American Composers Alliance: 'The Music of H. Leslie Adams, a visit with the composer in person at Oberlin Conservatory, May 28'

[Composer H. Leslie Adams (left) with Choral Conductor James John]

AfriClassical wrote that “The Music of H. Leslie Adams” would be presented by the composer personally at Kulas Hall, Oberlin Conservatory on Saturday, May 28 at 2 PM. The appearance was also announced by the American Composers Alliance, which listed some of his works:

“Two all-Adams CDs, have become especially popular. 'Love Rejoices: Songs of H. Leslie Adams' features the internationally-known tenor Darryl Taylor. It was chosen as one of the ten best recordings of the year by American Record Guide, and is now in its second printing. The composer's 'Twenty-six Etudes for Piano' was recorded in part (12) by the brilliant pianist, Maria Corley. 'Nightsongs' a collection of songs by H. Leslie Adams, on poetry by African-American poets, is one of ACA's most popular sheet music collections, year after year.” The composer's website is: http://www.hleslieadams.com/. [H. Leslie Adams (b. 1932) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive Works List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University Conservatory]

Royal Gazette of Bermuda: 'Sparkling performance enhanced by pianist's eloquence and grace'

[Pianist Maria Thompson Corley]

The Royal Gazette

Bermuda

By Rebecca Zuill

Published Feb 16, 2011

Faithful, sensitive and meticulous are the words that perhaps best describe the musicianship of Maria Thompson Corley.

“From a technical standpoint, she is a superlative pianist who at the same time articulates exquisitely both the broad descriptive aspects and the nuances of the pieces she performs. It made her performance on Friday evening one that was deeply thoughtful and at the same time really engaging the audience was entranced from her opening bars to the final of two encores performed in the aftermath of a standing ovation which had the entire theatre on their feet. It is with pride that we can say that Dr Corley has close Bermuda connections, and those connections are musical her grandmother Cecily Caisey was a piano teacher. Her programme featured much-loved works and others that were, to some of us, delightful discoveries.

"One of those was written by the contemporary African American composer H Leslie Adams, who collaborated with Dr Corley to record his ‘Twelve Etudes'. As Dr Corley has described them: 'They are highly representative of his compositional language, including jazz-inflected syncopations, neo-romantic harmonies, and the strong melodic sense one would expect of such a brilliant composer of songs.' From this collection, Dr Corley played the Etude in A minor; it was a performance to savour and a revelation of a piece, one that could have been inspired by Aaron Copland's expansive works describing the vastness of the American frontier.”

“The life of the black Mozart, Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, would make a wonderful costume drama: born to a beautiful slave girl...he became the darling of the French court of Louis XVI. He was, of course, a superb composer and the finest swordsman of his day.” “While much of his music was destroyed during the Napoleonic era, some did survive and today he has been rediscovered and honoured with a Parisian street named for him. Dr Corley's sparkling yet delicate performance of the Chevalier's sublime Adagio in F illustrates exactly why he was often compared to Mozart as the pianist herself described it, this piece is a gem of the classical period; it reflects the style precisely and with all the joie de vivre for which Mozart himself was so famous.

"Dr Corley had opened the evening with a work that was to contrast with the rest of the programme; it was Beethoven's Op. 13 Pathétique. The composer wrote vast amounts of music for the piano, and of all his works, Pathétique is among his best known. This highly dramatic piece provided Dr Corley with much opportunity to demonstrate her extraordinary sensitivity as she explored the drama, passion and colour of this most expressive of composers. Beginning with this beautiful and emotional piece provided the audience with a clear introduction to the pianist's cerebral and nuanced approach.

“As an aside, Beethoven dedicated the piece to his patron Prince Lichnowsky. His stormy nature is clear in the story of the conclusion of their relationship, when the composer took offence at being asked to perform for the Prince's friends. Walking out, he said: 'There are many princes and noblemen, but there is only one Beethoven.' And there is only one Maria Thompson Corley. But happily for Friday evening's audience, she is a far more gracious and generous artist who shared her extraordinary musicianship with eloquence and grace. [H. Leslie Adams (b. 1932) and Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Collaborative Piano Blog: “Darryl Taylor and Maria Corley Perform H. Leslie Adams' 'For You There Is No Song'”

[ABOVE: Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers, compiled by Willis C. Patterson; Edward B. Marks Music. BELOW: Darryl Taylor, countertenor, and Brent McMunn, piano, in iSing, University of California Irvine, May 8, 2010]

Chris Foley provides a unique and invaluable service to those who appreciate Classical Music, Classical Music Blogs. It is a PageFlakes.com page which lists 257 blogs on Classical Music, links to each blog, and provides miniature views of the home pages of many of the blogs, including AfriClassical. Chris Foley is also passionate about Collaborative Piano and New Opera. On the home page of The Collaborative Piano Blog, he writes:

“Based in Toronto, Canada, I'm a pianist, teacher, vocal coach, and blogger. At the Royal Conservatory of Music, I teach piano, vocal coaching, collaborative piano, and vocal literature, as well as serving as head of the voice department in the Conservatory School. I'm also honored to be a member of the Studio Company at Tapestry New Opera Works, where I'm involved in the creation, rehearsal, and performance process of many new works for the opera stage.”

The Collaborative Piano Blog

The piano in ensemble. The piano in real life.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

“Darryl Taylor and Maria Corley Perform H. Leslie Adams' For You There Is No Song

I've really been enjoying this 2007 video of countertenor Darryl Taylor and pianist Maria Corley performing H. Leslie Adams’ For You There Is No Song at the East Cleveland Public Library. It’s worth noting that Darryl Taylor is also the founder of the African American Art Song Alliance, an organization dedicated to the promotion of the art song written by African American composers. If you find this repertoire as fascinating as I do, a good place to start exploring would be Willis C. Patterson’s Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers, in addition to the resources that can be found on Darryl’s AAASA site, AfriClassical.com and the AfriClassical blog.” HOMEPAGE: http://www.hleslieadams.com and http://www.hleslieadams.net

Broad Street Review: 'My Croatian piano debut' by Maria Thompson Corley

[The author (right) in Cavtat with e-pal Ivana: An unusual chain of events, to say the least.]

We recently found this comment about an article at BroadStreetReview.com: “A composer checks in”   Re “My Croatian piano debut,” by Maria Thompson Corley — Great article. Maria Corley shows she’s a fine writer as well as a fantastic pianist. I’m also proud that she chose my work as part of her repertoire. H. Leslie Adams, Cleveland, Ohio October 22, 2008

My Croatian piano debut (with a little help from the Internet)

MARIA THOMPSON CORLEY 

“As a performing pianist, I was told that I should have a website. But I couldn’t afford one, so I got a page on Myspacemusic.com instead.” “One day I was visiting a fellow musician’s page when I spotted a picture that seemed to radiate life. I clicked on the image, listened to some gorgeous Bach and wrote a comment, the gist of which was that it was a pleasure to see and hear such a luminous spirit conveyed visually and aurally. I got a lovely message in return, and my correspondence with Ivana Marija Vidovic was born.

Ivana was in the process of organizing the first Epidaurus Festival, which consisted of 11 concerts held in Cavtat, near her hometown of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Based on my audio clips and our messages, she invited me to perform during the second festival, scheduled for a year after our online meeting. In return, I promised to try to get Millersville University, where I’m currently employed, to sponsor a visit from Ivana, who is scheduled to perform at Duke University in North Carolina in January 2009. I sent some e-mails to my Millersville colleagues, obtained the necessary commitments (which included covering my airfare to Europe) and reserved space in the hall. [Full Post] [H. Leslie Adams (b. 1932) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]