Dr. William Schimmel has released a new digital album, “What’s Tango about the Classics?” This is the second in a series of three digital recordings under the title of: “What’s Tango about the Classics.” The scenario is: An elderly gentleman returns to his room after returning from a gig at the Tango club. He starts playing the classics that he learned at the Conservatory. They evolve into theTango Dimension. He is Happy. Highlights will include: “Tango Spiritus”, “Invocation to the Milonga”, “Tango Stuck”, “Low and Grin” and more. The release date on CD Baby will be November 5, 2018 followed by a release on Amazon.
Excerpts from Album notes: William Schimmel is one of the principal architects of the resurgence of the Accordion, The Tango revival in America and the Philosophy of Musical Reality (composiction using pre-existing) music. He received his diploma from the Neupauer Conservatory of Music where he studied the Dr. Jacob C. Neupauer, Lotta Hertlein, David Lampe and Paul Creston. Her received his Bachelor of Master of Science and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Juillard School where he studied with Elliot Carter, Luciano Berio, Vincent Persichetti, Roger Sessions and Hugo Weisgall.
His music has been performed worldwide by leading conductors including the Late Leopold Stokowski. He is the co – founder of The Tango Project which was seen and heard in the movie “Scent of a Woman” for which Al Pacino won and Oscar, as well as Number 1 on the Billboard Classical Charts.
In addition to performing in numerous movie soundtracks and theater projects, his Dance/ Theater/Video works with his wife, Micki Goodman, are internationally praised. Tom Waits fans can hear him on “Rain Dogs” and Frank’s “Wild Years” and he stated: Bill Schimmel doesn’t play the Accordion, he is an Accordion. His last album, “The Theater of the Accordion” includes a cameo by Wynton Marsalis.
“What’s Tango about the Classics” is an album of Homages (Realities).
1. Von Suppe’s “Poet and Peasant”
2. Ravel’s “Quartet in F”
3. Rossini’s “Semiramide”
4. Gardel’s “Por Una Cabeza”
5. Strauss’s “Emperor Waltz”
6. Strauss’s “Blue Danube Waltz”
7. Saint Saens’s “Introduction and Rondo Capriccios
8. Grieg’s/Lizst/Tchaikovsky#1/Addinsel (Warsaw)
9. Schimmel
10. Mendellsohn’s “Concerto in G Minor”
Dr. Schimmel is also featured as a composer as well as a performer on a New CD entitled “Peter Jarvis and Friends”. The CD is a Grammy Nomination contender in the first pool. It can be ordered on Amazon. It is on Composers’ Concordance series – Naxos Records.
Dr. Schimmel will give a Salon Concert for the Riverside Symphony on November 7 performing highlights of his new recordings as well as lecture on the Accordions’ combining of histories. On November 14, He will perform Kurt Weill’s “Little Threepenny Music” with The Riverside Symphony at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York.
In December, Dr. Schimmel will be touring Germany performing in a Three Character Opera, in which the instrumentalists are characters. The Opera, Port Bou, tracks the final day of philosopher Walter Benjamin during The Weimar Period. The Bass Baritone is Nicholas Sherwood, the pIanist is Jenny Lin and the composer is Elliott Sharp.
On July 26, 27 and 28, 2019 Dr.Schimmel will present his yearly Master Class and Concert Series (The Seminars) sponsored by The American Accordionists’ Association. The title will be: “That Means What?!”. The event will take place at The Tenri Cultural Institute in New York. This marks the 25th Anniversary of The Seminars.
For further information: accordionbill@gmail.com
