Back in the early ’70s, rock or modern adaptations of classical music were all the rage. Almost any better-known classical composer was covered and all these adaptations and/or inspirations ranged anywhere from awful to great.
At the same time, whether it was Wendy (initially Walter) Carlos and his Moog interpretations or Dutch classics-only rockers Ekseption and practically everybody in-between more or less stuck to the original classical pieces as much as they could.
Maybe it was the fact that they liked the originals so much or the instrumental or production capabilities at the time, but letting the imagination run free on the classics was not really the order of the day then. Or it could be the fact that most of those artists were only just starting to get acquainted with the classics themselves.
The instrumental and production capabilities changed by now, but this approach to classics didn’t change that much. Only recently did artists start really re-imagining the classics and/or using them as a jumping off points for their own inspirations.
One such artist trying this broader approach is French musician Arandel, who has now come up with his second installment of Bach-inspired music, InBach Vol. 2. So what makes Arandel and his versions, or better said, visions of Bach stand out?
First of all, he does use Bach as a springboard to creating something more personal, but at the same time referencing the original master as his inspiration. To be able to that, you would need to know Bach’s works inside out, and on the evidence of this album, Arandel certainly does.
In additon to that knowledge, he brings all the elements of current trends in modern music and applies them to his vision of Bach, but with care and ease, as if they always belonged together, without at any moment forgetting what the original should sound like (“Sonatina”).
Essentially, InBach Vol. 2 has the capability to appeal to those liking both modern and more classic sounds.
