Once upon a time classical music was the backdrop for everyday life.  Opera companies entertained cowboys on the American frontier, and barroom piano players were wont to throw in Chopin waltzes between Irving Berlin ditties and Scott Joplin rags.  Today "classical" has become synonymous with ivory tower intellectualism, stuff that's incredibly difficult to play and even harder to hear... or with blue-haired ladies clapping politely after yet another soporific rendition of The Old Cliches.  

Fredrik Klingwall's music is unquestionably rooted in the classics.  He draws on Rachmaninoff's lyrical melodicism and Ralph Vaughan Williams' epic grandeur, yet remains as accessible as "popular" composers like Tchaikovsky, Morricone or John Williams.  Klingwall is also an artist who shows both patience and dedication.  Many graphic artists who take up music believe that "creative vision" -- or computer wizardry -- will make up for technical shortcomings.  Klingwall trained himself on a piano, later taking performance, theory and composition classes.  Instead of emulating the latest Synthcheese trend, he went straight to the wellspring; big, loud and romantic classical music.  

After the academics took over modern classical music, many composers turned to film scores.  Yr. Snooty Music Ph.D. might scorn things like emotional impact and catchy melody... but movie directors knew a good thing when they heard one.  Klingwall's music has that cinematic flair; it's evocative and dramatic, but also pithy.  None of the four tracks on this CD-R are longer than 3'30", yet each establishes and sustains a mood.   

The slow infernal march which closes things wouldn't be out of place in a war film, with its martial bass drum conjoined with horns and a dissonant violin backing, while the breathtaking strings and Eastern European flair of track 3 might even have rescued Coppola's Dracula.   (Klingwall has a real flair for string arrangements; I was particularly impressed by the mournful cello threnody on track 2).  Throughout the mood is "All Stops Pulled."  Klingwall is an unabashed romantic, whose music is filled with soaring passages and symphonic chords.  

If you're getting bored with your current CD collection and want to expand your listening frontiers, why not give classical music another listen? Klingwall's work, which is complex enough to be rewarding yet listenable as a Dead Can Dance release, is a great bridge between the two worlds, and would make for an excellent introduction to this foreboding and oft-maligned genre.

Fredrik Klingwall on MP3 
http://www.mp3.com/fredrikklingwall