Neo-Classical

Neo-classical is the contemporary crossover practice in which composers working from the classical tradition write short-form instrumental music for piano, strings and chamber ensemble, extended with electronics, tape and studio production. Rooted in minimalism and post-minimalism, it favours diatonic harmony, repeating figures and direct emotional address over modernist complexity. Its defining records, including *Max Richter*'s "The Blue Notebooks" (2004) and the catalogue of the #Erased Tapes# label founded by *Ólafur Arnalds*' circle, circulate through indie and ambient audiences as much as classical ones, and its composers move between the album format, film scoring and the concert hall.