Listen to music by Greek composer Manos Milonakis on his new album Festen.

Manos Milonakis is a composer from Thessaloniki, Greece. His Twitter page describes his music as “minimal, modern classical, experimental”. Manos produces modern classical music for films and theatrical plays, as well as for his independent solo work, and also works as a freelance architect at his own architectural studio in Thessaloniki. He’s a former member of the multi-instrumental cinematic-folk musical duet of Your Hand in Mine.

He composed the original score for a theatrical adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg’s film Festen for the National Theatre of Northern Greece – a soundscape odyssey fusing piano, wurlitzer piano, synthesizers, persephone, glockenspiel, violin, viola, cello, guitar, beat programming, and loop processing.

New Album

Enjoy his latest album.

Festen (2017) – 12 songs, 32 min

Playlist

Here is my playlist of his songs.

Manos Milonakis (Playlist) – 14 songs, 41 min

Albums

This is an earlier studio album.

Zyklon (2015) – 10 songs, 25 min

Single

Here is a single (EP).

Sólfar (2016) – 5 songs, 21 min

SoundCloud

Listen to some cinematic, folk, electronic, and post-pop tracks on SoundCloud.

Drink And Be Merry – Main Theme (2016) – 4 min 38 sec

A Neighborhood At The Limit – Reality Theme (2016) – 3 min 23 sec

Urban Lightscapes [Theme I, II, III] – (2018) – 3 songs, 7 min 46 sec

Researcher’s Night 2017 (music for dance) [Time, Wormhole, Entropy] – (2018) – 3 songs, 5 min 52 sec

Video

This is a brief trailer for the new album.

Festen (Album Trailer) (2017) – 33 sec

 
Here is a video with background about the making of his album.

Making of Festen (2017) – 1 min 50 sec

 
Here is the trailer with his original music score composed for Waiting for Godot (Samuel Beckett), which just opened at the Vassiliko Theatre of the National Theatre of Northern Greece in Thessaloniki.

Waiting for Godot (Trailer) (2018) – 1 min 33 sec

Links

These are links to his website, social media, and general information.

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube

These are links to artist pages for music players and stores.

• Last.fm
• Napster
• Deezer
• Amazon
• Apple Music
• Google Play Music

Photo credit: Festen @ Amazon (album cover)

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Listen to solo piano music by Juan Maria Solare on his new (10th) album Sombras blancas (White Shadows – Weiße Schatten).

He is an Argentine composer and pianist who teaches piano and tango music, and conducts several orchestras in Bremen, Germany, where he’s been since 1993.

Album

Enjoy the new album.

Sombras blancas – 19 songs, 59 mins

He composed all tracks except #1 (Frédéric Chopin) and #3 (Chinese or Russian folk song), and also performed, recorded and produced them. He provided these notes about the album on his website:

The paradoxical term sombras blancas (White Shadows) can refer to problems in life that don’t leave negative sequels or by-products. It also means: foreshadows of good things to come. And if shadows are like a mirror of our bodies (or souls), a “white shadow” reflects the luminous part of us.

Translated into everyday language: it’s about music that underlines our most positive aspects. Entertaining, but with depth.

The influence of tango music in this programme is undeniable (after all, Yours Truly was born in Argentina); however, this album’s music goes far beyond tango and reveals my classical background – such as Chopin.

Sombras blancas covers three decades of my pianistic output, from 1985 to 2016.

Casually, many of these white shadows are related to women that were or are important in my life, and not only couples or unfulfilled loves: Edelmira and -especially- Flora were my nannies in my first months and years of life.

Casually also, many of these pieces are in the key of E minor.

The phrase Sombras blancas stems from a poem by Barthold Hinrich Brockes (Hamburg 1680-1747), “Kirschblüte bei der Nacht” (Cherry blossoms at night), where an extreme, celestial whiteness is described, and where one of its lines says “sogar den Schatten weiß und sonder Schwärze hat” (even the shadow is white and void of any black). A nice thought, albeit extreme utopian, since absolute whiteness -immaculate perfection- belongs to angels, not humans.

Video

Here is a video of a song from the album that was recorded of a live performance at the University of Bremen.

Departure – 2 mins 24 sec

This is a video for another song from the album with images of the water fountain in Plaza de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain. The German expression “Zwischen den Jahren” refers to the last days of December (from Christmas) and the first days of January (An equivalent would be “Boxing Week”).

Zwischen den Jahren (Between the Years) – 2 mins 47 sec

 
Listen to more of his music at my Juan Maria Solare post with albums, videos, and links. This new album will be included there as well.

Photo credit: Sombras blancas @ Amazon (album cover)

Listen to solo piano music by Matthew Mayer on his new album Ardor, which has been nominated for 2017 Whisperings Solo Piano Album of the Year.

New Album

Enjoy his new album.

Ardor (2017) – 12 songs, 42 min

Listen to more music by Matthew Mayer: albums, videos, and links

Listen to solo piano music by David Hicken on his latest album Momentum. Also watch videos of him playing all the songs, as well as several other recent compositions.

Latest Album

Momentum (2017) – 12 songs, 45 min

Watch videos of him playing all these songs, as well as several other new compositions…

Listen to a new solo piano single and video for Northern Lights) from Michele McLaughlin. A perfect soundtrack for an amazing video, which she created and edited herself.

New Single

Northern Lights – 1 song, 4 min 31 sec

Video

The Aurora Borealis starts as a flicker in the night sky, and then grows into a spectacular and mystifying light show, before it finishes as a flicker of light disappearing into the darkness.

Northern Lights – 1 song, 4 min 31 sec

Playlist

Also, here is my playlist of her songs, if you want to enjoy more of her music.

Michele McLaughlin (Playlist)  – 51 songs, 2 hr 59 min

Photo credit: Northern Lights (Amazon album cover)

Listen to solo piano music by Kathryn Kaye on her new (7th) album Songs of Changing Light. This compilation album includes songs inspired by light and nature from her previous albums, but this time they are all piano solos. There’s is a nice review of the album by Kathy Parsons at MainlyPiano.

Songs of Changing Light (2018) – 14 songs, 57 min

Playlist

If you want to hear more of her wonderful music, listen to my playlist of her songs.

Kathryn Kaye (Playlist) – 68 songs, 5 hr

See my Kathryn Kaye music post with her albums, videos, and links. This new album has been included there as well, along with my updated playlist.

Photo credit: Songs of Changing Light @ Amazon (album cover)