Should you review an album consisting solely of piano music on a website that reviews progressive rock and related music styles? That is the question I am asking you. We have done that multiple times in the past. Like the latest solo album by Ton Scherpenzeel titled A Fleeting Light (2026, see review). The problem with such albums is that the instrumental music played on a single instrument does not always remain captivating. The newly released EP Récits De L'Ombre by Bern-based pianist and composer Tom Lardat is another example on which you can hear only instrumental music performed on a acoustic piano. Who is the pianist Tom Lardat you may ask yourself? Tom Lardat (born in November 1991) is a French-Swiss classically trained pianist and composer known for his unique crossover between classical music and progressive metal. He combines complex Baroque and Romantic structures with the rhythmic intensity of prog metal. As for the musical background and education I can tell you that Lardat attended a high-quality academic music school. Namely the Conservatoire de Versailles.He studied here in the class of François Chaplin and completed his studies with a Prix de Perfectionnement. He also took composition lessons with Jean-Baptiste Robin for four years. At the HEMU in Lausanne he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Music in 2017. At the Hochschule für Musik Basel he completed his Master's program in the class of renowned pianist Ronald Brautigam. In addition to his solo career, Lardat has a strong presence in the progressive rock and metal world. He played as a keyboardist in the progressive metal bands Conscience and Dark Milk. Since 2019, he has been sharing his knowledge as a piano teacher at the Musikschule Aaretal in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. He regularly gives solo recitals at renowned venues such as the Steinway Hall Suisse Romande in Lausanne and the Swiss Foundation for Young Musicians. With his solo project, he attempts to approach classical piano recitals in a more modern and less strictly coded manner. His main sources of inspiration range from classical masters such as Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Schumann to progressive metal bands such as Dream Theater, Symphony X, Opeth, and Adagio. Since 2023, he has focused on solo compositions for the piano. He released Revenir Au Rêve in 2025. His debut EP, which focused on translating the rhythmic complexity of prog-metal to the grand piano. And now he comes up with Récits De l'Ombre released in 2026. His second EP, which takes a more introspective, neoclassical, and melancholic direction. Whereas his previous EP (Revenir Au Rêve) translated heavy progressive metal (such as Dream Theater and Symphony X) to the grand piano, the emphasis on this new EP lies much more on pure classical and romantic structures. The 20 minutes long EP contains the four instrumental piano pieces Ouverture, Jour De Pluie, Sortilèges and Regrets. On those tracks you can hear very well how he in a masterful way intertwines classical music and progressive rock. They show his emotional depth and virtuosic playing style in which the strong influences of J.S. Bach and several other romantic composers come to the surface. However Lardat abandons the classical structures to give the pieces his own unique character, with an emphasis on melodic richness rather than pure experimentation. The music on those pieces can be described as introspective, demanding, and expressive. More important here is that the balance between technical virtuosity and pure emotions never gets in the way of expressiveness. For those who love classical music, and preferably piano pieces, this is certainly an album worth listening to. For there is no doubt that Lardat can play. But if you want to listen to somewhat more adventurous music based on traditional progressive rock from the seventies with bands like Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, this album, how beautiful it all sounds, might not be for everyone. But it is a very beautiful listening experience that will likely appeal to many prog enthusiasts. Especially for those who appreciate the solo piano albums of Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. *** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
