Pieces For The New World by Stephen Van Handel

Excellent voicings and a thundering low end make these pretty invigorating meditations too!”

ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN MAGAZINE

REVIEW – Pieces For The New World – Stephen Van Handel

“First up is my favorite, Pieces for the New World, by Stephen Van Handel. The tones are mostly bright and sharp (like the tunings you’ll find in a concert orchestra) and also have lots of motion. I’m reminded of minimalist, Steve Reich, although this Stephen doesn’t force us to stay in one place for too long. With him, we go to the end of the idea and move on. And go with him we must. The production is very tasteful and clean. Stephen knows what he’s doing here. The four pieces do not vary off course from each other too much stylistically, but thankfully, also manage never to bore with sameness. It’s in vogue to slam New Age – for all my eastern beliefs, I’m one of the slammers – but a few as yet undiscovered wonders like Stephen Van Handel make it a most enjoyable medium.”

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

REVIEW – Pieces For The New World – Stephen Van Handel

“Pieces for the New World combines a dramatic neoclassical feel with a striking minimalist ‘new music’ sensibility to achieve a fusion that’s literally filled with beautifully executed ideas… worthy of any superlative you can come up with.”

EUROCK

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Intro from an interview excerpt with Stephen Van Handel

by Ms. Sonar:

Hailing from the same hometown as Willem Dafoe, Greta Van Susteren (gasp!) and Houdini, Stephen Van Handel is a relative unknown. This is expected to change very soon with Stephen's upcoming new albums and his re-emergence onto the live performance stage.

But the part about being a relative unknown seems out of place for a young man whose music has been compared to that of big name film composers, Thomas Newman (American Beauty) & Maurice Jarre (not the son, Jean Michel Jarre, but the father), contemporary composer, Gyorgy Ligeti, the timeless J.S. Bach, Michael Oldfield and Cirque Du Soleil-incredibly diverse musical genres all. Must be his Nordic genes.

When you first meet Stephen Van Handel you are immediately drawn to his outrageously beautiful blue eyes, that are at once striking and soothing...so weird. (Take a look at his web site photos if you don't believe me).

A really fascinating conversationalist, this guy knows a lot. And it's refreshing that on even the most serious topics, his wit and humor bounce up to the top. Plus he's got this almost childlike, wide-eyed idealism that's, in a word, infectious.

Yet Stephen sees himself as a gray cat, neither black nor white- complex and contradictory. That makes sense though when I think about his eyes...

Early on, he envisioned himself as a concert pianist, taught himself many different instruments, and then settled in to study painting. I guess that's where the vivid cinematic quality in his work comes from and Stephen talks about his work mostly in a visual sense.

He has strong design skills and his cover design for Pearls Of The Soul in particular, won a prestigious International Best Album Cover Award. Like any real artist who is truly intimate with his art and has a strong grasp of the process, Stephen stressed that for him music is the closer expression of the things that make us human-that closes gaps.

Expect some gargantuan surprises to come your way soon from this 'relative unknown', Stephen Van Handel.

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