played by a very talented violinist from Russia) and other instruments.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Andrei Poliakov:
The Beatles "Here comes the Sun"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Andrei Poliakov:
Ludovico Einaudi Una Mattina

Discover & Listen to Andrei Poliakov

Andrei Poliakov on Spotify

Andrei Poliakov's Signature Track

Andrei Poliakov on Social Media

Andrei Poliakov's Website

Sacha Hoedemaker Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , , , |

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Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Sacha Hoedemaker:
Cinematic Piano.
Often, his music is compared to film scores. Soundtracks.
Atmospheric Piano.
There is always a story in his music. A universal story.


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Sacha Hoedemaker:
Sacha started playing piano at the age of 8. After two years of piano lessons, he quit. Thinking; this is not for me.
Then he was cast as a musical accompanist at the age of 14 in a school musical. He fell in love with musicals and wanted to learn everything there was about musical theory. How were songs built up and what were recurring patterns, etc. He quickly realized that he had a good ear and started exploring different genres. After a couple years he was playing professionally for semi-pro singers as well as in theaters and restaurants as a background pianist. Always listening to how his music had an effect on the room.
This skill then became useful when he tried improvisational theater. He scored scenes with the same ears as listening to a busy restaurant. What is needed in order for the 'audience' to have a good time. Connecting music with emotions and stories. That's what makes him a highly sought after musical director.
Sacha is now a musical improviser. Envisioning a story and letting go of all that is distracting, through meditation and mindfulness. Using all his gathered knowledge about music in the last decade, and focusing it on his craft by creating a listening experience. On a daily basis, he plays for Europe's biggest improvisation theater called Boom Chicago. He graduated from the Abbey Road Institute in Amsterdam in 2020 and currently is running a growing home-studio called The Music Maker. At the start of 2020, he was looking for more creative outlets and he joined several collaborative projects, one of them resulted in an Emmy win. (#CreateTogether) He is the pianist for Dr. Peacock (in Concert).
He started releasing music during the pandemic, in August 2020, and has been growing his presence on the classical piano market ever since.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Sacha Hoedemaker:
Yes, after I had discovered that I could play anything.. I took on the challenge of learning Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. It took me a full week, but I managed to do it. I couldn't contain myself and kept playing new songs every day. From Classical to Pop and from Jazz to Gabber. Seeking to challenge myself, was a driving factor for me to keep coming up with, and taking on creative projects.


Nagamag:
What is your goal in terms of music?

Sacha Hoedemaker:
It has been a dream of mine to score a full feature film, as a composer.
Starting small, my initial goal is to create several cues, or score a short film. Help conveying a story in any way that I can. Too many stories are silenced, I see it as a my calling, to help tell some of those.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Sacha Hoedemaker:
Vulfpeck "1612"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Sacha Hoedemaker:
Elliot Jacques "Kaleidoscope"

Discover & Listen to Sacha Hoedemaker

Sacha Hoedemaker on Spotify

Sacha Hoedemaker's Signature Track

Sacha Hoedemaker on Social Media

Sacha Hoedemaker's Website

Alberto Rizzo Schettino Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

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Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Alberto Rizzo Schettino:
I write original music for film and video games. I play piano and keyboards and in the years I have gathered quite a collection of synthesizers, guitar amps and FX pedals. This definitely drives my music towards those instruments as I like to mix elements of electronic music (ambient, downtempo, glitch etc.) with more traditional orchestral instruments (strings, brass, percussion) and ethnic sounds from Africa and the Middle East. I try and mangle these original acoustic sounds from world music to be 'assimilated' by the machines, while still retaining their contrasting features. I try to maintain a delicate and constant fight between an industrial, cyberpunk and somehow dystopian sound palette and a more organic, classical setup with roaring strings and epic orchestral elements. I guess a lot of my work with techno artists and the club scene plays a role in what I imagine would be the sound of the streets and the underground in a distant future.


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Alberto Rizzo Schettino:
I've worked as a pianist/keyboardist for artists, bands and recording studios, mostly as a session musician. I've had my good share of live gigs in rock, acid jazz and fusion setups in which I would bring my keybards, guitar amps and guitar pedals and kinda force the stage to accept my sounds. I am not a fan of playing 'realistic instruments' live, and unfortunately you can achieve pretty good ones these days with keyboards.. but for me it's either acoustic piano, vintage keys or straight up synthesizers and mangled sounds. There's no in-between. In 2007 I opened my own recording studio, called 'Fuseroom' and I started producing records and keeping the facility open to music education programs. In the past years I went back to my role of composer and joined some game development companies (among which were some good friends of mine, from high school) to write original music for their video games. Getting back to writing music by myself was an adventure and somehow reconnected me with an artistic self that I had kept asleep for a while. It was a good time to get back at it and I was able to use this momentum to release a new solo record, called 'Future in the Past', highlighting some of the most iconic elements of my sound and songwriting, in the soundtrack genre.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Alberto Rizzo Schettino:
As a kid I was lucky to have friends who one day told me on the phone: "We're making a band. What do you want to play?". It was that simple. We wanted to move from air guitars and air drums using broomsticks and empty soda bottles to playing for real. I looked around, I had a small digital keyboard I had been playing since I was in primary school and decided that I wanted to play piano and go to a real teacher. I started both classical and modern piano together and never stopped taking lessons from the day. At around 18 I felt like I had to choose and was captivated by modern music. I've played in pop/rock bands, jazz ensembles, small freestyle and acid jazz bands etc. especially when I moved my beautiful (but small) town of Firenze (Italy) to continue studying in Los Angeles. I cannot remember how many people I've played with and whose projects I joined. From there on I kept on studying, moving cities, attending to more music academies in the US and in Europe. If there was one constant that never left me is that I do not partake in projects that I do not like. I just cannot do it. I've studied to be a professional musician and I am happy to provide others with my expertise but I have to hear some kind of pulse in the project. Exposure, fame, money, you name it.. they just do not cut it in the end as I cannot go to sleep and look at myself in the mirror if I am doing something I do not genuinely and directly enjoy. I guess that spontaneous phone call from my friends when we were kids really left a mark.


Nagamag:
Is there a cliché or recurring pattern in the way you come up with a new piece of music?

Alberto Rizzo Schettino:
With the passing of time (and things become more recurring or fixed, with deadlines, revisions, team discussion, production supervisors and so on) I noticed that I start working on a song only after I can hear it in my head 'enough', over the course of a couple days. It is kinda funny to say that but once I receive the initial brief for a new music project and the team or production sends me guidelines for the vibe they are looking for, I do not sit at the instrument and try to put down ideas. I just let things breathe for a couple days and I start thinking about a tune. It might happen at the worst time or before falling asleep. If the idea is good, in a couple days I can always recall the main theme and at least the B-section that answers it. That is usually the right time for me to sit down, turn my computer on and start writing music.


Nagamag:
If you only had to keep one musical instrument, what would it be?

Alberto Rizzo Schettino:
This would be very challenging. I certainly consider the acoustic piano as my foundation but I have so many instruments that I like for their specific sound palette, some of which have almost healing properties when played, in my opinion. I would have a very hard time parting from my Voyager, Polysix, Juno-6 and Hammond, as well. Please do not make choose! ;)


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Alberto Rizzo Schettino:
Andy Summers Mysterious Barricades


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Alberto Rizzo Schettino:
Ola Strandh Tom Clancy's The Division (Original Soundtrack)

Discover & Listen to Alberto Rizzo Schettino

Alberto Rizzo Schettino on Spotify

Alberto Rizzo Schettino's Signature Track

Alberto Rizzo Schettino on Social Media

Alberto Rizzo Schettino's Website

Innocenzo Genna Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

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Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Innocenzo Genna:
My solo-piano compositions of Innocenzo Genna fall within the categories of neoclassical, with frequent combinations into blues and jazz. I am similarly conservative as a composer, for my music drawing heavily on harmonic and melodic practices found in 18th and 19th-century European compositions


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Innocenzo Genna:
I always lived music in multiple dimensions: as a musician, firstly performer and entertainer, and then composer, but also as a technology scholar. My interest in music is not only artistic and emotional, but also professional, because for years I have been working in the Internet and technology sector as a lawyer and policy expert, so as to be involved in the major political debates concerning music and technology: from P2P to online piracy, from online platforms to the liberalization of collecting societies, up to the recent European copyright reform. Such an intense professional activity enriched my musical vocation, while adapting my classical practice with modern and pop piano, blues and jazz, so as arranging the various genres into a personal compositional style. The many trips in Italy and abroad have contributed to creating the context of images, memories and fantasies from which his compositions are born.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Innocenzo Genna:
When I was 4 years old my father forgot to pick me up from the nursery. While waiting for my father arrival, the nuns left me own the refectory where an old piano stand. I spent a couple of hours trying to play it, I was aware that it was not a toy, it was something to be treated with respect. From that point onwards, I was fascinated by pianos


Nagamag:
When did you start to compose music?

Innocenzo Genna:
The father of a friend of mine had a grand piano and lots of jazz and blues music sheets. he invited me to play them. For me it was a kind of revelation, because I finally found out the name and the notes of music I have been looking for (there was not Youtube an that time). Bacharach, Mancini, Lewis, ecc . It was a re relation from me. By reading such notes, I realized that there is something even greater than playing music: composing music. I was 16 years old.


Nagamag:
When did you start to publish your music?

Innocenzo Genna:
Very late, because normally I was playing in public as an entertainer and a club pianist, not as a composer. I always found my music to be too delicate and introspective to be played in events with a large audience. However, some people accidentally heard my compositions during private events, and they strongly urged me to publish it.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Innocenzo Genna:
Keith Emeson "Inferno - Main Title Theme"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Innocenzo Genna:
Ryuichi Sakamoto "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"

Discover & Listen to Innocenzo Genna

Innocenzo Genna on Spotify

Innocenzo Genna's Signature Track

Innocenzo Genna on Social Media

Innocenzo Genna's Website

Florejan – The Second Fall (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest|Tags: , , , , |

“All the beauty and lightness of a classical piano piece in the new single by maestro Florejan - The Second Fall. Everything you and your soul need in one composition.”

“Вся красота и лёгкость классического фортепианного произведения в новом сингле маэстро Florejan - The Second Fall. Всё, что нужно вам и вашей душе в одной композиции.”

-Nagamag.com

Florejan Verschueren (°1978) lives in Belgium together with his wife and their four children. He has been passionate about music ever since he was knee-high to a grashopper, and has been roaming the city and Belgium with numerous musical projects, in different styles.

At home he finds peace in his music room. The grand piano - a gift from his granddad to his father - adds a dash of grandeur to the room. This is Florejan’s musical sanctuary, a place that allows him to submerge himself into reverie. The trees outside follow the rhythm of the seasons, and set the pace at which Florejan composes new music. Harmony and balance. This has led to 'Piano Piano', an album that embraces rest and contemplation. It is process of growth, part of the cycle of life. It should not surprise anyone that the working title for 'Piano Piano' was 'WINTER', a season that breathes resourcing and reflection.

Florejan has stripped every composition to the bone, to the bare essence of the song. It has been an exercise in letting go and a quest for finding beauty and purity. Seemingly easy listening, the melodies conceal a profound richness. Each song is a trip, telling a story with many layers.

Who else but illustrator Sassafras De Bruyn could provide this album with the right images? It was a match made in heaven: beautiful drawings as a perfect answer to the multi-layered music.

'Piano Piano' is a very personal record and shows a part of Florejan that not many people have already discovered. The album will be released end of november 2019

https://www.instagram.com/florejan_/
https://www.facebook.com/florejan.be

Mason Stephenson Interview on Nagamag

Categories: Features, Interviews, Neoclassical Features, Neoclassical Interviews, The Latest|Tags: , , , , , , , |

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Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Mason Stephenson:
My music focuses on a romantic/classic style and features a melancholy and peaceful sound.


Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Mason Stephenson:
I have played piano for around four years, on and off, and I began writing my own pieces at the start of 2020. Since then I have released two pieces and I have more pieces ready for release in the near future.


Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Mason Stephenson:
I played piano for the first time in secondary school but not long after, I decided to play guitar which my best friend taught me. I used to play guitar in a heavy metal band for a few years before going back to piano and discovering my love for classical music.


Nagamag:
What is your creative process like?

Mason Stephenson:
I am a big believer of just playing the way you feel. Wether that be pouring your feelings into music as a way of release or delving into your emotions for a great sense of connection with what you play.


Nagamag:
Who are some of your influences?

Mason Stephenson:
My favourite composer will always be Chopin. I always feel that his pieces contain so much raw emotion and are so intricate that they will always interest me. In modern classical I am also a big lover of a composer called Eric Christian, his music is massively romantic which is one of my favourite qualities of piano pieces. I find that romantic pieces can really tell a story and paint a picture in your mind without the need for words. I find that being able to tell a story with only notes and melody is a truly remarkable art form.


Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Mason Stephenson:
Fleetwood Mac "Rhiannon"


Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Mason Stephenson:
Eric Christian "Valse Arabesque No.1"

Discover & Listen to Mason Stephenson

Mason Stephenson on Spotify

Mason Stephenson's Signature Track

Mason Stephenson on Social Media

Omar Raafat – Infinity (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest|Tags: , , , , |

“Out of all the beautiful, cinematic productions, Omar Raafat created a real miracle for us. His new work, -Infinity- confirms that. Wonderful emotional melodic lines and wise story telling here. ”

“Одно из самых красивых, кинематографичных произведений, которое стало для нас истинным откровением в начале 2021 года. Omar Raafat сотворил настоящее чудо. Его новая работа Infinity тому подтверждение.”

-Nagamag.com

New Contemporary Classical Track that features piano, string quartet and electronic beats and synthesizers.

Emma Paunil – Falcon of the Almighty (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest|Tags: , , , , |

“Each note that radiates its warmth with such trepidation carries the sounds of a charming piano for thousands of kilometers. Spirit Animal: Transformative Piano is an amazing gift for all of us from Emma Paunil.”

“Каждая нота, которая с таким трепетом излучает свою теплоту, разносит на тысячи километров звуки очаровательного пиано. Spirit Animal: Transformative Piano - это удивительный подарок всем нам от Emma Paunil.”

-Nagamag.com

"Falcon of the Almighty" was improvised from the inspiration of Baháʼu'lláh and his statement, "...I am the royal Falcon on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of every broken bird and start it on its flight.”
https://www.emmapaunil.com/

Daniel Blacksmith – Autogénesis (Spotify)

Categories: Audio, Features, Neoclassical, Neoclassical Features, The Latest|Tags: , , |

“We are sure that there is no one whose soul strings have not touched the soulful sounds of the piano. Daniel Blacksmith paints his worlds like an artist with an invisible brush. His new work Autogénesis is the pleasing and intelligible coherence of neoclassical sounds.”

“Мы уверены, что нет никого, чьи струны души не задевали душевные звуки фортепиано. Daniel Blacksmith словно художник невидимой кистью рисует свои миры. Его новая работа Autogénesis - это приятная для слуха и постигаемая разумом слаженность звуков неоклассики.”

-Nagamag.com

Autogénesis refers to the process by which a subject is created by itself: a musical exploration of how a single instrument can lead to multiple atmospheres, from string-like textures to fragmentary sonorities, all of which originates from a piano recording. This approach to music composition was inspired by the decision-making process, and how the decisions we take determine what we actually are. Together with the song, a videoclip with two contemporary dancers is being produced, where the same ideas are translated into movement and light. The piece is aimed not only at a wide audience of listeners in the search of inner calm and inspiration, but also serve as a stand-alone artwork in museums and galleries.

Daniel Blacksmith is a spanish composer and multi-instrumentalist.

After ten years working in recording studio as audio engineer and music producer he release his first album "Química y Contexto: Destino".

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