Steinway And Sons

This release in the Steinway Standard series is the first of a collection of American Songbook sets that celebrates the immortal Cole Porter in arrangements for solo piano. Steinway artists Simon Mulligan, Adam Birnbaum and Jed Distler start our survey.

Pianist Lowell Liebermann releases an album of world premiere recordings by contemporary British composer David Hackbridge Johnson. Liebermann describes Hackbridge Johnson’s compositional voice as vigorous, unrepentantly melodic, superbly crafted and orchestrated, and with a refreshing and idiosyncratic harmonic sense. The album's title track, Nocturne No. 7 “The Devil’s Lyre”, was inspired by Liebermann's first album for the Steinway & Sons label, "Personal Demons". Lowell Liebermann is one of America's most frequently performed and recorded living composers. He has written over one hundred thirty works in all genres, several of which have gone on to become standard repertoire for their instruments, such as his Sonata for Flute and Piano and Gargoyles for piano, each of which have been recorded over twenty times on album.

On this follow up to his first volume of early 20th century piano music, Andrew Rangell writes “This recital grew and took shape during many months, including those of the ongoing pandemic. Some 50 years ago, as a student, I had eschewed Webern and Berg (in favor of Scriabin, Ives, and others). Now I took the opportunity to explore these (and the other non-Scriabin works on this program) with the new perspectives of an older musician.”

Regarded by international critics and audiences as an artist of extraordinary musicianship and rare sensibility and tracing his musical roots to Alfred Cortot, Artur Schnabel and Alexander Siloti, Gerardo Teissonnière brings to the concert stage an exciting amalgam of the diverse and important pianistic traditions he represents. Transcendental, dramatic, melodic and stylistic elements are present in each of Beethoven’s final three transcendental piano sonatas, and Teissonnière delivers them and more, revealing lyrical, personal interpretations while maintaining faithfulness to the original sources and scores.

Music can be a powerful therapeutic tool and it has been shown to bring about positive emotional changes and reduce anxiety. For cancer patients, music and music therapy can also be used to develop positive coping skills that come with a cancer diagnosis. This album is a personal selection of works that pianist Min-Jung Kym played or listened to during her treatment. 'The power of music and what it can inspire helped me through this period of my life. I wanted to share my experience because music contains the altruistic dimension of sharing, and perhaps, as a result, others may also find it easier to cope with their cancer.' – Min-Jung Kym

British pianist Simon Mulligan is, according to The Times of London ‘the most abundantly gifted of pianists’, to Steinway & Sons he is ‘the world’s most versatile pianist’; Pulitzer prizewinning composer Paul Moravec calls him ‘a pianist with complete mastery of the instrument’, while Herbie Hancock says ‘You have a phenomenal touch, man!’ In addition to his extensive discography and vast repertoire, Mulligan’s solo work gains praise from critics and audiences alike, and his collaborations include performances and recordings with Yehudi Menuhin, Joshua Bell, Leonard Slatkin and Sting.He has performed all over the world, most notably at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, as well as private performances for Her Majesty the Queen and President Barack Obama. His keen interest in film composition led to a long association with composer Michael Kamen, culminating in his performance on the soundtrack to Spielberg’s Band of Brothers. He has led his own jazz quartet since he was thirteen, which has performed in major international festivals. His eclectic work has led to profiles in Downbeat, JazzTimes, BBC Music, Classic fM, and Gramophone magazines, among others.Simon is a recipient of the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music, and his teachers include Alexander Kelly, Murray Perahia, Alfred Brendel and Alexis Weissenberg.

On January 1st, 2021, STEINWAY & SONS releases Jeanne Golan's newest album, It Takes One to Tango (STNS 30164). Golan describes the album as “a collection featuring tango-inspired gems that are largely unknown. The works are by recovered voices and living composers, two arenas that have long captured my fancy, centered on a dance I’ve come to embrace. The album itself mixes these composers and their time periods, whose music speaks to one another in unexpected ways.

Composer and pianist Lowell Liebermann says that “Personal Demons” consists of music that he has been personally haunted by - pieces by other composers that have preoccupied and inspired him for most of his compositional career. Framing these works on the album are three of Liebermann's own pieces that have special significance for him. Lowell Liebermann is among America's most frequently performed and recorded living composers.

Irish cellist Ailbhe McDonagh and world renowned Beethoven specialist John O'Conor celebrated Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year with this recording of his complete sonatas for cello and piano.
“Out of several performances of the Beethoven A Major Sonata heard over 30 years, McDonagh’s was the most musically complete and satisfying” (Irish Times) “O'Conor brought real poetry to his recital of late-period Beethoven … incisive, even visionary projections that drove to the heart of the musical matter” (Washington Post)

French pianist and composer Louise Farrenc commanded an important presence in the musical life of 19th century Paris alongside her more well-known compatriots Chopin and Liszt. As a composer of piano music, Farrenc produced an important collection of 30 etudes written in all major and minor keys. The present recording offers 13 of these etudes as well as 3 sets of variations, including ones based on Bellini’s Norma and Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots. Joanne Polk received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees from The Juilliard School, and her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Manhattan School of Music.