Contemporary instrumental Classical music - a tinge of New Age and orchestral in style.

13 MP3 Songs
CLASSICAL: Contemporary, CLASSICAL: New Age



Details:
"An astonishing accomplishment." "This recording occupies a very special niche in the musical world."
Richard Condon - Green Man Review

âAn album of charming pieces." "I urge people to buy the CDâ
Robert Hugill - Music and Vision

âA CD for classical music buffs with an adventurous spirit to savor again and again." " Tales of a Summer Past is a fascinating musical journey!"
Kathy Parsons - Solo Piano Publications

"Tales of a Summer Past will likely reward you with many pleasant hours of listening enjoyment."
Bill Binkelman - Wind and Wire

"One knows that Tales of a Summer Past will certainly not be the last we hear of this dynamic composer.â
Michael Woodhead - LuxAeterna,

"This music is truly divine. Nick's style combines the timeless feel of the classical composers with a slight hint of New Age. I have added this CD to my list of all-time favorites! "
Ann Albers -Vision of Heaven


Although he is now known as a composer of music that is very much classical in style, he certainly did not start his musical career in that vein. Nick forged a reputation in the mid eighties as a skilled songwriter and a gifted pop keyboardist & vocalist releasing his first two solo albums in 1985. âMake it Happenâ reached number one on the West Australian Independent Charts and the follow up album âDéjà vuâ made it to number three.

In 1986 Nick formed an original band called De Vie. The band went on to become one of the foremost original acts in Perth and recorded an album entitled âSpice of Lifeâ. Despite their potential, De Vie was short lived. The following year Nick withdrew from the music scene to focus on other interests after recording âDress to Impressâ, his third solo album.

THE NINETIES

It was not until 1992 that he re-emerged with âA Chance to Dreamâ, an album he produced and engineered in his own studio. The production values of the recording, the quality of musicianship and the strength of song writing earned praise.

In late 1992 Nick moved to Melbourne where he continued to hone his skills as a songwriter. He wrote commercial jingles and recorded with a number of local musicians.

Nick returned to Perth in 1996 with the desire to expand his musical horizons. Inspired by the World Music phenomenon, Nick set about recording âTears of the Moonâ which was released in May 1997. The instrumental album received generous reviews and represented a significant departure from his previous writing styles.

After Tears of the Moon, Nick looked for a new challenge so he enrolled in an acting course. Upon finishing the course he landed the lead role in Playlover's production of David Williamson's Dead White Males. Dead White Males played to packed houses and Nick won plaudits for his performance. He then decided to combine acting and music and put together a Frank Sinatra tribute show. Performing under the stage name of Earl Cole, Nick is well known in Perth as a crooner. Although music composition is his passion, he loves performing the standards.

THE NEW CENTURY

Yearning to get back into writing music, Nick wrote and recorded âEclipseâ in 2003. After a 6 year recording hiatus Nick produced an album that was an eclectic fusion of New Age, contemporary classical, Celtic and even jazz styles. Eclipse was Nick's attempt to step out of his comfort zone and take his writing to the next level. Despite favourable reviews, Eclipse failed to sit comfortably in any one genre and as adventurous as it was, it did not strike the same chord with listeners as Tears of the Moon. Eclipse was, however, a very important step in his musical development and he learnt a lot from the experience.

In March 2004 Nick set about writing material for âTales of a Summer Pastâ. Released in February 2005, it is an album that is firmly in the realm of New Age classical/crossover classical music. Using only orchestral sounds he aimed to re-captured the energy of Tears of the Moon yet produced an album that explored the neo-classical far more deftly than did Eclipse. The reviews he received were extremely positive.

Not one to sit still for too long, Nick was driven to produce yet another album and commenced writing material for âCandescenceâ in July 2005. Released in May 2006, Candescence is an album of orchestral music that tugs at the heart. It is romantic and passionate. The charming chamber music quality that characterised many of the compositions on Tales of a Summer Past is still prevalent, however Nick has delved more deeply into complex orchestral arrangements and developed musical ideas and concepts to a far greater degree. This has certainly not been at the expense of the music's accessibility.

Candescence will appeal to a broad spectrum of music lovers who enjoy high quality instrumental music.