Four neoclassical pieces to help you keep midweek calm

Neoclassical is a genre that has become a favorite of mine over the years. Maybe it’s that I’m aging (we call that maturing, right?), but sometimes I’d rather here a sweet piano piece rather than a raucous indie rock jam. These three songs are sure to help you bring down that blood pressure and relax at midweek.

Jamison Isaak – “Sharalee”
-Something about the melody reminds me of a hymn. Some of the backing sounds stay in the high tones, but they present a calming background for the overall mood. As those higher notes resolve into proper chords, you feel a genuine cool vibe of resolution. I don’t know much about the technique on the piano or with the electronics, but what I feel in the song is a deep sense of relaxation and calm. It’s beautiful.

Lars Jakob Rudjord – “Pharos”
-This piece has a moving, evocative piano part. It rolls right along with a sense of urgency. It feels a bit like a cinematic main anthem to a scene where the characters set out on an adventure. As the strings enter, you feel a sense of being a part of the adventure too. I love when a song can pull you in like this. It makes me want to read and dream and even write a little. I imagine characters emerging from this glorious melody and I can’t wait to meet them.

Piotr Wiese – “Walking in the Fog”
-Every once in a while an artist just nails the title of the song and Wiese has done that here. This song absolutely feels like walking in fog. It is simultaneously calming as well as terrifying. What could be out there? At any moment I could be under attack… yet the fog lays over the ground with such grace. It looks so calming and comfortable. The articulation on each piano note feels just like this. It’s delightfully calming, yet in the uptempo sections you’ll feel some genuine urgency.

Ben Laver – “Sleep”
-This contemplative song is quintessential neoclassical. The piano rolls along with a calming sobriety. Yet the song has an incredible sense of energy to it. The sound of the pedals comes through, giving the song a gritty realism. This is not the work of studio magic. This is a real box of strings expressing the depth of human heart. And yes, it could absolutely put you to sleep.