In recent months, I’ve shared a lot of classical music on these pages. It’s a wonderful genre that is sadly sometimes dismissed nowadays, which is a real shame! Kepa Lehtinen is a composer who produces beautiful classical pieces with a neoclassical sound, making for something remarkably unique in the present day. His five track EP Unet takes Kepas sound to the next level – find out more below…
By Jane Howkins
The EP starts out nicely with the title track Unet. It’s experimental from the start, introducing a theremin into the mix, making for a piece of music with eerie beauty. Underpinning the theremin is a flowing piano melody, which occasionally branches out on its own, continuing through the piece in a gorgeous way. Unet is a wonderful introduction to Kepa’s sound!
Sade opens with some nice piano notes, creating a soothing sound that mixes surprisingly well with the theremin when it appears. However, the theremin never takes over the track – instead, it provides a nice accentuation to the trickling piano motifs, taking the listener on a real journey. It’s pretty darn beautiful at times, conjuring up evocative images in the mind.
Kesa segues into the record seamlessly in the middle, continuing the themes of the previous pieces. It’s not remarkably different from the other songs here, acting as a nice interlude in the middle. Kepa’s use of the theremin is astounding though – it’s fantastic to hear a properly trained musician playing this instrument in such a way, and long may he continue!
Kepa changes things up more on Sota. Once again, the piece starts out with a pretty piano melody, sounding rather simplistic at first. However, it soon develops into something more, creating a subtle beauty within the piece. The theremin is noticeably absent here – instead, Kepa introduces a unique percussion sound towards the end, keeping you guessing constantly.
Final piece Suru is like a culmination of all the best parts from this record. It has an incredibly full sound from the beginning, seeing Kepa perform a lovely array of piano notes, sounding expertly produced throughout. The theremin returns once again, creeping through the piece in a haunting way.
Unet is certainly a unique sounding record, and one that listeners into their more experimental classical music should check out. Nevertheless, Kepa Lehtinen is an incredibly talented artist, and I can’t wait to hear what he presents us with next time around!
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