Five-time Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal performs his album of piano music, New York Études.
In this intimate event the composer will share some of his inspirations and reflections on the music, performed on the world’s most south-after Steinway D piano the famous CD199 in the iconic Skitch Henderson 1836 Barn @ Hunt Hill Farm.
Beal meticulously composed the New York Études at his Manhattan home in the months after he relocated to New York in 2021, resulting in ten works for solo piano that reveal Beal’s mastery of composition, voice leading and harmony. Renowned for his extensive experience in composing for TV and film with credits including House of Cards, Monk, Blackfish and Pollock, these new works on the piano serve as a reintroduction to Beal’s artistry and offer a new window into his work.
Beyond deepening his work as a multifaceted composer, the New York Études are rooted in the highly personal. When Beal was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2007, he began researching ways to combat its degenerative effects on motor skills and cognitive function, learning about the tremendous impact of piano playing on neuroplasticity, or the process of rewiring the brain around areas of damage. The New York Études are the organic result of his commitment to the betterment of his mind, body and soul in the face of chronic illness. “An added benefit I discovered while composing and practicing the Études”, Beal says, “was the sense of calm and focus I experienced. I’ve become keenly aware of the importance of wellness rituals for all of us that promote good mental, spiritual and physical health.”
Jeff Beal is a Steinway Artist
From Apple Music Classical
“Jeff Beal’s atmospheric soundtrack scores, including those for House of Cards and Ugly Betty, have touched a vast global audience. The New York Etudes grew from the composer’s diagnosis with multiple sclerosis in 2007 and the therapeutic effects on his condition of the daily ritual of improvising at the piano.
Beal, who moved to New York City in 2021, created and recorded the album’s 10 pieces at home in Manhattan. The results amount to a gentle hymn to life. Their cumulative power is intensified by the meditative stillness and concentration of “Riverside Revelations,” “I’m With You (for Rosemary),” and the haunting “The More Things Change,” and enhanced by the exquisite “Corridors of Calm,” a mantra-like progression of sonorous piano chords.”