Are you a big fan of classical music composed by Mozart, Handel, Beethoven, and more? If you’re a fan of this brilliant classical music, you might need to try what contemporary classical music sounds like.
Contemporary classical music refers from the mid-2000s to the present-day classical composition. It’s also known as contemporary music alone. Also, the definition of the music itself is quite unclear, but it has post-tonal music set around 1945. Post-tonal means that the music system followed is outside the characteristics of the Baroque, Romantic, and Classical periods.
However, some contemporary music composers continue the tradition of modernism, and others try to go on different paths. These paths use modern electronic instruments and programs to develop their music. If you’re already a fan of them, you’d surely want to grab a piece signed by music artists, and it’s fine. It’s what every classical music fan would do.
Furthermore, if you want to dive deeply into contemporary music, here are the best picks you would love to hear in 2021:
1. Sleep By Max Richter
The contemporary music Sleep was composed in 2015 by the pianist Max Richter, and what inspired him to compose this piece? Yes, you may have guessed it right—it’s the essence of sleep. Also, the entire piece lasts for eight hours and thirty minutes and could make you feel sleepy before you finish the composition.
However, as he was motivated by the essence of sleep, the piece’s goal is not to help its listeners sleep but to showcase different harmonies similar to the process of sleeping in humans. The Sleep piece is fast-paced with switch-on patterns that may slide in and out like sleep.
2. The Piano Music Of Ludovico Einaudi
If you’re looking for a perfectly relaxing yet simple composition, then you should try several pieces composed by an Italian composer and pianist, Ludovico Einaudi. His composition will guarantee a relaxing moment you’ll never experience in your life.
If this is your first time hearing him, you may begin by listening to his compositions named ‘Le Onde’ and ‘I Giorni,’ which both have a magnificent combination of harmony and melody. This is a perfect piece for the composer’s introduction to those who don’t know him.
Additionally, Einaudi perfectly completed his project named ‘Seven Days Walking.’ It’s a minimalist composition showing his mastery of musical arts with utmost clarity and beauty. Also, he completed this project by producing one music album for seven consecutive months.
3. Violin Concerto, Second Movement By Philip Glass
This Philip Glass violin concerto piece will always knock you down due to its perfect and well-balanced harmony with its soaring and sustained notes. Every part of the second movement will make you feel up in the air as it carries you with its soothing and relaxing notes. Add to that the perfect orchestral music that balances every tone and melody of the violinist’s violin. The whole composition itself is truly a masterpiece everyone needs to hear.
If you love listening to this piece, you may want to try the atmospheric beauty of minimalist compositions such as Metamorphosis No. 2.
4. Sailing (From The Three Ships) By Errollyn Wallen
Do you want to experience a relaxing feeling similar to riding a boat on a pleasant day? If you’re longing for a relaxing boat trip, then you should try to listen to Errollyn Wallen’s Sailing.
Unlike other compositions mentioned above, this piece uses a solo classical guitar to carry you into a higher place of blissfulness. Furthermore, you’ll surely get a goodnight’s sleep even in broad daylight.
5. Recomposed: Bach—The Cello Suites By Peter Gregson
Peter Gregson is a Scottish cellist who adapted the brilliant composition of the music virtuoso Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites to his music piece, bringing new light to the classic and naming it Recomposed by Peter Gregson: Bach – The Cello Suites.
The whole piece is a masterpiece as every melody and harmony of the Baroque composition was perfectly balanced and adapted to his composition. It’s truly a work of art. Additionally, it has magnificent and relaxing sounds added with electronic tones familiar to Bach’s way of composition.
Furthermore, this piece is a part of the Recomposed series produced in 2012 with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Final Words
So, does this list grab your attention to try the beautiful, harmonious, and atmospherically relaxing contemporary classical music? One of the primary goals of contemporary music is to align the connection between the great compositions of the past and today’s genre. However, much has been changed until it becomes new music in its own magnificence.
Furthermore, if you’re looking for some great piece to relax, you may try the second on this list, The Piano Music of Einaudi. After that, you may explore other contemporary compositions and enjoy the blissfulness they bring.
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