A good barometer for how this project has artistically sidestepped any temptation to give into gimmick-ism is Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake: Waltz,” interpreted here by Rithma, where this stately melody is given a jazzy, muted trumpet Miles Davis feel. Rather than try and turn these instantly recognizable pieces into aerobic workout music (or worse yet, some sort of a Hooked On Classics exercise), these musicians and DJs approach each work much like a jazz musician might do it. As with improvisatory jazz music, the melody is merely a starting point for an explorative musical journey. Jazz is also strongly hinted at on Ravel’s “Bolero” by Jazzelicious. This one begins with an electronic pulse beat, and then kicks into a drum ‘n’ bass rhythm on this familiar slow burning melody. Electric piano and muted trumpet are also added into the mix later on.

Hip-hop, it seems, has been mixed in with almost every musical style imaginable of late, but it’s applied only sparingly here. Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” by The Tao of Groove features “Tha Beloved” Two B’s rapping. Its arrangement nicely places Two B’s rap against operatic singing. Nevertheless, it’s the sounds of dance and hip-hop, rather than those forms’ vocal styles, informing this project for the most part. There are also intriguing mixtures of organic and synthetic elements throughout. Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” covered by J-Radical, for instance, sports a distinctive live and jazzy drum kit percussion, which is also aided by drum machine. Additionally, the synth melody on this updated version is even woozier than the original.

But it doesn’t all sound straight outta the hood, if you will, via the concert hall. Rodrigo’s “Concierto De Aranjuez” by Tangerine D’or has a bit of a Latin vibe going for it due to its Spanish-style picked guitar, and Bach’s “Prelude No. 1” by Maya F.S. includes an affected spoken word vocal underpinning a Samba-styled rhythm.

Chances are this unique creation won’t please the ears of stuffy old classical music buffs. Heck, such picky listeners probably don’t even like it when real classical musicians take too many liberties with tried-and-true historic compositions. But for those who believe that music making is an ever-changing and dynamic practice – even when it involves music originally created long before the modern rock era – “Masterworks Reworked” is an experiment that works.

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