ROCK LEGEND KEITH EMERSON'S RARELY PLAYED CLASSICAL COMPOSITION "PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1" AFTER 31 YEARS GETS NEXT COMMAND PERFORMANCE

Rock-and-Roll's legendary keyboard artist, Keith Emerson, from the iconic group, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, composed his own classical 'Piano Concerto no. 1' in 1977, which will be performed for the first time in the USA in decades on April 13th by the internationally renowned pianist, Jeffrey Biegel. Historically, Mr. Emerson recorded his piano concerto with the London Philharmonic for the 1977 ELP release titled, 'Works' featuring Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Mr. Emerson has performed the concerto worldwide, including Madison Square Garden in New York, and in Montreal. The final movement of the piano concerto is featured in a classic YouTube video with Mr. Emerson performing it in Montreal in 1977.  

Fast forward 31 years later: the internationally renowned pianist, Jeffrey Biegel, has performed all of the standard piano concerti with orchestras worldwide, and has premiered several new concerti composed for him by today's most important composers, including Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Charles Strouse, Lowell Liebermann, and for 2009 and 2010,  works by Richard Danielpour and William Bolcom respectively. Thanks to the inspiration from his friend, the brilliant producer, composer, and arranger, David Foster, Mr. Biegel ventures into the pop world with fire and excitement. His publisher at Theodore Presser ignited his interest in Keith Emerson's 'Piano Concerto no. 1' . As a result, the two have become close friends and esteemed colleagues.

On April 13th, Keith Emerson's 'Piano Concerto no. 1'  makes a bold re-appearance, since Emerson's own performances in 1977, with Mr. Biegel as soloist at the Krannert Center at the University of Champaign-Urbana, with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Steven Larsen. Mr. Emerson plans to attend this performance. Mr. Biegel also performs Leroy Anderson's 'Concerto in C', composed in 1953. Mr. Biegel has been the leading exponent of this work, having recorded it with Leonard Slatkin conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra for the Naxos label. This cd celebrates the 2008 centennial of the birth of Leroy Anderson, released to critical acclaim in January, 2008.

For more information, please contact the Champaign-Urbana Symphony:

701 Devonshire Drive C-24
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217-351-9139
music@cusymphony.org
www.cusymphony.org

and you may also visit Mr. Biegel's web site www.jeffreybiegel.com.

Jeffrey Biegel and Keith Emerson