The Music of Aziraphal

Welcome
The Website dedicated to original music of Aziraphal; composer and producer of Progressive Symphonic Ambient - electronic music with classical and romantic influences, author of various media soundtracks, classical pianist and a programmer specializing in Java.

Order the latest album - or enjoy the FREE MP3 songs on the Song List! Now with Website Radio!

What's New?

2008/01/22: "In Search of the Harmony Horizon": Free Download
The 1999 instrumental album is available as a free download, all 10 tracks in high quality! [more...] Also, links to 3 YouTube Videos in Soundtracks and Classical sections.

2008/01/03: Added Past Contest Entries
Various songs and experiments in different genres [more...]

Old news...

Bio and History

Mission Statement

Imagine an orchestra made up of synth players in Bayreuth Opera House, thousands of blinking LEDs illuminating an ambitious conductor who hates even hearing the word "Minimalism" and whose life-mission is providing the listener with the Symphonic Ambient equivalent of "What the heck just hit me??" feeling of such works as Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

Short bio
Aziraphal is a composer and producer of electronic music whose style could be loosely defined as Symphonic Progressive Ambient. Researching and composing electronic music for 12 years he has created solo albums in many diverse styles, but has also collaborated with other authors and written music for TV, films, commercials, Flash ads, games and children's stories. He also composes "serious" classical music for solo piano and small ensembles which was performed live by himself (as pianist) and other performers at several events.

History
The composition style emerged from the author's classical background, at first influenced, formally, by Chopin and Beethoven and sonically by Vangelis. After a period of collaborating on several film and TV projects he developed a musical form most suitable for his creative visions and electronic tools: the Electrosymphonic Poem. It is a program music form that should be experienced as a standalone soundtrack, utilizing both synthesizers and orchestral samples. His adaptation of a famous Slovenian ballad, "The Legend of the River Man" (Povodni mož) was later adapted into a computer animated film with live jazz-balet cast. He often composes complex classical forms such as the Fugue with modern synth sounds.

Lately he started including overdubbed vocals combined into a one-man choir which adds another dimension of human touch to the music. All lyrics are in an invented musical language; this approach was inspired by such works as Karl Jenkins' Adiemus and Vangelis' Mythodea or 1492 and helps the music express an emotional atmosphere rather than direct defined ideas, allowing for the listener's imagination to participate actively. His fascination with computers also led to his formal education, a university degree in Computer Science and a career as a software developer. Since the classical piano playing and composition are essential to him as a musician, he keeps in shape by organising a piano recital every two years where he performs challenging pieces from traditional repertoire as well as new compositions written for each occasion.

Musical Vision
He believes in creating music with all means available; the electronics and computers just happen to be the most convenient and effective tools today. However he feels that there should be more electronic music conveying emotions and feeling - for many classically trained musicians still find electronic music robotic and non-human. The synths are capable of all the emotional expression of a Stradivari violin and beyond - but it is up to the artist to convey them. The term Electronic Music seems to be too polarized between two extreme banks of the river: The styles such as Drum'n'bass, Trance, Dance, Techno on one bank, and serious compositions, often called Electroacoustic Projects and usually atonal and aryhtmic, utilizing electronic noises to create a particular atmosphere, on the other. Last but not least he belives the amount of copy-pasted loops in composition should be drastically reduced.