Spring has officially sprung here in Southwest Florida, and in addition to May flowers, we also have some great new music from Steinway Spirio to share.
This month on Spirio, we focus on classic themes and songs made famous through feature films. From Disney hits to James Bond, to Film Noir — even the latest tunes from La La Land, the best film music endures beyond the screen.
On Spirio sync video, we offer legendary American pianist William Kapell. Filmed the same year Kappell died at the young age of 31, he performs an Argentine Dance by Emilio Napolitano.
Spirio offers a new set of music by the great film composer Henry Mancini. Additionally, there are new tracks by Michel Legrand, Marvin Hamlisch and Alan Menken. “As Time Goes By,” a tune made famous through the immortal film Casablanca, though not written expressly for it, gets an elegant new rendition from Earl Rose. He also plays “Summer Me, Winter Me”, a lovely tune written for a film that few people remember. David Osborne returns to Spirio with some memorable film themes from Titanic and Beauty and the Beast, as well as a Boz Scaggs tune written for Urban Cowboy. And yes — there is a La La Land set, too!
The German composer–pianist Joja Wendt returns to Spirio with such original tunes as “The Shout” and “The Sheik of Araby.” And for classical repertoire, we are thrilled to introduce to Spirio one of Korea’s greatest pianists, Sunwook Kim, performing Beethoven and Brahms.
Pictures at an Exhibition
Finally, we present the first performance on Spirio of one of the great showcases for solo piano, a work that is perhaps the most literal musical portrayal of visual art: Mussorgsky’s grand Pictures at an Exhibition, performed by the excellent American pianist Ingrid Jacoby as her Spirio debut.
Top picks for this month
Without further ado, here’s our hand-picked Top 10 Playlist for this month on Spirio.
- 1) La La Land: City of Stars – Justin Hurwitz
- 2) Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Elton John
- 3) Moon River – Henry Mancini
- 4) Baby Elephant Walk – Henry Mancini
- 5) Peter Gunn Theme- Henry Mancini
- 6) Pictures at an Exhibition (Full Suite) – Modest Mussorgsky
- 7) Pink Panther Theme – Henry Mancini
- 8) My Heart Will Go On – James Horner
- 9) Theme from Love Story – Francis Lai
- 10) Beauty and the Beast – Alan Menken