In today’s music landscape, the digital album has become the dominant format for both artists and listeners. While vinyl, cassette tapes, and CDs once defined how we experienced music, the digital album now stands at the center of modern music distribution. But how did we get here? And what does this shift mean for the way we create, share, and consume music?

There are artists who compose music, and then there are artists who reveal something of the world—and of themselves—through sound. Andrew Keese belongs to the latter. An Australian composer, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist, his work resists easy categorization. It walks the line between neoclassical, ambient, and post-rock, but never settles comfortably into any single label. What sets him apart is not just his aesthetic, but the way his music feels lived rooted in experie

Lalo Schifrin, the legendary composer behind the unforgettable Mission: Impossible theme, passed away on June 26, 2025, at the age of 93. His music has pulsed through the heart of modern cinema and television for over seven decades. Best known for his masterful fusion of jazz, classical, and Latin influences, Schifrin's work has become synonymous with tension, motion, and cinematic cool. With a career that bridged continents, genres, and generations,

As someone who has had the honor of working with Matteo Ramon Arevalos, listening to his new album LEO felt like stepping once more into a realm of sonic wonder—a place where the familiar transforms and the piano becomes not just an instrument, but a world.

Michael Friedinger’s latest single Sundowner is a luminous blend of smooth jazz, Latin groove, and chill-out elegance—a sonic breeze that arrives just in time for golden hour. This five-minute instrumental piece invites listeners to unwind, sway, and surrender to its warm, rhythmic embrace. At the heart of Sundowner lies a delicate interplay between piano and saxophone, two voices in an intimate conversation, each note charged with emotion and mutual understanding.

Like a mist rising over a forgotten forest lake, Tendrils emerges as a rare bloom—both haunted and alive, intimate and ungraspable. The second LP from Old Man of the Woods, the alias of Seattle-based multidisciplinary artist Miranda Elliott, is an experimental, ethereal electro-acoustic offering—a devotional sung from a distance, whispered through cracked walls and rusted hinges.

Iran’s musical heritage is one of the oldest in the world, rooted in centuries of rich modal systems and poetic traditions. While traditional Persian music has always played a central role in Iranian identity, the incorporation of Western classical music began in earnest during the Qajar and Pahlavi eras, particularly in the early 20th century.

Velvet Lark invites us into a quiet world of faded memories and sonic fragments in Letters Never Sent, a debut album composed like a handwritten note left on a windowsill—personal, tender, and ephemeral. The project unfolds in seven delicate pieces, just over ten minutes long, but rich with the weight of emotion, memory, and unspoken thoughts.

Avalon Skies’ debut full-length album A Shape of Thought is not here to dazzle with overstatement—it’s here to exist. Gently, honestly, and with emotional depth. What began, in the artist’s words, during a mentally challenging time has evolved into “a healing journey and a path to getting to know my own thoughts.” That sense of inward reflection permeates the album’s pacing, structure, and sound design.

We Are All Bots by Andrea Pizzo and the Purple Mice is a compact yet ambitious concept EP that fuses electro-rock, cinematic orchestration, and operatic flair into a thirteen-minute exploration of humanity’s identity in a digitized universe. Across its three tracks—We Are All Bots, To the Space and Beyond, and Eternità—the listener is taken on a symbolic journey through technology, space, and the timeless myth of immortality.

I recently attended Rahvusooper Estonia's Võluflööt (The Magic Flute) by W.A. Mozart, and it was, as always, a musical and theatrical highlight in the heart of Tallinn. Yes—the one with the famously challenging “Queen of the Night” aria that continues to captivate audiences and challenge sopranos. The performance offered a delightful experience with top-tier music direction by Arvo Volmer, stunning costumes, and dedicated vocal performances. However, not every element shone e

In Principle of Least Action, guitarist and composer Ricardo Urquiza has crafted an exceptional conceptual EP rooted in both physical law and musical structure. The title is borrowed from a fundamental idea in physics—that nature follows the path of least resistance, or least effort. Ricardo transforms this scientific principle into a musical metaphor, navigating through structured harmonic repetition and fluid improvisation with elegance and intention.

When we think of contemporary classical music, our minds often immediately jump to Western orchestral or electronic instrumentation—or experimental textures made from unconventional sounds. But in the event of Iranian Music Evening at Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia, the concert centered around a traditional Iranian instrument and gave us a compelling example of contemporary classical expression with deep cultural roots.

Usually, I write about classical, contemporary, and jazz music—but this time, I’m stepping outside my usual territory to explore a piece that blends pop, Latin, and hip-hop. Close Tu Di Vine by David Munoz is a genre-blurring work that caught my attention primarily because of its instrumentation.

The journey of classical music has seen grand transformations over the centuries. What started as the structured compositions of Bach and Mozart has evolved dramatically, impacting modern musical expressions globally. In this blog post, we will explore how classical compositions have adapted, merged, and thrived in contemporary society while influencing various genres.

African music has long been a wellspring of rhythmic innovation, spiritual depth, and communal storytelling. Its polyrhythmic structures, call-and-response vocals, and layered percussion have profoundly influenced global genres—from jazz to funk, and from Afrobeat to contemporary electronic music. This rich tapestry of sound and meaning forms the foundation upon which Colombian multi-instrumentalist Jaime Ospina builds his latest album, The Vessel.

Orpheus in the Underworld—despite its name—is not a solemn myth retelling, but a riotous romp through gods, mortals, and music. Rahvusooper Estonia’s dazzling production lives up to Offenbach’s original spirit of irreverence, wit, and pure entertainment. Staged in Estonian with subtitles in both Estonian and English, this performance embraces the opera’s comedic chaos and turns it into a vibrant, feel-good spectacle.

Explore Jakub Poćwiardowski & Lili’s The Dark Side of the Mole, a concept album blending prog rock, classical, and ambient into an unforgettable soundscape.

The iconic brass hits ride effortlessly on a bed of funk, bass solos emerge from a post-rock soundscape, and the album flows with solos

Last week, I finally attended a performance I’ve been waiting for a long time—Lohengrin by Richard Wagner, staged by the Estonian National Opera (Rahvusooper Estonia). Yes, it’s the one with the famous wedding march, but this opera is far more than just that melody. It’s a monumental work of Romantic grandeur, and experiencing it live was unforgettable. The music was striking, the singers were nothing short of unbelievable, and the costume design was absolutely stunning.