William Orbit makes classical music hip for a new generation.
In a music industry where hip-hop, pop music and fast beats are the norm, it doesn’t seem cool to like classical music.
But William Orbit’s new release “Pieces in a Modern Style,” he brings classical back toward the mainstream.
“Pieces in a Modern Style” contains 11 classical songs ranging from the Baroque-era work of Vivaldi and Handel, to early 19th-century Beethoven compositions, to the early 20th-century pieces by Barber, Cage, and Mascagni, ending with the most recent work by Henryk Gorecki.
Orbit has made some connection with the songs on “Pieces in a Modern Style.” He has an understanding of what they mean to him, and he has reinterpreted that meaning into a great album.
“The key to the whole album was the choice of the repertoire and not stylistic considerations,” Orbit explained in a press release on his Web site. “I wanted to avoid clichés that had been done to death. What draws me to any type of music is the strength of the tunes and melody. These pieces have stood the test of time and can be interpreted in any era.”
Orbit didn’t just take recordings of these songs and put a beat in the background. Instead, he remade each piece with a synthesizer, taking advantage of ambient sounds to recreate the songs much in their original fashion but with that 21st-century twist.
Orbit most recently worked with Madonna on her album “Ray of Light,” which he co-wrote and co-produced. He also produced Blur’s latest album and has done remixes for such famous artists as Seal, Sting and Peter Gabriel.
“Pieces in a Modern Style” is obviously not for everybody. Its ambient sounds are not well-suited for driving down the highway or to a big party. They are perfect, however, for creating a serene mood, such as during finals week.
While some may condemn the album for being unoriginal, I applaud his resolve in making an album that doesn’t fit either in the world of pop music or classical music. In the best scenario, this album will serve as a means to bridge that gap.