Review Summary: An exercise in tranquility.
Classical music has fallen out of vogue over a century ago. Our limited interaction with the forefather of music is in box office blockbusters where the strings, horns, and pianos merely accentuate the villain's entrance theme or the dawn of battle. Why has our reverence for great composers become a relic of a bygone era? Is it because the music is dull by comparison? Certainly not. Is it our modern age dwindling attention spans? Possibly. The most probable answer is that we have a misconception of contemporary classical music. When we hear "classical" we hear the giants of the Romantic period, such as Beethoven, Wagner, Liszt, and Brahms. This, of course, isn't to say that the Romantic composers are trite or ordinary – we have simply become too acquainted with their sound.
Moreover, music is a cultural affair. Beethoven's work was composed for the people of his time. Each note stirred meaning and rang understanding amongst the people of that age in a manner that we undoubtedly cannot experience to the same degree. Ironomi's Niji would similarly be lost on the listener in the 18th century. The raging crescendos that mimic the waves of a raging storm at sea that we see in Beethoven's infamous 5th symphony are traded in for the sound of light raindrops dancing off a pan while piano keys are delicately pressed down. Niji is a restrained affair that, confusingly enough, creates a vast landscape for these notes to ring out into the ether. It is a quiet piece for an incessantly noisy world. Where the pressures of modern society beckon you to remain in a constant state of motion, Niji encourages you to take a reprieve from the condemned hamster wheel you continue to spin. Aside from the increasingly sedated and calming nature, there are also blissfully enamoring tracks like the fifth featuring Haruka Nakamura. The fifth offering on this piece is a 19-minute epic where the piano steps into a beautiful waltz with an expertly played acoustic guitar that somehow conveys the same emotional depth as a large ensemble. In short, contemporary classical is increasingly diverse and has much more to offer than being an afterthought in a superhero franchise film. Contemporary classical communicates various emotions capable of striking a chord in you in much the same manner as Beethoven was able to strike a chord in the people of his century.
