Classical trance.
The short answer
The phrase 'classical trance' is used two ways. Most listeners mean 'classic trance' — the 1993 to 2005 canon of uplifting, progressive, vocal and epic trance from producers like Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Sasha and Ferry Corsten. A smaller group means 'orchestral trance' or 'epic trance' — the subgenre that samples classical music or uses orchestral instrumentation, exemplified by Tiësto's 'Adagio For Strings' (2005), Robert Miles' 'Children' (1995) and William Orbit's 'Barber's Adagio For Strings' (1999). This page covers both meanings.
Meaning 1
Classical trance = classic trance.
The overwhelmingly most common usage of "classical trance" is as a colloquial variant of classic trance — the 1993 to 2005 canonical era of the genre. This is the sound of Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Sasha, John Digweed, Ferry Corsten, Paul Oakenfold, Chicane, ATB, BT and Above & Beyond; the sound codified across four subgenres — uplifting, progressive, vocal and epic — at 128 to 145 BPM.
If you searched for "classical trance" expecting Café Del Mar, For An Angel, Children, 9 PM (Till I Come), Sandstorm, Silence, Saltwater, Out Of The Blue, Adagio For Strings or Sandstorm, you wanted the classic-era canon — and the whole of this site is that canon.
→ What is trance music?→ The 10 essential anthems→ The four pillars→ Timeline 1993 → 2004→ 1990s trance music
Meaning 2
Classical trance = orchestral / epic trance.
A smaller but distinct usage of the phrase points at trance records that sample classical music or use full orchestral instrumentation — what the classic-era community more usually calls epic trance or orchestral trance. Every era of the genre produced records in this mould, but the template locked in between 1995 and 2005 and remains active today.
| Year | Record | Classical source |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Robert Miles — Children | Original piano composition, dream-trance template |
| 1999 | William Orbit — Barber's Adagio For Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix) | Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings (1938) |
| 2000 | Delerium — Silence (Tiësto ISOS Remix) | Choral-orchestral breakdown, original composition |
| 2005 | Tiësto — Adagio For Strings | Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings (1938) |
| 2011 | Above & Beyond — Sun & Moon | Original composition, string-quartet arrangement |
| 2014 | Above & Beyond — Acoustic (Royal Albert Hall) | Full classical-orchestra reworks of the Anjunabeats catalogue |
Frequently asked
What is classical trance?
The phrase 'classical trance' is used two ways. Most listeners mean 'classic trance' — the 1993 to 2005 canon of uplifting, progressive, vocal and epic trance from producers like Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Sasha and Ferry Corsten. A smaller group means 'orchestral trance' or 'epic trance' — the subgenre that samples classical music or uses orchestral instrumentation, exemplified by Tiësto's 'Adagio For Strings' (2005), Robert Miles' 'Children' (1995) and William Orbit's 'Barber's Adagio For Strings' (1999). This page covers both meanings.
Is 'classical trance' the same as 'classic trance'?
Not quite. 'Classic trance' refers to the 1993–2005 canonical era of the genre — Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Sasha, Ferry Corsten and their contemporaries. 'Classical trance' is often used as a colloquial alternative to 'classic trance', but it can also refer specifically to orchestral / epic trance records that sample classical works or use orchestral instrumentation.
What are the best examples of trance that samples classical music?
Tiësto's 'Adagio For Strings' (2005), a full trance rework of Samuel Barber's 1938 composition, is the definitive example. Others include William Orbit's 'Barber's Adagio For Strings' (Ferry Corsten Remix, 1999), Robert Miles' 'Children' (1995) with its piano-led melancholy, Delerium's 'Silence' (Tiësto ISOS Remix, 2000) with its choral-symphonic breakdown, and Above & Beyond's Acoustic albums (2014, 2016) which perform trance records with a full orchestra.
Is Tiësto's 'Adagio For Strings' classical music?
It is a trance record based on a classical composition. Samuel Barber's 'Adagio For Strings' was written in 1938 as the second movement of his String Quartet Op. 11 and is one of the most recognised pieces of American 20th-century classical music. Tiësto's 2005 version keeps the melodic contour and emotional arc of the original but transposes it onto a 138 BPM four-on-the-floor structure with supersaw leads, making it a trance record that pays homage to the classical source rather than a piece of classical music in its own right.
What is epic trance?
Epic trance is the orchestral wing of the classic-era canon — 136–142 BPM records with orchestral string arrangements, choral pads, cinematic breakdowns and a scale that feels closer to film score than club music. The template runs from Robert Miles' 'Children' (1995) through William Orbit / Ferry Corsten's 'Barber's Adagio For Strings' (1999) to Tiësto's 'Adagio For Strings' (2005) and Above & Beyond's 'Sun & Moon' (2011). The Above & Beyond Acoustic project (2014, 2016) is the fullest realisation of the aesthetic.