 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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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Carl Fischer Publishes Two New Choral Works by Biegel
CARL FISCHER PUBLISHES TWO CHORAL TITLES BY JEFFREY BIEGEL
Click here: 2008 Choral Music
"A Different Kind of Hero "
Jeffrey Biegel
Two-Part
Level: Elementary and above — MEA stirring and tuneful salute to the heroes of everyday life, with original words and music by Jeffrey Biegel, this two-part choral will tap into the desire of young people to have lives charged with meaning. This is an inspirational choral useful for concert performances throughout the year.
cm9081
CM9081
Two-Part Treble with Keyboard Part 1: C4- Eb5 — Part 2: C4-C5
$1.65
"Ho Ho Hanukah! Ho Ho Christmas! "
Jeffrey Biegel
Two-Part
Level: Elementary and above — EUsing the familiar Hanukah tune (Maoz Tzur, a.k.a. Rock of Ages), Jeffrey Biegel has written a clever piece that refers to the elements of both Christmas and Hanukah. The commonality of seasonal pleasures is delightfully presented in this salute to the Festival of Lights and the traditions of Christmas.
cm9043
CM9043
Two-Part Treble with Keyboard, Optional Sleighbells Part 1: Bb3-Eb5 — Part 2: Bb3-D5
Thanks to the assistance of Rae Moses, Director for Choral Music at Carl Fischer, I am privileged to share the news with you that these two new pieces are now available in the Carl Fischer choral library:
'Ho Ho Hanukah! Ho Ho Christmas!'
and
'Different Kind of Hero'
They have been arranged for two-parts/piano, based on the original three-parts and SATB versions.
If you click on the link above, you can have a listen to the mp3 of each title.
Hope it brings pleasure to many choristers throughout the US and abroad.
Best wishes,
Jeffrey
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
10:11 PM
Friday, April 18, 2008
The LeDor Group Publishes Biegel's Psalms
The LeDor Group Inc, Music Publishing, is pleased to announce the publications by composer/pianist, Jeffrey Biegel.
The brainchild of composer/conductor, Lucas Richman, The LeDor Group publishes a wide variety of music for orchestra, chorus, chamber music and theatre. The selections by Mr. Biegel include:
Psalm 100 'A Psalm of Thanksgiving' (Chorus SATB a cappella)
Psalm 96 'O Sing Unto The Lord' (Chorus SATB divisi, double chorus a cappella)
Psalm 93 'The Lord Reigneth' (Chorus SATB divisi, double chorus a cappella)
Psalm 29 'Psaulme de David' (Chorus SATB divisi, double chorus a cappella, in French)
Please visit the following links for these compositions:
http://www.ledorgroup.com/publishing/vocal/vocalmusic.htm
and
http://www.ledorgroup.com/about/bio.htm
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
5:17 PM
Legendary Keith Emerson Makes Rare Visit
[From left: Keith Emerson, his girlfriend Mari Kamaguchi, Jeffrey Biegel]
On April 13th, 2008, Keith Emerson made a rare public appearance to be in the audience for his Piano Concerto no. 1, written in 1977. At 63, the legendary rocker still looks exuberant, youthful and spirited, and eager to get his new cd out and be part of my revival of his piano concerto. I have known Keith for several years after Daniel Dorff, the composer and director for publications at Theodore Presser, introduced Keith's concerto to me. After several years of faxes, phone calls, we finally met in San Diego in February 2008 when he attended my performance with the San Diego Symphony with Jahja Ling conducting Lowell Liebermann's Concerto no. 3. The performance of Keith's Concerto was performed with Steve Larsen conducting the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra in Illinois. They did a splendid job, and Keith introduced the concerto to the audience. His first observations were to make sure the piano would not fly and spin around, as he did when he toured with his group, Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
It is an unusual feeling as an artist to perform works by composers who attend your performances, to say the least. But I was not nervous, rather, inspired to give the man who wrote this truly fine work, a chance to experience another artist's rendering of his composition. The benchmark performance is Keith's own recording with the London Philharmonic on the ELP album, 'Works'. In the 1970s, 1980s, and perhaps into the 1990s, programming or offering a work as such would have proved fruitless, unless in an isolated situation. The piece was performed in Kentucky in 2000, and in China more recently. I plan to blanket the orchestras with this concerto, for I believe in its merits and accessibility to audiences--especially those who were raised on ELP.
Here is a story about Keith and his visit:
http://www.news-gazette.com/entertainment/2008/04/13/progressive_rocker_still_exploring
Here is a review of the performance:
The News-Gazette
Champaign, IL
April 15, 2008
C-U Symphony, pianist sparkle in season finale
"Leroy Anderson's Piano Concerto is like everything by this great composer of light music, full of glorious tunes and wonderful twists of orchestration. Biegel clearly loves this piece and played its stormy and tender passages from the heart.
[Keith Emerson's Concerto no. 1] is refreshingly bold and saucy. Emerson is impatient with transitions, and there are many clashes of keys and moods, as well as wild endings to the first and last movements. The ghost of composer Paul Hindemith, of all people, turns up near the beginning, and the propulsive start of the finale owes something to the Khachaturian concerto.
Biegel played with his usual brilliance, and during curtain calls, Emerson loped onstage to embrace Biegel and [Steve] Larsen."
It will be a journey to take Keith Emerson's Concerto on the road, and to see who will find it attractive to program. It is a special work with its own sound, harmonic language and melodic invention. I think it's time has come.
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
8:10 AM
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Genius of Richard Hayman
Back in the early 1990s, my friend, Don Pippin, told me about Richard Hayman, the veteran arranger, harmonica performer and conductor. He had already been the Boston Pops arranger appointed by Arthur Fiedler after Leroy Anderson, and recorded over 50 cds for Naxos, was principal pops conductor for orchestras such as the Saint Louis Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony and others during his long career. I knew he was getting up there in years, and as the years passed, and our schedules conflicted, it seemed less possible that we would share the stage.
Well, that changed this year--on March 15th. Our schedules coincided, and Richard invited me to perform with his Space Coast Pops in Florida. He plays golf quite regularly these days, and, at 87, he turns 88 on March 27th. That's one year for every key on the piano--well, not the Imperial Bosenforfer, as he said! I brought two works: Leroy Anderson's Concerto in C, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue--the 1924 version with the original piano part, which has some 88 measures in it which had been edited out in the best known editions of the 20th century.Of course, Richard knew this piece his entire life, and also plays it on harmonica--a half-step higher than written! When I brought the solo piano score to Richard, which is indeed much larger than the tiny conductor score (Richard said, 'With such a famous piece, why can't there be a larger conductor score??!!) he decided to conduct from my solo version, which has all of the missing measures. His conductor markings are now added in my solo score, which I will cherish. I was taken with the fact that he was willing to do this version, which he had no idea existed. He liked it too.
Many of Richard's arrangements are still performed throughout the world today. But watching him conduct his own arrangements was a gift indeed. He feels the music from the inside out, and conducts it as he sways to the music, with the energy of a young man, as though the music was just off the ink press. His arrangement of 'Mack the Knife', adapted from the Kurt Weill song, is genius. He plays it on harmonica with the big band and added strings, and then breaks into the vocal like Louis Armstrong! Simply divine! This 51-piece big band is probably one of the only bands of its kind, and they were able to go from big band to Gershwin, to Anderson, to Dorsey. We surely hope Richard will grace the stages for many years to come, but truly, this icon of his generation is rare, and the audience of over 2,000 filled the Baptist Church of Merritt Island, knowing that they were in the presence of a true master of his genre. I knew it, and was in awe to be able to play these wonderful pieces with someone like Richard Hayman conducting. His humility is inspirational, as he would say, 'I'll follow you--you're the soloist, and you know what to do with these pieces'. His interpretation of the second movement of the Anderson concerto was heartfelt--reminding me of how Skitch Henderson conducted it in Carnegie Hall with me in the mid-1990s. I am indeed blessed to have worked with these legendary artists.
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
10:24 PM
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Prok 2--my old friend
After concerts with Kevin Rhodes in Springfield--we've done Liebermann's 3rd (January 07) and Beethoven's Emperor (March 08), Kevin said, 'I'd love to do Prokofiev 2 with you next!' Kevin is one of the most exciting and driven musicians I have met so far. he is also a consummate accompanist. This brought back many memories, for in 1983, I studied this warhorse with Adele Marcus while a student at The Juilliard School. On my cover copy is an autograph to me from the great Byron Janis. I ended up winning the concerto competition that year and played the concerto with the late Sixten Ehrling and the Juilliard Philharmonia--my first full concerto performance. In 1985, I won the William Kapell competition in Maryland (with National Symphony in the Kennedy Center) with the same concerto, and then an Oslo competition with the Oslo Philharmonic, again, 'Prok 2' as we called it. This was immediately followed by an invitation to play it three weeks later with the Danish National Radio Symphony in Copenhagen--the ever-amazing John Nelson conducted. That was the last time I performed this colossal concerto--my staple piece. Since then, everyone asks for the 'Prok 3', 'Rach 3', 'Rach 2'. Taking out the score today was like meeting an old friend from many years ago, and the freshness of the music was overwhelming. So many of the chordal patterns and fingerings came back easily--others seemed like new territory. I can probably whisk the piece back into shape if I had to rather quickly. Having composed a good deal since then, the harmonic language seems very invigorating to me now--moreso than as a student. This is truly one of the great concerti, and I hope to have the pleasure to take it on the road many times again now.
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
9:50 AM
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Lotsa Liebermann and Alaskan Splendor
Lowell Liebermann's Third Concerto has brought me to three corners of the US in a short few weeks. The Key West Symphony in Florida, did a wonderful performance with their dynamic music director, Sebrina Alfonso. The players hail from across the US, and I made many new friends. Key West has some beautiful streets to walk through, and I did some 3 miles a day of just that away from the typical tourist locations. Standing at the Southernmost tip of the US, 90 miles from Cuba, was a surreal experience. The audiences support their orchestra and enjoyed the new music very much, much due to Sebrina's tireless dedication to this orchestra, which she founded.
Next was the Southwesternmost premiere, with the San Diego Symphony. I confessed to Maedtro Jahja Ling, that it did indeed take 15 years to finally make music together. It was well worth the long wait. Jahja is a warm and generous man, and wonderful musician. It was the beginning of a warm friendship, and the orchestra played superbly. The Gaslamp district in San Diego is a delightful potpourri of restaurants, of which I only sampled the night before I left. I also met a young man who is a pianist and also works for Qualcomm. I offered to teach him and he played splendidly through Schubert's 'Wanderer' Fantaisie and some of Chopin's Etudes from Opus 10. He tossed off the first two like child's play. I also taught a master class at the university, and the playing was on an extremely high level. I am sure the balmy weather has to agree with everyone that lives there.
Next up was Anchorage, Alaska. For this trip, my wife and sons joined me. It was a school break and a working vacation. Firstly, the Anchorage Symphony played beautifully, led by their energetic conductor, Randall Craig Fleischer. He did an amazing job of getting the orchestra to play on a higher and higher level from the first rehearsal to the concert. We enjoyed this concert so much, and I look forward to collaborating with Randy with his other two orchestras. He's full of spirit, which is evident in his rehearsal and concert style. For the vacation portion, we were scheduled to take a guided tour to the south of Anchorage, but due to an avalanche, roads and tourist spots were closed. We decided to take the guided tour north of Anchorage. Mind you, it snowed in New York while it was a balmy 40 degrees in Alaska! The tour included a magnificent view of the Chugatch mountains, windeing up the Hatcher's Pass to a lodge for lunch. The views are unbelievable. On to the Musk Ox farm, which was remarkable in that these prehistoric animals faced extinction. At one time, they came from Canada via New Jersey, to Alaska. There, they bred and multiplied. The undercoat, Quiviut, is very expensive, and they send the undercoat to native Alaskans to make clothing with, hats, scarves, etc. It is the warmest outer clothing you can wear, and the prices do reflect that. The animals are interesting, in that they are bovine, but also have traits of the bull, as they 'butt heads'. The oldest musk ox, a male, stared at me, and I stared back with the greatest respect for the eldest of the oxen.
We rented a car one day, and visited the Alaska Zoo, and on another day, drove the southern route on Seward Highway to the Turnagin Arm--an amazing sight! The warnings of falling rocks and avalanches was a bit unnerving, but the view more than made up for that. We did drive through the Wildlife Conservation Center, though it probably should have been closed to visitors. We got stuck in nasty ice chunks, and that the family of bear were just over the fence, didn't make life easier! Had the roads been better, we would have enjoyed the experience more, but the animals are varied and quite interesting to see from your car. Just after the brief visit to Girdwood, we drove on to see if the Portage Glacier might be visible. I didn't know to take the turn off on Portage Glacier Road, and found my way to a sign reading, 'Welcome to the Kenai Peninsula'. I noticed the trees covered in snow, and the mountains glowing in the sunlight. It was absolutely breathtaking. My wife thought it might be a good idea to go back, since the roads were getting icy and we apparently missed a turn somewhere--and, we had a flight that night back to New York! Alaska is quite spectacular--I would like to see it in the summertime and visit the other cities as well.
After returning to New York on the 25th, I hopped a flight from New York on the 26th to Albuquerque via Houston--and I am writing this late at night the 26th while these details are still fresh in my mind. I last performed with the New Mexico Symphony in the late 1980s and 1990. The New Mexico Symphony will also play the Liebermann Third Concerto, and after this, it's back to Springfield, Mass. for Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto next week, and then Leroy Anderson's Concerto, Keith Emerson's Concerto, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F throughout the US.
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
12:11 AM
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Rach 3 and Ghosts of Rach 3 past
Last night's concert with the Charleston Symphony was perhaps the most emotionally charged of any I have ever performed. David Stahl led his orchestra so splendidly. We had a double rehearsal the day before, and it was a rather long day's wait until we performed the piece after intermission at 9:15pm. After I went through countless passages on a Yamaha upright in the Green Room, I sat down to play the piece, and felt this amazing focus of emotuional energy take me over--before the orchestra even began. When the first notes sounded, I could feel my eyes well up a bit. Sure, there is a history of the Rach 3 and me. I learned it in 1981, and in 1982, I studied it with Adele Marcus, who has taught it to all of her best prize-winning students. There was a concerto competition at Juilliard, and Rach 3 was one of them. Adele didn't wish for me to enter, and said, 'I know how you will play this someday, and now is not the time'. I was crushed, of course, and did not enter. Fortunately, the year after, I won the concerto competition for the Prokofiev 2nd Concerto. In 1984, I entered a major competition in Europe and missed the finals by a half point--Rach 3, again. I witnessed another pianist play itn in the final round and take second prize. Fortunately, though, I won the Kapell competition in 1985 with the Prokofiev 2nd concerto. But the stigma of not getting this opportunity to play Rach 3 would haunt me. It was finally in 1996 that this opportunity came not once, but twice. I played it with my friend George Del Gobbo conducting the Lake Forest Symphony--first time for me! Shortly after, with my Bulgarian conductor friend, Ivan Anguelov, with the Istanbul State Symphony. Two years later, with my friend (and quasi brother!) Stuart Malina, and the Greensboro Symphony, which cemented our long-lasting friendship. Stuart suggested me to David Stahl, and here we are, ten years later, performing Rach 3 in Charleston!
I had found out just two hours prior to the concert in Charleston through a google search that an older friend had passed. He was Neil Levenson, who wrote 'Denise' (recorded by Randy and the Rainbows and later, Blondie) and other pop songs. Deeper than that, Neil was one of the best pianists I ever heard. He studied with Moritz Rosenthal and his wife, of the old world pedigree, and could sit down and play anything like a seasoned artist. He studied with me briefly, and traveled often to Israel and basically lived off the royalties of his songs. Oddly, my son asked my wife what ever happened to Neil Levenson just two weeks ago--he passed, unknown to us, on January 7. How strange for my son to ask at that time. Not sure what made me reach out to find out how he is--perhaps he was sending us messages. Perhaps then it became part of my experience performing last night. The audience screamed and jumped to their feet--Iwas overwhelmed--my cup runneth over. I am sure Neil was there too--along with Adele Marcus by my side.
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
8:35 AM
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Naxos Releases the Leroy Anderson Piano Concerto for the Anderson Centennial
Here's a press release for the release of the Leroy Anderson Concerto--I really love this delightful concerto, and am happy to share it especially in this centennial year of Leroy Anderson's birth:
Pianist Jeffrey Biegel has been a strong advocate and dedicated fan of Leroy Anderson's 'Concerto in C', composed in 1953. Following a hearing of the concerto in 1991, Mr. Biegel approached the family of Leroy Anderson regarding the concerto. Mr. Anderson's widow, Eleanor Anderson, sent a copy of the handwritten two-piano score along with a cassette copy recorded from radio of the concerto's world premiere from Grant Park, Chicago, in 1953. The premiere featured Eugene List at the piano, with Mr. Anderson conducting the Grant Park Festival Orchestra. This furthered Mr. Biegel's interest in the concerto. In 1994, he brought the concerto back to the Grant Park Music Festival for the first time since the premiere in 1953, as well as to Carnegie Hall in New York City, for the New York Premiere of the concerto with Skitch Henderson conducting his New York Pops.Since then, Mr. Biegel has brought the 'Concerto in C' throughout the USA, and as far as Izmir, Turkey. He recently recorded the concerto with Leonard Slatkin conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra. The cd sees its release in January, 2008-- the first of five cds featuring the complete catalogue of the music by Leroy Anderson, also marking the centennial of Leroy Anderson's birth in 1908. More information about Mr. Anderson can be found at his web site, www.leroyanderson.com. Mr. Biegel's web site is www.jeffreybiegel.com. More information about Naxos is available at www.naxos.com
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
12:14 PM
Rach 3--same weekend--different year
While flying into Charleston, South Carolina, I realized that in bringing the mercurial 'Rach 3' (Rachmaninov Third Piano Concerto) to Charleston, I had done the same in 2005 for the same weekend in January to the El Paso Symphony--which, by the way, has always been a top-class orchestra. Perhaps it is karma; I should make sure to book Rach 3 the same weekend every year! I am indeed excited about this collaboration with David Stahl, music director for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. It is actually Stuart Malina, music director now of the Harrisburg Symphony (and one of my best friends of all time!) whom I need to thank. After we did the Rach 3 in Greensboro in 1998, he told me he was suggesting me to David Stahl, as he was assistant conductor in Charleston in addition to his duties in Greensboro. Finally, ten years later, we will meet later today and rehearse the Rach 3. Maestro Stahl had called me from his cell phone from Germany, where he he conducts regularly, and said, 'I hear you play the best Rach 3, and we must do it together!' Of course, I said many pianists deliver a beautiful Rach 3--it's hard not to, such amazing music. I agreed on the spot. I'll report back after the experience, which I am looking forward to immensely. I was particularly taken by the beauty of the city of Charleston. Reminds me a bit of New Orleans, due to the history, and King Street, at times, reminds me of a mix of Flensburg, Germany and the Hamptons of Long Island! Very special, with a Euro-American feel. Shops closed at night, and streets were empty, much like in Europe.
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
7:57 AM
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