This may be surprising to some readers as I review a lot of rock music, but I’m also a big fan of the classical genre. I was absolutely delighted to discover British composer and musician Jacqueline Kroft, as her music is absolutely brilliant, fitting the neoclassical style well. Jacqueline released an EP in February of this year titled Piano Preludes Vol. 2 and it’s an absolute delight to behold.
By Jane Howkins
As the name suggests, this is actually the second in a series of EPs that Jacqueline has created, starting out with Piano Prelude 06 (Catch Up). It’s a delightfully playful piece of music, having quite a positive vibe to it. The left hand adds a driving motion to the music, as the right hand plays a gorgeous motif that underlines the bass section well. It’s all very evocative, creating wonderful pictures in your head as you listen to it.
Piano Prelude 07 (Moving Leaf) changes the tone completely, as it starts out much slower than the previous track. It’s more melancholy, having quite a wistful quality to it. Both hands combine together to create something that is hauntingly beautiful, seeing Jacqueline occasionally changing the dynamics of the piece to create the desired effect. It’s one of my favourite preludes on the EP.
Piano Prelude 08 (Straight Up) changes the themes of this EP once again, sounding much more positive and uplifting than the previous piece of music. Jacqueline’s fingers dance across the keys in a gorgeous way, jumping around in an almost staccato manner at times. The left and right hand bounce off each other in perfect time, making it sound rather catchy at times.
Piano Prelude 09 (Mornings With You) is another slower track, seeing a subtle motif play across the piano. However, it’s not nearly as melancholy as the second song on this EP. Instead, it’s rather relaxing as a whole, sounding like the perfect tune for listening to on a summer’s day. It really shows how talented Jacqueline really is, able to create music to suit different themes and atmospheres.
Piano Prelude 10 (The Way) is another firm favourite of mine. It’s a really beautiful piece of music that sees Jacqueline going through several different movements, mixing up the dynamics and tempo where needed. The song takes on something of a waltz rhythm at times, before it slows down once again.
Piano Prelude 11 (Underwater Movement) is the final song on the EP, combining many of the elements of the previous preludes into one awesome package. It’s quite a slow tune and has a little bit of an experimental jam quality at times, although it all works rather well to round the EP out nicely.
Piano Preludes Vol. 2 is a stunning piece of work and one that shows that Jacqueline Kroft is one of the rising talents within the neoclassical world. I hope there will be a third iteration of this EP series!
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