Expressive fantasy for flute and piano begins with flute playing a solo into the inside of the piano for a special resonance

Flute Fantasy

Mulholland Fantasies (Piano Quartet)mvt 5

The middle movement of my quartet for flute, clarinet, cello, and piano titled ORBIT E. All the music revolves around an E minor chord. The piano in this movement is essentially a hybrid harp-piano, because half of its music is plucked and strummed inside the instrument.
Here performed by the Sonora Chamber Ensemble in Boulder, CO

ORBIT E with Michelle Stanley and Sonora Chamber Ensemble; Oct 09

Orbit E mvt. 2

Performed by the Bay Atlantic Symphony conducted by Jed Gaylin

Lights On! is a festive Jewish offering for Christmas Holiday concerts. Listeners embark on a musical journey through a traditional prayer melody and eight  diverse Hanukkah tunes, each representing one of the eight days of Hanukkah. Some tunes are well known, such as "O Hanukkah O Hanukkah," while others might be discoveries, such as the Sephardic "Ochos Kandelikas." Highlights include frequent counterpoint with various combinations of the the tunes. There is a moment of klezmer music with a clarinet solo as well as a melodramatic violin cadenza. The structure of the piece is a little bit like a spinning dreydel that goes out of control, with a climax where all eight tunes play simultaneously. I add the tempo marking "Prestissimo Mashuguna," which I so hope is original. Lights On! was commissioned by Jed Gaylin and the Bay Atlantic Symphony in New Jersey.

Lights On! by Russell Steinberg

The first movement of my String Quartet No. 2, masterfully interpreted by the Lyris Quartet.

String Quartet No. 2

Cosmic Dust for orchestra by Russell Steinberg performed March 7, 2015 by the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jed Gaylin as part of the 25th Anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. Even snowstorms that wiped out some rehearsals didn't stop this spirited orchestra from creating a beautiful energetic performance of my piece. Before this performance, Dr. Mario Livio from the Space Telescope Science Institute and Dr. John Grunsfeld, NASA astronaut and physicist, presented a fascinating preconcert talk about the Hubble Space Telescope!

Cosmic Dust, Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, Jed Gaylin, Conductor

Final movement from Russell Steinberg's STRANGE ATTRACTORS for string quartet and world music trio (Many Axes). The percussion part combines an indian tabla and an african udu.

Universality from STRANGE ATTRACTORS

Symphony No. 1, 2nd movement titled "NightFall" by Russell Steinberg

Symphony 1-II. NightFall

Missing Violin Tango from STORIES FROM MY FAVORITE PLANET: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO JOURNALIST DANIEL PEARL. Music by Russell Steinberg. Violin, Mitchell Newman; Piano, Russell Steinberg
This tango accompanies Pearl's humorous article about a stolen Stradivarius violin whose new owner refuses to give it back because it lets her play in tune!

Missing Violin Tango (vln, pno)

Flute Sonata Mvt. 1 by Russell Steinberg
Michelle Stanley, Flute

Flute Sonata I. Probing and Mysterious

String Quartet No. 1 by Russell Steinberg (10 min.)
My string quartet was premiered by the New World String Quartet in Boston and ultimately became my doctoral thesis at Harvard University. Though written as only a single movement, the quartet journeys and converses together through many different worlds of texture and tempo. I was particularly influenced by the sonorities of Alban Berg’s String Quartet op. 3 and Lyric Suite, as well as Bartok’s haunting String Quartet No. 2. My original title was “Nightmares,” but several professors protested saying the music was far too sweet for such a description. You be the judge. 

String Quartet No. 1

The Net of Indra by Russell Steinberg
Performed for Youth Orchestra Day in Pasadena, CA with four youth orchestras:
Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, Pasadena Young Musicians Symphony, Olympia Youth Orchestra, Verdugo Youth Orchestra

The Net of Indra

Three and a half minutes of calm for a stressed world. Performed by violin soloist Anna Koustyuchek with the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra conducted by Russell Steinberg. Aria For A Calmer World has been performed for Daniel Pearl Music Days and in honor of the victims of the Paris and San Bernardino terrorist attacks. It is also the first movement of the orchestra song cycle "Canopy of Peace."

Aria For A Calmer World

1 minute excerpt from the famous first guitar prelude by Heitor Villa-Lobos, performed by Russell Steinberg

Prelude #1 (Excerpt) by Heitor Villa-Lobos

Adelita by Francisco Tarrega performed by Russell Steinberg (freely!)

Adelita by Francisco Tarrega

El Noi De La Mar (Catalonian Folk Song) by Llobet

guitar prelude exploring the resonance of harmonics

Guitar Prelude #4

My performance of one of the great Schumann gems, his second Romanze from op. 28. This is a love poem for the ages, hence my 'romantic' analysis: The couple anchor each other in the middle register in a melody in 3rds. A lower bass and upper treble accompaniment revolve around the couple's central melody.  A middle section introduces some storm and stress momentarily tearing the couple apart. They come back together, then imitate each other in beautiful melodic phrases. The piece ends in romantic sublimity—the accompaniment fades to nothing and the tones of the couple resonate eternally. 

Schumann Romanze No. 2

A short guitar prelude structured mostly with harmonics, bell-like tones produced by touching the strings lightly at particular frets.

Steinberg Guitar Harmonics

from Sacred Transitions: Songs on Meditations by Rabbi Harold Schulweis
 by Russell Steinberg

Mezzo Soprano, Diana Tash
Piano, Russell Steinberg

TOUCH MY HEART

Child
Touch my nose, my lips, my eyes 
with your small hands.
Touch my arms and chest. 
Feel their shape 
how real they are.
Now touch my love.
No, not my chest or arms or lips.
You are puzzled.
How is one to touch love 
and where is its place?

Love is not here or there
But who would 
deny its reality?
Where does love reside 
if it cannot be pointed to?
Is it less than my chin?

Now where but when.
But when is love
When is God.
Recall the meeting
the moment, the time.

Russell Steinberg

Pinned to spotlight

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