Koch Records
Classical, 2004

While I’m not exactly a fan of classical music, I am intrigued by Paul Schwartz’s attempts to “update” works by long dead composers such as Hendel and Puccini by incorporating light trance, non-intrusive electronic beats, and ethereal vocals. The end result isn’t any drastic departure of the original pieces as much as those classical pieces made accessible to oxygen bars and Buddha lounges.

While the vocals are certainly pleasant to listen to, all that soprano warbling and kitschy strings and electronic beats come together to create mind-numbing music that settles into the back of my mind and make me feel sleepier by the minute.

Maybe I’m just not hip enough to appreciate such music. Maybe I’m the wrong person to be listening to this CD since classical music never fails to put me to sleep. What I do know is that I’m keeping this away from the car. I wouldn’t want to accidentally play this on the player while I am driving, after all.