"Classical with Attitude" Set for Release
Barron Ryan
Classical with Attitude is concert music with a bite, the dazzling debut album of young pianist Barron Ryan. A carefully curated collection that Barron has honed throughout his musical career, all the selections have strong jazz or ragtime influences that allow Barron’s technical prowess, sensitive musicality, and suave jazz stylings to shine.
The album’s conception is a result of Barron’s performance tour in Israel, a prize for winning the Oklahoma Israel Exchange Young Artists Competition. Charged with creating a classical performance, he wanted to bring a concert unlike any that his audience had seen or heard before. Barron chose music that he felt would not only display the musicianship by which he won the competition, but would also showcase the music borne of his native country. The result was a unique blend of the old and new, the familiar and the obscure—a performance that brought audiences from Israel to Japan to their feet.
While Barron’s classical roots are clear in his take on Gershwin’s Preludes for Pianoand Rhapsody in Blue, his love of American music brings together rags from William Bolcom and works by Nikolai Kapustin. The pianist’s mastery of his instrument is outstripped only by his energy and lyrical touch, bringing forth the mischief in Bolcom’s “Poltergeist,” the grace of Gershwin’s soaring melodies, and the swagger of Kapustin’s “Toccatina.” The distinctive styles of these three composers combine to make a compelling and cohesive work that’s sure delight listeners with familiar music and intrigue them with new discoveries. Bringing together Barron’s skill and abundance of natural talent, Classical With Attitude is a stellar debut album that brings classical music to the modern audience.
Classical with Attitude is scheduled for release on March 12, 2013. It will be available for purchase or download online, and in Tulsa, OK area retail locations such as Dwelling Spaces, Ida Red and Foolish Things Coffee Company. Click hereto purchase.