The sounds of Christmas on a Steinway — recorded at Steinway Hall in New York City. Simon Mulligan’s tasteful jazz arrangements are an ideal accompaniment to the holiday season.

Steinway & Sons offers new holiday recording from pianist Simon Mulligan

The stalwart Steinway & Sons brand releases a gorgeous new recording for the holidays - Christmas at Steinway Hall (STNS 30053), featuring original improvisations on favorite carols by pianist Simon Mulligan.

A versatile artist with classical and jazz training, Mulligan first gained an appreciation for improvisation as a young church organist, where he learned to add variation to the many verses of hymns and carols by experimenting with harmony and voicing. The album comprises both traditional carols and hymns that might be sung in a church service (“Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “O Holy Night,” “Away in a Manger”) and American Christmas songs popularized by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and others (“Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”) – all given fresh, colorful interpretations by Mulligan.

The Steinway Hall of the title refers to two different locations: the original 57th Street location, which played host to all the legendary pianists of the 20th century; and the state-of-the-art recording studio at the new Steinway Hall at Sixth Avenue and 43rd Street.
 

“Simon Mulligan treats songs such as Baby, It’s Cold Outside, I’ll Be Home for Christmas and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with the respect for craftsmanship they richly deserve but do not always receive.”

Chicago Tribune

This album was recorded at the outset of Steinway’s ambitious Spirio project, which offered an unparalleled recording technology that captures every nuance of an artist’s performance. Mulligan was one of the first artists to test and record on the Steinway Spirio.
 

“Beautiful” is the apt word to describe Simon Mulligan’s solo piano playing, the two Spirio Steinways he used, the two recording sites in Manhattan and the state-of-the-art sound reproduction of this album...Simon Mulligan endows even the most shopworn sentiments with a compelling, quiet joy for the holiday season.”

DownBeat

Album Credits

Christmas at Steinway Hall / Simon Mulligan • STNS 30053

Release Date: 10/20/2017

Recorded 2014 - 2015 at Steinway Hall, New York City.

Producer: Jon Feidner

Engineer: Lauren Sturm

Mixing and Mastering: Daniel Shores

Executive Producers: Eric Feidner, Jon Feidner

Art Direction: Jackie Fugere

Design: Cover to Cover Design, Anilda Carrasquillo

Piano Technician: Lauren Sturm

Piano: Steinway Model D # 597590 (New York)

About the Artist

British pianist Simon Mulligan is, according to the Times of London ‘the most abundantly gifted of pianists.’ Pulitzer prizewinning composer Paul Moravec calls him ‘a pianist with complete mastery of the instrument’, while Herbie Hancock says ‘You have a phenomenal touch, man!’ In addition to his extensive discography and vast repertoire, Mulligan’s solo work gains praise from critics and audiences alike, and his collaborations include performances and recordings with Yehudi Menuhin, Joshua Bell, Leonard Slatkin and Sting. He has performed all over the world, most notably at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, as well as private performances for Her Majesty the Queen and President Barack Obama. His keen interest in film composition led to a long association with composer Michael Kamen, culminating in his performance on the soundtrack to Spielberg’s Band of Brothers. He has led his own jazz quartet since he was thirteen, which has performed in major international festivals. His eclectic work has led to profiles in Downbeat, JazzTimes, BBC Music, Classic FM, and Gramophone magazines, among others. Simon is a recipient of the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music, and his teachers include Alexander Kelly, Murray Perahia, Alfred Brendel and Alexis Weissenberg.

About Steinway & Sons label

The STEINWAY & SONS music label produces exceptional albums of solo piano music across all genres. The label — a division of STEINWAY & SONS, maker of the world’s finest pianos — is a perfect vessel for producing the finest quality recordings by some of the most talented pianists in the world.