classical

Jonathan Clay - Heart On Fire

"Unless you love, your life will flash before you."

-Terrence Malick, The Tree Of Life

ALBUM INFO:

"The Idea Of You" is the first of a trio of neoclassical solo piano albums composed, performed, and produced by Andrew Souter. These projects have been two decades in the making and represent a return to traditional music composition, engaging song-writing, and the pure passion of emotional story-telling. This Andrew's most personal and intimate music. It is quite literally a love project. We hope it may it help you on your journey, as it has us...

The Idea Of You Cover Art "The Idea Of You" is music inspired by the spirit of Eros and all of its blessings as well as its tribulations. It explores the vicissitudes of romantic love, the delicate seasons and contour of life, and all the lessons learned along the way. Themes of desire, passion, limerence, romantic love, idolatry, jealousy, envy, loss, regret, forgiveness, acknowledgment, appreciation, acceptance, and eventually glimpses of true understanding permeate the work. It attempts to communicate that which so many of us can never quite communicate properly with words. It is an open apology for the clumsy mistakes we all make when coming to maturity in learning how to care selflessly for another human being. It is a gentle reminder as to what is most important in life, as well as an invocation to continuously seek self-improvement regarding our understanding of such matters.

Unless You Love

Andrew Souter -- Unless You Love

What can be more tender, what can be more innocent - than a kiss?
But during the Third Reich even kisses among men were forbidden, and thousands of gay people were persecuted and put into concentration camps. There was a pink triangle fastened to their prison uniforms. 
And still today gay and lesbian people are persecuted in many parts of the world.
Violence and discrimination against them happens also in "civilized" countries. Every day.

So this pieces is a remembrance of the persecution in the past and the discrimination today.
It is therefore devoted "to a friend´s friend"...

Enjoy this very special piano work and the outstanding interpretation by pianist Hal Freedman (@classical-soul-pianist) from Philadelphia / USA. 

The booklet with descriptions about the historical background and scores / sheet music can be downloaded for free here:
http://www.beneking.com/hrs

Please be sure to also have a look at the fantastic and touching movie that Hal has created for this piece!
http://www.youtube.com/user/steveberlin0815
http://www.youtube.com/user/hmfreedman/featured

The picture is taken from the "Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism" in Berlin, where an endless film loop shows two men (and in a more recent version also two women) kissing each other.

More works of this collaboration project with Hal Freedman will be published soon.
We are planning a free-download-album on BandCamp and a charity album on iTunes and many other platforms. All revenues will go to relevant charities.
We want the messages of this "Holocaust Remembrance Suite" with pieces like "The Kiss", "The white Rose" and more to spread as far as possible.
So please feel free to download the recordings and the scores already here and share wherever appropriate!
Thank you also for reposting and sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ etc.

Wikipedia links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_Homosexuals_Persecuted_Under_Nazism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_homosexuals_in_Nazi_Germany_and_the_Holocaust

Epitaph (excerpt from the video):
My beautiful fallen brothers,
Du und ich sind die gleichen.
There is now a shrine in a park
that tells your sad story 
to the world.
It is on this sacred ground
that you are honored,
your dignity as human beings,
restored.
 
Rivers of tears I shed 
for your grievous suffering,
for the loss, 
of thousands.
You are loved by many, 
remembered by many, 
cherished by many. 
Your destiny is in our hands now. 
Rest in peace.

YouTube Video

Der Kuss - The Kiss - played by Hal Freedman

18-06-2013. 
one month active life in souncloud. 
I met some great people. 
dedicated to Pamela Chng.
http://soundcloud.com/pamela-chng

Spotify

Dedicated to Pamela Chng, Nocturne 18 June - Piano Solo

This is the last  piece from the "Petits Rêves Bizarres" album - the collaborative album with @Stephan-Beneking , a blend of neoclassical composition with free style improvisation.

Thank you all for your fantastic support and comments during this musical journey from all three of us - Stephan for your comments about the composition, me for your comments about me playing and my improvisations and Arty for the recording and for the album cover! 
We plan to release the 2nd album with the pieces XIII-XXIV in a couple of months. If you haven´t downloaded the first album yet, this is your chance now :-)

CreateSpace CD: http://www.createspace.com/2135430 
Amazon CD: http://www.amazon.com/Petits-Reves-Bizarres-I-XII-Milana/dp/B00CAEM6V0 
Amazon MP3: http://www.amazon.com/Petits-Reves-Bizarres-Stephan-Beneking/dp/B00C1WP5C8 
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/petits-reves-bizarres-i-xii/id626880279 
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Milana_Petits_Reves_Bizarres_I_XII_feat_Stephan_Be?id=Bdeidvd3ih2hfp4wpks5txv4oga 
BandCamp: http://milana.bandcamp.com/album/petits-reves-bizarres-i-xii

Petit rêve bizarre XII - Stephan Beneking and Milana

Singer/Dancer/Actress/Songwriter

Dreaming Big

classical

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