Euphoric, emotional, and dramatic: Armin van Buuren’s music embodies the best of trance. But he takes a different direction on this mix, created to coincide with his October 2025 album Piano. “I wanted to take the challenge and try to make a ‘DJ mix’ with classical music,” van Buuren tells Apple Music. “The focus is more on the mood and vibe throughout instead of beats.” With modern compositions by Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi sitting side by side with the Czech Symphony Orchestra’s interpretation of Beethoven, the Dutch DJ/producer’s choices might be surprising, but his love of classical music goes back to his childhood. “There was always classical music in our house,” he says. “My father still is a massive fan. In fact, he has a weekly show on local radio where he plays classical music and shares fantastic stories about it.” When it comes to thinking about what classical music has in common with trance, van Buuren is clear. “I think they share the main ingredients together: melodies are the most important element,” he says. Listen to van Buuren’s stunning mix, and read on to find out more about some of the key tracks that inspired him. Czech Symphony Orchestra, Michaela Rózsa Růžičková, Czech Symphony Choir, “Requiem: K. 626: Lacrimosa” “This is one of the songs I heard a lot when I was a kid and gives me some very good memories.” Hans Zimmer, “Time” “I can’t do a classical mix without some work from Hans Zimmer. I’m a massive fan of his and even went to a few of his shows recently.” Stephan Moccio, “Communion” “This is my current favorite piano song. Stephan is such an amazing writer and composer.” Sir Simon Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker, “Adagio for Strings” “A true trance classic, kind of a connection between my DJ world and the classical world.” Armin van Buuren, “Equanimity” “One of my favorite tracks from the piano project. I love to play this live.”