Instrumental as anything, "Declassified"

"DECLASSIFIED"
"Largo" – From The New World Symphony by Antonín Dvořák.
An evocative mix of the old and the older in a new way.

Having done a multitude of session work for many other artists and productions over the years super session musicians guitarist Tom Ferris and bassist Leon Gaer turned their considerable talents to creating their own project -  titled Declassified.

Both Tom and Leon started out being taught classical music as children. The recordings for the album project involved taking a variety of classical compositions and doing exciting & diverse new arrangements. The development of this project occurred over several years in between other engagements and the availability of fellow session players to contribute the many ingredients that made up the sessions.

The first streaming release is this almost bluegrass/alt country arrangement of Antonín Dvořák’s very beautiful and evocative second movement “Largo” from his Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95: From the New World.
 
Dvořák moved from his home country -  the Czech Republic in 1892 to accept the post of director to the newly established National Conservatory Of Music in New York. During his stay in the United States, he was inspired to complete this now famous symphonic work.
 
Tom and Leon took the premise that  Dvořák would have seen and heard much of the ethnic and indigenous culture blending in the ‘wild western’ new world. Taking that as a spark they arranged the work with a distinct country/bluegrass mood using a variety of acoustic and slide guitars, piano, banjo, harmonica, fiddle, Indigenous American percussive instruments, five string electric bass and modern drum set. The blend is an evocative mix of the old and the older in a new way.
 
To display the musicianship crafted for the work a video was made with filmmaker Michael Carpenter showing Tom and Leon and fellow players performing the parts that make this unique interpretation of Dvořák’s Largo - From The New World Symphony a joyous experience.
declassified.lnk.to/declassified