Aprelstein is a composer and pianist known for his distinctive neoclassical compositions, blending emotion, unpredictability, and unexpected musical turns. His music invites listeners into an ever-changing landscape where melodies can shift direction and familiar ideas take surprising forms. In our exclusive interview with Aprelstein, we discuss his unconventional approach to composition, his musical influences, the creative process behind his work, his artistic vision, upcoming projects, and much more.

Can you tell us how your journey as a composer began? Was there a defining moment that set you on this path?

I started playing the piano at a very young age. My family wanted me to take lessons, and they tried to teach me pieces by various composers. However, I resisted learning musical notation because the idea of simply reproducing something that had already been written felt almost absurd to me. I remember thinking, “If someone has already written the book, why are we writing it again, down to every comma and period?” I suppose that way of thinking constantly pushed me toward creating something new. Eventually, I realized that composition might be much more suited to me than simply reproducing what someone else had already created.

We know that you don't read or write traditional musical notation. Does this create any difficulties when composing?

It doesn't really create any difficulties while I'm composing. The difficulty usually comes afterward, when people ask me for sheet music. Since I can't write my pieces down in traditional notation, and I haven't found someone who can reliably translate everything I create into notation, giving people sheet music can be difficult.

Other than that, I don't see many disadvantages. In fact, sometimes I think not having that limitation makes the possibilities feel almost unlimited.

We know that you are professionally involved in many fields beyond music. What are some of those areas, and do you ever find that your work outside of music influences your music or vice versa?

Outside of music, I try to involve myself in a lot of different areas, including theoretical physics, design, coding, advertising, medicine, fashion, analysis and statistics, business, linguistics, history, and various other fields and theories that happen to catch my attention.

I have this tendency to feel bad if I'm not working on or learning something. I like having something to explore, understand, or figure out. Sometimes I'm just following a question until it leads somewhere interesting. I also find myself noticing interesting patterns between completely unrelated subjects. An idea from linguistics might remind me of something in music, or something I come across in physics might make me think about structure and repetition in a completely different way.

Music definitely inspires the things I do outside of music, but it works the other way around too. Sometimes an idea I encounter in another field eventually finds its way into a composition. I think that's probably why I don't like separating music from everything else too much.

Who are your top three favorite composers of all time, and why? Are there any non-classical artists who have influenced you as well?

There are so many composers I love. But Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, and Mozart have always been among my favorites, despite how different their styles are.

It might be misunderstood if I say this, but I don't actually enjoy listening to music that much. I mostly follow new music so that I know what is happening and what people are creating. I think I'm more inspired by people who generate interesting ideas, regardless of the field. It doesn't necessarily have to be another composer or even another musician. I can find inspiration in someone who comes up with an interesting idea in almost any area.

How does your creative process typically start when you sit down to write a new piece? Do you have any rituals or habits that help you get into the creative mindset when you compose?

I don't have a specific routine, although in a way I suppose I do. Sometimes, before starting a piece, I give myself a name made up of one or two words. For example, it might be “strawberry” and “separation.” Those two words give me a general idea of where I want the piece to go before I even begin. Then I start improvising, playing whatever those ideas make me think or feel. Eventually, I bring those different improvisations together, and something interesting and unpredictable starts to emerge. Afterward, I always listen back to recordings of what I've played while I'm doing something completely different. Then I turn them off. If a melody is still in my head ten minutes later, I know I have to use it. I call this my “ten-minute rule.”

In the beginning, you chose to keep your identity private, but eventually decided to open up and reveal more about yourself. Was there a particular reason behind that change, and do you have any plans for a concert or live performance in the near future?

Originally, the idea was to create a 3D character and let that character exist as the public identity behind the music. But I happened to enter a period when everything around AI was becoming increasingly chaotic, and people started thinking I was AI. Sometimes I even take that as a compliment. So I decided to gradually start showing my face. I'm someone who connects with artists through their work. Knowing what they look like or knowing about their personal lives doesn't necessarily make me feel closer to them. But I understand that most people don't experience artists that way. As for concerts, I'm not particularly fond of performing live. I've actually broken my finger while playing the piano. But why not in the future? Anything can happen in life.

Your music has been described as full of surprises and unexpected turns, and many listeners with ADHD seem to particularly connect with it. Are there any films or visual art forms that inspire you when you compose?

I'm actually someone who can get bored while listening to or watching something myself. Maybe that's why I unconsciously try to prevent that from happening in my own work as well. I'm not entirely sure why. As for the subjects that inspire me, they usually come from physics, psychology, or sociology. I like taking an ideology, an idea, or a concept and trying to compose something about it. I'm essentially trying to explain these things musically, in the way I personally see them. I don't always manage to express them exactly as I imagine them, but that's part of the process.

Which piece of music that you’ve composed is your favorite, and what makes it special to you?

The Nocturne series has a very special place for me. But the Nocturnes I haven't released yet probably have the most special place of all. I suppose that's because I'm always more attached to what I'm still imagining than to what I've already finished.

Variations project was a very interesting project. How did the idea come about?

I realized that not many people were really bothering to make variations, especially variations on some of the best-known pieces. Without intending any disrespect toward the original composers, I thought, “If it were me, I would add this,” and started creating my own versions from that perspective. The originals are always better in their own right. Mine are really just experiments, ways of asking what else could happen if you took something familiar and looked at it differently.

Can you share any details about your upcoming projects or collaborations?

I'm planning to finish the Nocturne series soon and continue working on the Piano Sonatas. I may also start an Etudes series. There are a few other ideas in my head as well, but I think I'll leave those for later.

Finally, from your perspective, what is the meaning of life?

That's a secret I can't tell you.