Richard D. Russell » piano trio

Sofia Dimitrova to perform Richard Russell songs February 19

Richard D. Russell — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:21:24 +0000

Sofia Dimitrova

Soprano Sofia Dimitrova will perform two Richard Russell compositions, “Amid the Blinding Snow” and “Crossing the Bar.” This will be the New York premiere of the two pieces, which are for soprano and piano trio.

The venue is Saint Peters Church at Citigroup Center, Lexington Avenue at 54th Street. The concert starts at 8pm, and there is a suggested donation of $20.

Other pieces on the concert:
Roger Blanc Maneuvers, for vln & vla
Richard Brooks Lamentations
Jacob E. Goodman Variations for a Rainy Afternoon
Carl Kanter Summer Quartet, for string quartet
Debra Kaye Duet After Winter, for 2 vlns
Eugene Marlow La Femme d’un Temps Passe’ au Pre’sent

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Songs from Poet’s Corner: April 10, 2011

Richard D. Russell — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:33:06 +0000

Several new and old Richard Russell pieces will be featured in this April 10 concert (3pm) presented by In Mid Air Productions. “Reverie for Flute and Piano”, a piece composed as an undergraduate, will be performed, as will the much more recent “Four Songs of Shakespeare in Madrigal Style.” Among the new pieces are “Crossing the Bar” for baritone and piano trio, on a text of Tennyson, and “Longing” for soprano and piano trio, based on a poem by Matthew Arnold.

Here is the press release from the IMAP website:

In anticipation of the royal nuptials scheduled at the abbey this April, In Mid Air Productions presents its spring salon, Songs of Poets‚Äô Corner in Westminster Abbey.

On Sunday, April 10, 2011, at 3pm, IMAP will perform readings and new compositions featuring the works of the poets honored and buried at Westminster Abbey. Robert W. Butts will again conduct our troupe of musicians in pieces he has composed, along with new pieces by Anthony Bevilacqua, Kevin McCarter, and Richard D. Russell. Featured performers include Iliya Roitman, Kristine Hart, Alejandra Altonjy, Dan Foran, Mark Fitzgerald Wilson, and Emily Clare Thompson.

Please join us for a celebration of spring and poetry!

For more information, updates, or ticket reservations, contact: Emily Clare Thompson at office: (973) 404‑0540 or seasonal.sunday.salons@gmail.com

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Video: “Eldorado”

Richard D. Russell — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 16:50:00 +0000

At the October 24, 2010 Edgar Allan Poe celebration produced by In Mid Air Productions, two pieces of mine were premiered: Annabel Lee and Eldorado. Here’s video of Emily Thompson-Schweer, soprano, performing Eldorado. It is arranged for high voice and piano trio; a tenor might wish to perform it. See Compositions for more info.

Emily Thompson-Schweer, soprano, performs Eldorado

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Video: “Annabel Lee”

Richard D. Russell — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 16:30:12 +0000

At the October 24, 2010 Edgar Allan Poe celebration produced by In Mid Air Productions, two pieces of mine were premiered: Annabel Lee and Eldorado. Here’s video of Dan Foran, tenor, performing Annabel Lee. It’s arranged for piano trio accompaniment, and was a big hit at the concert. See Compositions for more info.

Dan Foran, tenor, performs “Annabel Lee”

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Three Compositions based on Poe poems: Oct 24

Richard D. Russell — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:28:00 +0000

Richard D. Russell will have three pieces performed on October 24, 2010 at the Bell and Barter Theater in Rockaway, NJ. Details are on the poster, please click for a larger view. All of the day’s pieces will have a theme tied in with Edgar Allan Poe.

Russell’s compositions include “A Poe Fantasia” plus two new premieres: “Eldorado” and “Annabel Lee” both for voice and piano trio.

There will be a premiere of a new mini-opera by Robert Butts, a re-imagining of Poe’s classic short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

The concert starts at 3pm, and tickets are available for $15 by emailing your total tickets desired to: seasonal.sunday.salons@gmail.com

Tickets at the door are $25, so save $10 by registering early!

A wine and cheese reception is included in the ticket’s cost.

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“A Law Divine” and songs from “Hades”, on July 25

Richard D. Russell — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:26:00 +0000

click for a larger size view

On July 25, 2010 In Mid Air Productions presents its next Seasonal Sunday Salon: ‚ÄúSongs of a Sultry Summer: Surrender to the Siren.‚Äù The concert will feature several world premieres, with music by Robert Butts, Robert Cohen, and Richard D. Russell. Maestro Butts is the afternoon‚Äôs conductor.

Richard Russell’s premieres will be “A Law Divine” for baritone and piano trio, a song cycle of three texts: A Red, Red Rose (Burns), Love’s Philosophy (Shelley), and Break of Day (Donne).

Also on tap are chamber music arrangements of two songs from Hades, a forthcoming musical drama with lyrics by Emily Clare Thompson and music by Richard Russell.

Tickets are $25 at the door, but a reduced rate of $15 is available if you reserve your ticket by July 23. (Students and seniors are $15, while the early pre-July 23 rate is $10.)

To reserve your spot, email your name, ticket type, and number of tickets to seasonal.sunday.salons@gmail.com. (Questions may also be directed here.)

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A Quick and Easy Way to Vary your Music

Richard D. Russell — Fri, 07 May 2010 05:58:33 +0000

Within iTunes or any audio file, it’s possible to tweak the equalization of the playback. This means boosting the bass or raising the treble. Every piece will be a little different. This is something to think about when you compose: is your music too treble-y? Too bass-y? Too stuck in the mid-range, with no highs or lows? As you write music, think about varying the regions you write in, so that the ear doesn’t feel too stuck in one area of the sonic spectrum.

Consider a piano trio, for instance. Obviously, one can “set” the violin high, “set”¬†the cello low, and have the piano fill in the mid-range. And yet, think of the different colors achieved in the piano’s left hand is very low, the piano’s right hand very high, with the strings taking the middle register. Or if all three instruments are in similar regions.

Of course, common sense must be used with dynamics to insure that nothing is lost “in the mix!”

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Spirals performed by Stella Trio, Feb 18, 2007

Richard D. Russell — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:28:00 +0000

Stella Trio

Spirals was performed at Mannes College of Music’s Concert Hall on Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 1:30pm. The performers were The Stella Trio, Jannina Barefield, violin, Monica Chung, piano, and Laura Metcalf, cello. (More information about them can be found at their website.) Also on the concert were pieces by composers Ryan Tracy, David Ames, and Wayne Alpern.

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Performances of Richard Russell’s Music

Richard D. Russell — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:14:00 +0000

For those of you in New York City, my piano trio, Spirals, will be performed this Sunday, Feburary 18, 20076 at 1:30pm. The venue is Mannes College of Music, 150 West 85th Street. The performers will be the Stella Trio: Jannina Barefield — violin; Laura Metcalf — cello; Monica Chung — Piano. Other composers on the bill include Ryan Tracy, David Ames, and Wayne Alpern. This is a free concert.

For more information about The Stella Trio, click here.

Also, on March 9, 2007, my Three Elegies for soprano and percussion will be performed at the Thalia at Symphony Space, Broadway at 95th Street. Concert time is 7:30pm. Tiffany DuMouchelle and Steven Solook are the performers. This is a concert being presented by the New York Composers Circle, so lots of other composers and players will be on board. Have a look at http://nycomposerscircle.org/Calendar/calendar.html

Tickets are $15.

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