It has been an incredibly creative and expansive year for Leonardo Barilaro, also known as The Space Pianist. We have been following his releases in depth, and every time that we learn that a new composition emerges, we cannot wait to experience it.
300 opens with a dramatic orchestral roar and urgent, bold bass piano, delivering a more enigmatic and theatrical energy than we have experienced thus far from the visionary and dimensional composer.
The drama continues to build with stomps before a contemporary drum beat takes us into a the present with a rock and roll edge before high vocal synth deliver a choral vibe. There is a syncopated element, which lends itself to an intentionally avant garde element, before we reach a minimalist mid-point of the opus.
Rippling high keys tease us with a rising texture and the drum work that we have learnt to embrace. High synths, descending keys, choral nuances, we are in awe and there is no doubt that the technical prowess of the composer is on display. Moody notes take us full circle with an industrial final and The Space Pianist has us reaching for the remote once again.
The release of 300 comes two months after the release of Maleth, the composition that we covered which was onboard the International Space Station and broadcasted to Earth. 300 is a milestone in the yearlong pursuit of the pianist to release a song a day, and we learn that the song is inspired by the epical historical movie by Zack Snyder about the Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae. This definitely comes to life in the composition, and we suspected it might have been the case even before reading further into the track!
In this case the composer “re-imagined the story having a Woman as leader of the army, instead of King Leonida. This is leading to the metaphor of Art as a Muse, fierce fighter against the many ugly sides of human nature.”
As always, we appreciate the depth that Leonardo Barilaro shares with his artistry and have added 300 to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we anticipate the remaining 56 releases!