David Leisner

Last updated
David Leisner
Born1953
Los Angeles, California, United States
Education Wesleyan University
Known forGuitar, composing, writing, teaching
StyleClassical, contemporary
SpouseRalph Jackson
Website David Leisner

David Leisner (born December 22, 1953) is an American classical guitarist, composer and teacher whose activities include recording, arranging and writing about music. [1] [2] [3] He has performed as a concert guitarist and as soloist with orchestras at international music festivals and venues including Carnegie Hall and the 92nd St. Y in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Royce Hall in Los Angeles and the Guitar Foundation of America International Festival. [4] [5] His performances, compositions, recordings and research are credited with expanding the guitar repertoire through advocacy for neglected composers and music, newly commissioned works and original arrangements. [2] [5] [6] [7] [8] American Record Guide critic Kenneth Keaton wrote, "Leisner is among the finest guitarists performing … He has a probing intellect, finding insights in music that most others miss, and delivering them with a virtuoso technique." [9]

Contents

Leisner lives in New York City with Ralph Jackson, his husband and partner since 1981. [10] He is a professor at the Manhattan School of Music. [11] [12]

Early life and career

Leisner was born on December 22, 1953 in Los Angeles, California. [13] After beginning with the violin, he turned to the guitar and folk music, studied flamenco and took up classical music in his teens. [7] [14] [15] He is largely self-taught as both a guitarist and composer, having majored in music at Wesleyan University but with an equal focus on liberal arts subjects. [16] [1] [3] At various points he briefly studied guitar with John W. Duarte, David Starobin and Angelo Gilardino, composition with Richard Winslow (at Wesleyan), Virgil Thomson and Charles Turner, and orchestration with David Del Tredici. [3] [1] [17]

From 1976 to 1979, Leisner taught guitar at Amherst College. He moved to New York in 1979, building his reputation as a performer through competitions, recitals and local performances in restaurants. [7] [15] [18] He tied for second place in the 1975 Toronto International Guitar Competition and won the Silver Medal at the 1981 Geneva International Guitar Competition—the first American finalist in the latter's history. [1] [19] [20] He made his New York debut at Merkin Hall in 1979. [13] [15] A The New York Times review of the debut called him a "triple threat performer" for his guitar playing, composing and singing, while noting his adroit handling of "the contrapuntal intricacies" of Bach and the required "coloristic touches" for Britten and Albéniz on the guitar. [6]

Over the next five years, wrote critic Allan Kozinn, Leisner "established a reputation not only as an exceptionally talented classical performer but also as a kind of musical investigator" unearthing obscure works for the guitar repertoire. [7] [21] [22] Other writers placed him as "among the most innovative" of a new crop of "young American guitar virtuosos." [23] [21] [24]

Focal dystonia and Playing with Ease

In 1984 Leisner developed focal dystonia in his right (plucking) hand. Widely regarded as incurable, it kept him from performing professionally for roughly a decade. [1] [25] [26] After an exhaustive and unsuccessful five-year search for a cure, he retooled his playing by primarily using his thumb and index finger and began performing again publicly in 1991. [27] [25] Boston Globe critic Richard Dyer called his first full-evening performance in Jordan Hall "accomplished and moving" with vigor, dexterity and "virtuosity aplenty." [5]

Continuing to rethink his technique, Leisner experimented with involving the larger muscle groups in the upper arm and shoulder and regained normal use of his fingers one by one, returning to 100% capability by 1996. [25] [26] [28] During the 1996-97 season, he performed a challenging series of three concerts at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall—an all-Bach program, a contemporary music survey, and music of the 19th-century. [4] Guitar Review's Rose Augustine deemed the Bach concert a convincing and "triumphant reappearance" with rare depth of feeling. [29]

Leisner has since helped cure a range of instrumentalists suffering from focal dystonia and other repetitive-stress injuries with the approach covered in his book on ergonomic technique, Playing With Ease. [30] [31] [11] [32] It discusses basic anatomy of movement, posture, alignment, the relief of tension, and practice and concert preparation tips, as well as his ideas about large-muscle engagement that cured him of focal dystonia. [32] [33]

Music and critical reception

Leisner is as recognized for his artistic breadth as for the virtuosity of his playing. [9] [34] As a composer, his wide-ranging influences include Britten, Stravinsky, Bartok, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Philip Glass, among others, and more broadly, pop, folk and jazz music. [16] [17] Richard Dyer characterized Leisner as a "serious, exploratory and imaginative musician and composer who happened to play the guitar as well." [5] Ian Gallagher of Guitar Review noted his propensity "to eschew the intellect for the soul" in compositions that made "a strong argument for the viability of contemporary tonal music and for the fusion of performer and composer in an age of specialization." [35]

Critics have identified a "pedagogic but unpompous" approach to repertoire in Leisner's career, [36] distinguished by discoveries of overlooked composers, creative takes on classics, [37] and commissions and introductions of important new works. [7] [38] [39] [8] His efforts led a revival of two 19th-century composer-guitarists, Johann Kaspar Mertz and Wenzeslaus Matiegka. [7] [6] [1] [26] In addition to arrangements of Bach, Schubert and Glass, he has premiered works by Richard Rodney Bennett, Chester Biscardi, David Del Tredici, Osvaldo Golijov, Pierre Jalbert, Laura Kaminsky, Bun-Ching Lam, João Luiz, Ned Rorem, Peter Sculthorpe, Virgil Thomson and Randall Woolf. [16] [38] [7] [23] [4] [40] [41]

Performing

Critics characterize Leisner's playing for its blending of control and dexterity with deep expressivity, color, intimacy and spontaneity. [36] [42] [28] [43] Composer and musicologist Angelo Gilardino stated, "what sets Leisner apart is the refinement of his phrasing, which he imbues with clear, convincing and original intentions. He does so in an elegant manner … His playing is authoritative, without trying to appear so." [44] Reviews of Leisner's solo recitals have highlighted, among others, his performances of Ginastera's "Guitar Sonata," Villa-Lobos's "Twelve Etudes," Bach's Chaconne and Lute suites, and his own "Nel Mezzo: Sonata." [2] [45] [36] [28] His Ginastera rendering has been described as "controlled abandon," [43] "majestic and playful, with effortless rhythmic drive," [36] and "an exhilarating display of artistic intelligence and control." [28]

Leisner has performed with cellist Zuill Bailey, [46] flutists Tara O'Connor and Eugenia Zukerman, [47] violinists Ida Kavafian and Mark Peskanov, vocalists Michael Kelly, Rufus Müller, Kurt Ollmann, Lucy Shelton and Sanford Sylvan, [39] [48] and the St. Lawrence, [49] Ensō and Vermeer string quartets, among others. [1] [12]

Performance recordings

Leisner's first solo recording delved into two lesser-known guitar composers of the 19th-century. The Viennese Guitar (1980) was split between pieces by Johann Kaspar Mertz and Mauro Giuliani and was the first recording to feature Mertz's work. [50] Along with Leisner's publishing efforts, it helped to establish the composer's significance, distinctive romantic personality and melodic gifts through works American Record Guide described as "fascinatingly and superbly crafted" and performed with "conviction, sensitivity and complete technical assurance." [22] [1] For JS Bach (Works for Solo Guitar) (1999), Leisner arranged some of Bach's lute, cello and flute works, embellishing the repeats freely, as Bach would have done, according to the journal Andante. [51] Reviews described it as "some of the most stimulating Bach of recent years" [51] and "an accurate interpretation in pursuit of a fluid expressive naturalness." [52]

With Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Complete Solo Guitar Works (2000), Leisner made one of the first recordings of the composer's recently discovered original 1928 manuscript for his "Twelve Etudes." [53] Breaking with convention, he brought out the work's lush melodies, rhythmic interplay and nuance rather than approach it as a showcase for dexterity and speed. [37] [54] Reviews contended that the recording offered startling new insights, making "a persuasive case for the composer's first thoughts [and] a valuable addition to the guitar catalog." [53] [37] Leisner returned to the 19th century with Le Romantique: Music of Mertz and Schubert (2004) and Matiegka, the Beethoven of the Guitar (2009). [55] [56] Like his work on Mertz, the latter recording advocated for Matiegka, another overlooked guitar composer, as highly inventive and central to the guitar repertoire of his era through assertive, elegant interpretations. [56] [44] [57]

With Music of the Human Spirit (2002), Leisner turned to contemporary work—by Ginastera, Glass, Rorem, Sculthorpe, Harrison, Poulenc and Richard Winslow—chosen for its rebalancing of heart, mind and spirit over the purely cerebral. [10] [58] Favorites (2012) was a kind of summation of the guitar repertoire, mixing daunting "pinnacle" works (Britten's "Nocturnal," Bach's Chaconne and Paganini's "Grand Sonata") with lighter, under-recognized character pieces by Alexander Ivanov-Kramskoi. [3] [9]

On Facts of Life (2015), Leisner placed Bach’s "Lute Suite BWV 997" between contemporary works: the 35-minute, four-movement title track he commissioned from David Del Tredici and the surreal, kaleidoscopic "Fish Tale," commissioned for flutist Eugenia Zukerman and him, by Osvaldo Golijov. [59] American Record Guide predicted that Del Tredici's piece, symphonic in scope, with a sonata-like opener, lively fugue, an "achingly beautiful" slow movement, and flamenco finale, would become a become a seminal guitar work. [60] [8]

Arpeggione (2016) was a cello and guitar collaboration, with cellist Zuill Bailey. [61] [46] Allmusic described Leisner's arrangements—of 19th-century works by Schubert (Arpeggione Sonata) and Falla, among others—as intelligent, direct musical solutions yielding warmly songful (Bailey) and beautifully understated (Leisner) playing. [61] In his arrangement of Schubert's song cycle, Die Schöne Müllerin (2022, with baritone Michael Kelly), Leisner eschewed the literal in favor of capturing the piece's essence. [39] Reviews distinguished the treatment from prior recordings by its intimate, emotional quality and emphasis on the music's folk song roots; American Record Guide called Leisner's clear and flexible accompaniment "riveting, with many arresting touches." [62] [63] [64]

Composing

Critics distinguish Leisner's compositions for their emotional and dramatic power, openness to diverse musical forms, idioms, instruments and inspirations, and "performability," a quality sometimes lacking in non-players' works. [65] [17] [3] [1] He has written works for a wide range of contexts, most notably chamber music with and without guitar, and music for solo guitar, voice with various instruments, and orchestra.

The recording Acrobats: Music of David Leisner (2007), by the Cavatina Duo, features works written for the flute and guitar, including one with added clarinet and one with cello. Two of these works have received wide attention. The first, "Dances in the Madhouse" (1982), was inspired by a lithograph by painter George Bellows depicting four groups of asylum residents dancing. [7] A suite in four movements—tango, waltz, ballad and samba—it is marked by imaginative shifts in mood and character, humor and spontaneity. [66] [67] [35] The second, "Acrobats" (2002), is a three-movement piece that Allan Kozinn called, "a sometimes eerie, sometimes lively fantasy that draws fully on the coloristic aspects of both [its] instruments." [68] Inspired by a Nathan Englander story in which a group of World War II-era Jews evade the concentration camps by chance when they board a train of circus performers, it begins at a moment of immediacy where the story ends, when the escapees must perform to maintain their cover. [68] [16] [35] Two other key chamber works employ guitar and string quartet: "Vision of Orpheus" (2000) and "Love Dreams of the Exile" (2015, with flute). [49] The five-movement former piece explored its myth's cycle of loss, death and rebirth, ending in quiet despair. [49] The latter, in three movements, offers what Fanfare called "stream-of consciousness meditations" on Sephardic folk songs that "deal with love: unrequited, rejected, or betrayed." [69] [16] [15]

Guitar Review described Leisner's solo guitar compositions as emotionally "dizzying" and exuding "creativity and expression [with] an almost improvisatory quality." [35] His recording Self-Portrait (2008) features many of these works, among them "Freedom Fantasies"—inventive, bluesy interpretations of three American spirituals [36] [34] —and the three-movement "Nel Mezzo: Sonata." [70] [56] Leisner composed this restless and searching work (whose Dante-derived title translates as "in the middle") during the mid-life crisis prompted by his hand injury. [71] [38] [72] Critics likened its stark contrasts, obsessive character and emotional journey through conflict, poignancy and defiance to works by Hector Berlioz. [72] [38]

Leisner has composed many works for voice and varied instruments. [73] [74] [7] Richard Dyer characterized these pieces by their good literary judgment, imagination and taste in "taking poems from disparate sources and putting them into cycles that trace emotional progress and develop dramatic shape." [73] Some of them are collected on Leisner's recording, Letter to the World (2022). "Confiding" (1985–86, originally for soprano and guitar, here for soprano and piano) is a ten-song cycle with folk-inflected harmonies that features poems by Emily Brontë and Emily Dickinson tracing the rise and fall of an intimate relationship before a turn to supra-human elements. [74] "Of Darkness and Light" (2002, for tenor, violin, oboe and piano) sets five Wendell Berry poems from the Vietnam War era about darkness and light to music that moves through thoughtfulness, passion and anxiety to beauty; "Das Wunderbare Wesen" (2011, baritone and cello, for Wolfgang Holzmair) sets five German translations of Lao Tsu’s Tao Te Ching in songs expressing the mystical spirituality of Taoism. [75] [41] An early work, "Simple Songs" (1982, for baritone and guitar) placed six poems by Emily Dickinson covering a range of emotions and explored various contrapuntal and rhythmic complexities. [76]

Leisner has also written several works for orchestra. "Embrace of Peace" (1991, commissioned by the Fairfield Orchestra), inspired by a painting by George Tooker, was described as a "striving, passionate and hopeful" tone poem whose imaginative combinations of instruments and dissonances set up warm and satisfying resolutions. [77] "Wayfaring" (2022, guitar and full orchestra) is a three-movement work written for guitarist Pepe Romero, based on the folk song/spiritual, "Wayfaring Stranger." [41] Its emotional tapestry moves through a restless opening and dissonant middle to a simpler, jubilant final movement. [78] [41]

Writing, teaching and other professional activities

In addition to writing Playing With Ease (2018), Leisner has published articles for Classical Guitar, Musical America and Soundboard, among others, on the need for the reintegration of performance and composition, [79] musical technique, [80] [31] performance anxiety, [81] and contemporary composers [82] and compositions. [83] [84]

Leisner is a masterclass teacher and member of the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, where he has served since 1993, including as chair of the guitar department. [16] [12] He taught at the New England Conservatory from 1980–2003. [33] [27]

From 2008 to 2019, he was the artistic director of Guitar Plus, a New York concert series devoted to guitar chamber music and diverse programming. [56] [85] [86] [87]

Recording list

Selected performance recordings

Selected composition recordings

Selected compositions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classical guitar</span> Member of the guitar family used in classical music

The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the modern steel-string acoustic and electric guitars, both of which use metal strings. Classical guitars derive from instruments such as the lute, the vihuela, the gittern, which evolved into the Renaissance guitar and into the 17th and 18th-century baroque guitar. Today's modern classical guitar was established by the late designs of the 19th-century Spanish luthier, Antonio Torres Jurado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1823 in music</span> Overview of the events of 1823 in music

This article is about music-related events in 1823.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arpeggione</span> Bowed six-string musical instrument

The arpeggione is a six-stringed musical instrument fretted and tuned like a guitar, but with a curved bridge so it can be bowed like a cello, and thus similar to the bass viola da gamba. The instrument is sometimes also called a guitar violoncello. The body shape of the arpeggione is, however, more similar to a medieval fiddle than either the guitar or the bass viol. It is essentially a bass viol with a guitar-type tuning, E–A–d–g–b–e'. The arpeggione is especially suited to playing runs in thirds, double stops, and arpeggios.

<i>Die schöne Müllerin</i> Song cycle by Franz Schubert

Die schöne Müllerin, is a song cycle by Franz Schubert from 1823 based on 20 poems by Wilhelm Müller. It is the first of Schubert's two seminal cycles , and a pinnacle of Lied repertoire.

Osvaldo Noé Golijov is an Argentine composer of classical music and music professor, known for his vocal and orchestral work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Schneider (guitarist)</span> American classical guitarist

John Schneider is a Grammy® Award winning and 4-time Grammy® nominated American classical guitarist. He performs in just intonation and various well-temperaments, including Pythagorean tuning, including works by Lou Harrison, LaMonte Young, John Cage, and Harry Partch. He often arranges pieces for guitar and other instruments such as harp or percussion.

David Starobin is a highly honored figure in the world of classical guitar. Called "arguably the most influential American classical guitarist of the 20th century" (Soundboard), Starobin was inducted into the Guitar Foundation of America's Hall of Fame in 2011. He is the only guitarist to have been awarded Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Career Award (1988), and is the dedicatee of more than three hundred new compositions including music by composers Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Poul Ruders and Gunther Schuller.

Wenzel Thomas Matiegka was a Czech composer and one of the most celebrated guitarists of the 19th century.

James Zuill Bailey, better known as Zuill Bailey is an American Grammy Award-winning cello soloist, chamber musician, and artistic director. A graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and the Juilliard School, he has appeared in recital and with major orchestras internationally. He is a professor of cello and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at El Paso. Bailey’s extensive recording catalogue are released on TELARC, Avie, Steinway and Sons, Octave, Delos, Albany, Sono Luminus, Naxos, Azica, Concord, EuroArts, ASV, Oxingale and Zenph Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Vieaux</span> American classical guitarist (born 1973)

Jason Vieaux is an American classical guitarist. He began his musical training in Buffalo, New York at the age of eight, after which he continued his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1992, Vieaux was awarded the Guitar Foundation of America International Guitar Competition First Prize, the event's youngest winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Phillips (guitarist)</span> Musical artist

Robert Phillips is an American classical guitarist.

Gary Schocker is an American flutist, composer, and pianist who has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the West German Sinfonia, and I Solisti Italiani. He has toured and taught in Colombia, Panama, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, France, and Italy.

John Joseph Elwes, is an English tenor singer.

Wolfgang Holzmair is an Austrian baritone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Patterson (guitarist)</span>

David Patterson is an American guitarist. He was the founding member of the New World Guitar Trio and is recognized as a solo performer and arranger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classical guitar repertoire</span> Set of available musical works for classical guitar

To a greater extent than most other instruments and ensembles, it is difficult to compose music for the guitar without either proficiency in the instrument or close collaboration with a guitarist. As a result, a large part of the guitar repertoire consists of works by guitarists who did not compose extensively for other instruments. Music prior to the classical era was often composed for performance on various combinations of instruments, and could be adapted by the performer to keyboard instruments, the lute, or the guitar. Since the beginning of the 20th century, however, a significant amount of music has been written for the guitar by non-guitarist composers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandre Tharaud</span> French pianist

Alexandre Tharaud is a French pianist. He is active on the concert stage and has released a large and diverse discography.

Knut Schoch is a German tenor in opera and concert as a specialist in the field of historically informed performance, and an academic voice teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judicaël Perroy</span> French classical guitarist and teacher (born 1973)

Judicaël Perroy is a French classical guitarist and music teacher. He won the 1997 Guitar Foundation of America International Solo Competition. Perroy is a Professor of Classical Guitar at Pôle Sup'93, Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France and Lille’s APPSEA. He is also a professor at the Geneva University of Music.

Benjamin Verdery is an American classical guitarist, composer and teacher. Verdery has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, and Wigmore Hall (London). He has played and recorded with a wide range of classical and other musicians, including guitarists William Coulter, Leo Kottke, Paco Peña, Andy Summers and John Williams, vocalist Hermann Prey, composer Anthony Newman, and his wife, flutist Rie Schmidt. New York Times classical music critic Allan Kozinn described Verdery as "one of the guitar’s grand individualists" and "an iconoclastic player," known as much for his devotion to new music and transcriptions of Jimi Hendrix songs as for inventive interpretations of Bach. As of 2021, Verdery had released 19 albums and been featured on several others. He has taught at the Yale School of Music since 1985.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cooper, Colin. "Journey of Discovery: David Leisner Talks to Colin Cooper," Classical Guitar, June 1997, cover, p. 11–17.
  2. 1 2 3 Cmiel, Scott. "Guitarist David Leisner Shines in Imaginative, Wide-Ranging Recital," San Francisco Classical Voice, October 4, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Traviss, Guy. "David Leisner discusses his most recent disc, Favorites," Classical Guitar, February 2014, cover, p. 11–16. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Kozinn, Allan. "A Guitarist's Return, Contd.," The New York Times, May 14, 1997. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Dyer, Richard. "Leisner returns with vigor and virtuosity," The Boston Globe, October 24, 1991.
  6. 1 2 3 Ericson, Raymond. "Debuts in Review: David Leisner, Guitarist, Also Composes and Sings," The New York Times, December 9, 1979. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kozinn, Allan. "David Leisner: Expanding the Classical Repertoire," Guitar Player, October 1984, p. 61–64.
  8. 1 2 3 Bavaro, Joshua. "Interview with David Leisner and David Del Tredici," Soundboard, Vol. 40, No. 4, 2015, p. 28–33.
  9. 1 2 3 Keaton, Kenneth. Favorites, American Record Guide, January/February 2012.
  10. 1 2 Beaudoin, Stephen Marc. "My rock, my soulmate," Bay Windows, October 31, 2002, p. 26.
  11. 1 2 Jackson, Blair. "David Leisner: A Rare Victory Over Focal Dystonia," Classical Guitar, April 13, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 Manhattan School of Music. David Leisner, Faculty. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Grove Dictionary of American Music. "David Leisner," 2001.
  14. ↑ Anstead, Alicia. "Guitarist has recovered use of hand after illness," Bangor Daily News, November 12, 1996.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Rockwell, Cynthia. "Musician heal thyself," Wesleyan, Summer 2001.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hall, Macer. "David Leisner," Classical Guitar, February 2004, cover, p. 11–16. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 Verdery, Ben. "David Leisner Interviewed by Ben Verdery," Soundboard, Vol. 33, No. 1–2, 2007, p. 84–91.
  18. ↑ Leisner, David. "Memoirs of a Café Guitarist," Soundboard, Spring 1982.
  19. ↑ Kassner, Eli. "The Guitar Society of Toronto," Guitar Canada, Spring 1989. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  20. ↑ Star-Tribune (Casper, WY). "Guitarist to perform tonight," April 14, 1984, p. A-3.
  21. 1 2 Buell, Richard. "Leisner shows taste and skill," The Boston Globe, February 5, 1981.
  22. 1 2 Starr, Mark. "Mertz/Giuliani: David Leisner," American Record Guide, November 1981, p. 36–37.
  23. 1 2 McInerney, John. "David Leisner, guitar," Musical America, September 1982, p. 22.
  24. ↑ Henry, Derrick. "Guitarist David Leisner understands," The Boston Globe, October 27, 1983.
  25. 1 2 3 Oestreich James R. "In Music as Well as Sports, Injuries Can End a Career," The New York Times, August 27, 1996. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  26. 1 2 3 Lehman, Carol. "An interview with David Leisner," Guitar Review, Summer 1994.
  27. 1 2 Rosenberg, Donald. "Guitarist beats hand problem to return to stage," The Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 23, 1993.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Rosenberg, Donald. "Classical guitarist captures passion," The Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 8, 1997.
  29. ↑ Augustine, Rose L. "David Leisner, Weill Recital Hall," Guitar Review, Fall 1996.
  30. ↑ Oestreich James R. "A Disorder That Stops the Music," The New York Times, March 13, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  31. 1 2 Leisner, David. "Playing with Large Muscles," Soundboard, Vol. 40, No. 2, p. 8–12.
  32. 1 2 Leisner, David. Playing with Ease, New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. ISBN   9780190693312. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  33. 1 2 Oxford University Press. David Leisner, Author Information. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  34. 1 2 Dyer, Richard. "A musical personality finds his voice in guitar," The Boston Globe, October 25, 1994.
  35. 1 2 3 4 Gallagher, Ian. "David Leisner, Self-Portrait," Guitar Review, 2008.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 Garcia, Gerald. "David Leisner, Royal Academy of London," Classical Guitar, September 2003.
  37. 1 2 3 Ricat, Kristoffer. "David Leisner, Review," Guitar Review, No. 122, 2001.
  38. 1 2 3 4 Rosenberg, Donald. "Guitarist's artistry deepens through perseverance," The Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 16, 2002.
  39. 1 2 3 Kunze, Al. "David Leisner with Michael Kelly, baritone: Die Schöne Müllerin," Soundboard, Summer 2023, p. 63.
  40. ↑ Ruhe, Pierre. "ASO shows subtle depths of Argentine compositions," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 21, 2004.
  41. 1 2 3 4 Manhattan School of Music. "Catching up with MSM guitar faculty member David Leisner,", News, March 8, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  42. ↑ Long, Richard. "A Report on the 1992 Guitar New Orleans," Soundboard, 1992.
  43. 1 2 Tosone, Jim. "Three Anniversaries," Classical Guitar, Fall 2016, p. 89.
  44. 1 2 Gilardino, Angelo. "Review of Matiegka, the Beethoven of the Guitar," Suonare, November 2009.
  45. ↑ Woodward, Josef. "Guitarist Leisner Offers Varied Program," The New York Times, March 9, 1995. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  46. 1 2 Marks, John. "David Leisner & Zuill Bailey: Arpeggione," The Tannhauser Gate, April 4, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  47. ↑ New York City Classical Guitar Society. "Serenades and Premieres with David Leisner and Friends," 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  48. ↑ Schweitzer, Vivien. "An Exploration of the Curious Case of Benjamin Britten," The New York Times, October 22, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  49. 1 2 3 Smith, Craig. "Leisner and Golijov: impressive musical journeys," The New Mexican, May 15, 2001, p. B-3.
  50. ↑ Kozinn, Allan. The Guitar: The History, the Music, the Players, New York: Morrow, 1984. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  51. 1 2 Gerber, Leslie. "Bach Transcriptions for Guitar," Andante, June 2001.
  52. ↑ Guitart International. "J.S. Bach," Review, March 2000.
  53. 1 2 Distler, Jed. ''Heitor Villa-Lobos," Classics Today, 2000,
  54. ↑ Levy, Adam. "David Leisner: Rediscovering Villa-Lobos," Guitar Player, July 2001, p. 45–46.
  55. ↑ Rosenberg, Donald. "Mertz/Schubert: La Romantique," Gramophone, January 2004.
  56. 1 2 3 4 Crowe, Julia. "Letter from New York," Classical Guitar, March 2009, p. 57–58.
  57. ↑ Keaton, Kenneth. ''Matiegka," American Record Guide, July/August 2009.
  58. ↑ Rings, Steven. "Music of the Human Spirit," American Record Guide, March/April 2003.
  59. ↑ Fowles, Paul. "A Mix of Bach and Contemporary Works on David Leisner's Facts of Life," Classical Guitar, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  60. ↑ Keaton, Kenneth. ''Facts of Life," American Record Guide, July/August 2015, p. 191–92.
  61. 1 2 Manheim, James. "Arpeggione: David Leisner & Zuill Bailey," April 4, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  62. ↑ Moore, R. "Schubert: Die Schone Mullerin," American Record Guide, March/April 2023, p. 98.
  63. ↑ Forsling, Göran. "Die schöne Müllerin," MusicWeb International, November 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  64. ↑ Textura. "Michael Kelly & David Leisner: Franz Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin," Reviews. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  65. ↑ Minahan, John. "Passacaglia and Toccata for Guitar," Guitar Review, Winter 1987, p. 37–38.
  66. ↑ Hale, David. "Sometimes inspiration for music comes from the strangest places," The Fresno Bee, February 18, 1994.
  67. ↑ Bert, Alison. "Dances in the Madhouse," Guitar Review, Summer 1987, p. 39–40.
  68. 1 2 Kozinn, Allan. "Mixing Two Guitarists and a Flutist, for a Prize With a Price," The New York Times, April 22, 2005. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  69. ↑ Grames, Ronald E. "Sephardic Journey," Fanfare, July–August 2016.
  70. ↑ Marsh, Steve. "David Leisner – Classics and Discoveries," Classical Guitar, April 2009.
  71. ↑ Panting, Tim. "David Leisner," Classical Guitar, June 2005.
  72. 1 2 Salathe, Phil. "Guitarist Plays Old And New With Mastery," Hartford Courant, November 20, 2006.
  73. 1 2 Dyer, Richard. "Leisner's art-song ambitions have uneven results," The Boston Globe, October 22, 1996.
  74. 1 2 Kandell, Leslie. "David Leisner, guitar," American Record Guide, July/August 1994.
  75. ↑ Salomon, Katy. "Composer David Leisner Releases Letter to the World,", Musical America Worldwide, October 4, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  76. ↑ McKinnon, Arlo. "Critic's Choice," Opera News, May 2023.
  77. ↑ Hupper, Joel H. "Review/Music," Westport News, May 27, 1994.
  78. ↑ Musical America Worldwide. "Pepe Romero to debut guitar concerto by David Leisner at the Hamptons Festival of Music,", News, August 28, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  79. ↑ Leisner, David. "The Trouble with New Music," Musical America, May 1989, p.24–26.
  80. ↑ Leisner, David. "Breathing Life Into Music," Soundboard, May 1978, p. 47–51.
  81. ↑ Leisner, David. "Six Golden Rules for Conquering Performance Anxiety," American String Teacher, Spring 1995, p. 49–51.
  82. ↑ Leisner, David. "An Obituary for Lou Harrison," Boston Classical Guitar Society Newsletter, June/August 2003, p. 2.
  83. ↑ Leisner, David. "Three Perspectives on Henze's Drei Tentos," Soundboard, May 1977, p. 36–38.
  84. ↑ Leisner, David. "Why the 1928 Manuscript? A re-examination of Villa-Lobo's Twelve Études," Part One, Classical Guitar, December 2003, p. 32–36.
  85. ↑ New York City Classical Guitar Society. "Guitar Plus: Echoes Across Time," 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  86. ↑ The New Yorker. "Guitar Plus 4-27." Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  87. ↑ Classical Guitar. "David Leisner to Celebrate 65th Birthday with Special NY Concert." News, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.