Richard Kastle (born December 15, 1958) is an American classical pianist and composer.
Richard Kastle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 15, 1958 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist and composer |
Life and career
editKastle was born in Palm Beach, Florida, and began playing piano at age eight in 1966, learning to play by ear.[1] "He's a musical genius." said his former piano teacher. "I remember he walked In and played the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2[1] by Franz Liszt after hearing it on the Tom and Jerry cartoon," she said. "Back then, he couldn't even read music."[1][2] Kastle studied with Ivan Davis.[3] He began composing piano concertos as a teenager while studying with Davis.[3] He continued his studies as a piano major at the University of North Texas, where he was expelled for calling in sick on his final recital.[3] An official at the music department recalled Kastle, but said that neither he nor anyone else could remember enough about the case to comment.[3] Kastle said that it was his refusal to dress formally for concerts that ultimately got him expelled from the music department.[1][4] He later made monthly performances at clubs in Venice and Santa Monica, California where he built a following of young, often college-age, listeners.[1]
Performance and recording career
editKastle made his network television debut in 1989 on CBS's The Pat Sajak Show,[1][5] after an appearance on Canadian teen show Pilot One.[6] He signed with Virgin Records in 1991 and released the album Streetwise in the same year.[7] Kastle's television appearances include a performance and interview on The Joan Rivers Show[8] and NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[4] Kastle promoted his national tour on the episode that aired July 3, 1991.[8] The tour included solo concerts[9] and appearances with comedians George Carlin[10] and Jay Leno.[11][12][13] In 1992, he recorded his Piano Concerto No. 5, also known as the Royce Concerto,[1] with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.[4] He appeared at Lincoln Center on November 8, 1996, performing his own compositions and works by Chopin and Liszt.[14] Titanic Symphony is his third symphony and is based on the sinking of the RMS Titanic.[3] He conducted the premieres of his Titanic Symphony and Symphony No. 5 at Lincoln Center on November 6, 1999.[5][15] Kastle has composed eight piano concertos. In 2003, he played arrangements of Beethoven's sonatas for piano and orchestra and premiered his Piano Concerto No. 8.[16] He performs piano recitals on college campuses.[17][18]
Awards
editIn 1976, the mayor of Hialeah proclaimed March 30 in honor of Kastle. At the time, he was a student at Hialeah Miami-Lakes High School who had just competed successfully for a music scholarship.[5]
Albums
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Appleford, Steve (March 24, 1991). "Spike-Haired Pianist Shows How You Can't Judge an Album by His Jacket". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012.
- ^ Ousley, Yvette (February 13, 1992). "Rhapsody in Purple". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Wharton, David (September 11, 1988). "A Little Longhair Music, With Spikes and Stripes Liszt and Chains: Punked-Out Classical Musician Thrives on Culture Clash". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
- ^ a b c Andrews, Sharony (February 20, 1992). "Hip Composer Opening for Leno". Miami Herald. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Richard Kastle". Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ^ Quill, Greg (January 20, 1989). "Teen TV show Pilot One not yet flying high". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
- ^ Duncan, Scott (April 1, 1991). "Bringing youth to the classics". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ a b "TV.com credits".
- ^ "Out on the town – a synthesis of sounds". Los Angeles Daily News. March 29, 1991.
- ^ Baldwin, Lonna (March 1, 1992). "George Carlin pokes fun at the foibles of the statue quo". The Spokesman-Review.
- ^ Cobb, Nathan (September 15, 1991). "Nice guys finish first, critics complain that Jay Leno". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Lannert, Jonh (February 14, 1992). "The new king of late night television". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
- ^ "Travel headliners". The Fresno Bee. September 1, 1991.
- ^ "In Concert". New York. November 11, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ "Clippings File". New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ "Music Listings". The New York Times. September 28, 2003. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
- ^ "Looks can be deceiving". Erie Times-News. March 12, 1995.
- ^ "Concerts". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 10, 2001.
