“To hear composers take my work and take it seriously... it’s a thrill.” – Stephen Sondheim Liaisons is a landmark commissioning and concert project, conceived by acclaimed concert pianist Anthony de Mare, based on the songs of legendary musical theater composer Stephen Sondheim. Both an homage and a celebration, Liaisons makes the case for Sondheim … Continue reading Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano
Author: f. d. leone
Songwriter.
Germaine Tailleferre : only female composer of “Les Six”
Germaine Tailleferre believed that a composition must be lacking in artistry if a listener couldn’t identify a composer’s style after three bars. A prolific composer in a wide range of genres, she forged a distinctive musical voice characterised by clarity, spontaneity and light-hearted charm. Germaine Tailleferre was born April 19. 1892 at Saint Maur Des … Continue reading Germaine Tailleferre : only female composer of “Les Six”
Elvira Nikolaisen : from Norwegian Pop to the Great American Songbook
Elvira Nikolaisen is a Norwegian singer-songwriter signed to Sony BMG. She released her debut single Love I Can’t Defend in December 2005, it reached the number 3 spot on the Norwegian singles chart. She followed up with her first album, Quiet Exit, and a second single, Egypt Song, in March 2006. The album peaked at #2 in the … Continue reading Elvira Nikolaisen : from Norwegian Pop to the Great American Songbook
Johann Staden and the Nuremberg School
Johann Staden (baptized 2 July 1581 – 15 November 1634) He was a distinguished and versatile composer, and one of the outstanding German musicians of his day. In his later years he was the leading musician in Nuremberg and established the so-called Nuremberg school of the 17th century. Much of Staden's work survives in printed … Continue reading Johann Staden and the Nuremberg School
Amandine Beyer & Christophe Rousset : Carrying the Baroque Torch
Amandine Beyer and Christophe Rousset are both accomplished French musicians who have devoted much of their careers to promoting music from the Baroque period, much of it not well known. Each has formed a performing ensemble, Gli Incogniti by Beyer and Rousset’s Les Talens Lyriques for this purpose. While the Baroque is the primary concern, … Continue reading Amandine Beyer & Christophe Rousset : Carrying the Baroque Torch
Laurie Anderson : performance artist; poet; provocateur; widow
Initially trained as a sculptor, Laurie Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, Anderson did a variety of different performance-art activities. She became widely known outside the art world in 1981 when her single "O Superman" reached number two on the UK pop charts. She also starred in and … Continue reading Laurie Anderson : performance artist; poet; provocateur; widow
Aaron Avshalomov : A Jew in China
Aaron Avshalomov (11/11/1894 – 4/26/1965) was a Russian-born Jewish composer. Born into a Mountain Jewish family, he was sent for medical studies to Zürich, but chose to leave Europe in the wake of the Russian revolution. Mountain Jews or Caucasus Jews of the eastern and northern slopes of Caucasus, mainly Azerbaijan and Dagestan. They are the descendants of … Continue reading Aaron Avshalomov : A Jew in China
Allen Tousaint : from Gert Town to the White House
Allen Toussaint, the versatile producer, songwriter, pianist and singer who was a fixture of New Orleans R&B, died Monday after appearing in concert in Madrid. He was 77. His daughter, Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux, confirmed his death in an email, and said the cause appeared to be a heart attack. El Mundo reported in Spain that Mr. … Continue reading Allen Tousaint : from Gert Town to the White House
Antoine Busnois : Worthy of the immortal gods, died #OnThisDay 1492
On this day in 1492, Antoine Busnois died. He was a Netherlandish composer and poet of the early Renaissance Burgundian School. While also noted as a composer of motets and other sacred music, he was one of the most renowned 15th-century composers of secular chansons. He was the leading figure of the late Burgundian school after the … Continue reading Antoine Busnois : Worthy of the immortal gods, died #OnThisDay 1492
Myriam Alter : encompassing jazz, classical music, and various European influences
Myriam Alter is one of those musicians about whom the Internet seems to know very little. What Google manages to dig up more or less tells the same story: Alter hails from a Belgian family of Sephardic Jews. She started piano lessons at age 8 but abandoned the instrument at 15 for other preoccupations. After … Continue reading Myriam Alter : encompassing jazz, classical music, and various European influences
Musica Kaleidoskopea 