 The career of pianist Jeffrey Biegel has been marked by bold, creative achievements and highlighted by a series of firsts.
He performed the first live internet recitals in New York and Amsterdam in 1997 and 1998, enabling him to be seen and heard by a global audience. In 1999, he assembled the largest consortium of orchestras (over 25), to celebrate the millennium with a new concerto composed for him by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The piece, entitled 'Millennium Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra', was premiered with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In 1997, he performed the World Premiere of the restored, original 1924 manuscript of George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' with the Boston Pops. Charles Strouse composed a new work titled 'Concerto America' for Biegel, celebrating America and honoring the heroes and events of 9-11. Biegel premiered the piece with the Boston Pops in 2002. He transcribed the first edition of Balakirev's 'Islamey Fantasy' for piano and orchestra, which he premiered with the American Symphony Orchestra in 2001, and edited and recorded the first complete set of all '25 Preludes' by Cesar Cui.
Currently, he is assembling the first global consortium for the new 'Concerto no. 3 for Piano and Orchestra' being composed for him by Lowell Liebermann for 2005-06-07. The World Premiere will take place with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andreas Delfs on May 12-14 2006, followed by the European Premiere with the Schleswig Holstein Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gerard Oskamp, February 6-9, 2007.
Biegel is currently on the piano faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY).
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Friday, May 26, 2006
Symphonic Fantasies
With over 30 years of songwriting, I had a hunch that Billy Joel wasn't going to be content with the generic term 'concerto' for his music-turned-into-concerto for piano and orchestra. Asked to submit three possible titles, the winner became Stuart Malina's offering: Symphonic Fantasies for Piano and Orchestra. Perhaps a sister to the Symphonic Variations by Cesar Franck--though the Joel stands on its own at 30 minutes. With the premiere getting close, going through the score and parts and piano part for atleast a near-perfect sounding premiere, is a challenge. Aside from a synthesized demo, which is actually quite remarkable in itself, I am very curious as to the final product. To be continued...
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
12:20 PM
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Old Home Week In Milwaukee
Just arrived in Milwaukee yesterday (May 10) for the premiere of Lowell Liebermann's Third Concerto this weekend. The expectation of what the piece might sound like with the piano part I've memorized, coupled with the orchestra part I have only conceived in my inner ear, became a reality that is hard to put into words. The colors and the energy is amazing--and having the composer in the hall listening is a great challenge, but the sense of comradry seemed to take precedence. We both attended The Juilliard School in the early 1980s, as did concertmaster Frank Almond (always an amazing violinist) and Maestro Andreas Delfs--though I vaguely remember seeing Maestro Delfs in the halls of Juilliard, and Frank was in my classes, and Lowell was a double major in piano and composition. After over 20 years, we all found ourselves in the same hall, with different parts to play--composer, conductor, pianist, orchestral concertmaster--all for the beauty of introducing a new work to the mainstream repertoire. After today's first session, Lowell actually admitted that he thinks this third concerto might give his second concerto a run for its money! I think they are both staggering works, and it is a gratifying feeling to know that we are all part of the inception, and birth of a new concerto. Surely it will be played in the future by many-a-pianist--I certainly hope!
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
6:00 PM
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