Richard Kastle

Richard Kastle (born December 15, 1958) is an American classical pianist and composer.

Life and career

He was born in Hialeah, Florida and began playing the 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

Kastle 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

In 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

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Appleford, Steve (March 24, 1991). "Spike-Haired Pianist Shows How You Can't Judge an Album by His Jacket". Los Angeles Times. ...began on the piano at age 8, learning to play by ear Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 after watching the characters Tom and Jerry play the same piece on television... It was Kastle's refusal to dress formally for concerts that ultimately got him expelled from the music program at the University of Texas, he said. During his first performance there, Kastle appeared in old blue jeans, paint-stained sneakers and a torn Jack Daniels T-shirt... Performing his own compositions in clubs in Venice and Santa Monica...(he) built a following of young, often college-age, listeners...(He made) appearances on several television programs, including The Pat Sajak Show"...
  2. ↑ Ousley, Yvette (February 13, 1992). "Rhapsody in Purple". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 9, 2009. He's a musical genius." said Mary Anne Quick, Kastle's former piano teacher. "I remember he walked in and played the Hungarian Rhapsody by Franz Liszt after hearing it on the Tom and Jerry cartoon," she said. "Back then, he couldn't even read music.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 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. Richard Kastle's third symphony is based on the sinking of the Titanic..."He was a very bright boy with lots of technical facility" says Ivan Davis, a former teacher of Kastle's...As a high school student in Hialeah, Fla., Kastle studied under Davis for a time and began writing concertos... (He) went to North Texas State University...but was expelled in his fourth year for calling in sick on his final recital...an official at the music department recalled Kastle, but said that neither he nor anyone else could remember enough about the case to comment...
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Andrews, Sharony (February 20, 1992). "Hip Composer Opening for Leno". The Miami Herald. Retrieved February 23, 2009. ...at the University of Texas, tapped out Mozart's Sonata in A Major in a torn Jack Daniel's T-shirt and ripped jeans with arrows shaved on his scalp...Kastle just got back from London where he did a recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra...
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Richard Kastle". Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  6. ↑ Quill, Greg (January 20, 1989). "Teen TV show Pilot One not yet flying high". Toronto Star. ..along with punk styled classical pianist Richard Kastle..
  7. ↑ Duncan, Scott (April 1, 1991). "Bringing youth to the classics". The Dallas Morning News. a disc called Streetwise by Richard Kastle
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "TV.com credits".
  9. ↑ "Out on the town – a synthesis of sounds". Los Angeles Daily News. March 29, 1991. wears leather and spikes his hair, but pianist Richard Kastle plays classical, not rock, at Cafe Largo
  10. ↑ Baldwin, Lonna (March 1, 1992). "George Carlin pokes fun at the foibles of the statue quo". The Spokesman-Review. a set of classical piano pieces by Richard Kastle
  11. ↑ Cobb, Nathan (September 15, 1991). "Nice guys finish first, critics complain that Jay Leno". The Boston Globe. Kastle is the opening act tonight
  12. ↑ Lannert, Jonh (February 14, 1992). "The new king of late night television". Sun Sentinel. Richard Kastle is scheduled to open at 8 PM
  13. ↑ "Travel headliners". The Fresno Bee. September 1, 1991. Today – Jay Leno, Richard Kastle, Caesars Palace
  14. ↑ von Otter, Anne-Sophie. "In Concert". New York Magazine. Retrieved Feb 9, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Clippings File". New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Music Listings". The New York Times. September 28, 2003. Retrieved March 8, 2009. Kastle's Piano Concerto No. 8 and arrangements of piano sonatas by Beethoven. Thalia at Symphony Space
  17. ↑ "Looks can be deceiving". Erie Times-News. March 12, 1995. Richard Kastle, who looks more like a punk rock star than a classical musician, performs at Penn State
  18. ↑ "Concerts". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 10, 2001. Nationally known classical pianist and recording artist Richard Kastle will perform

External links