Leslie Dala - Romance to Radiohead
Leslie Dala is a conductor and pianist based in Vancouver BC, where he enjoys a multifaceted career spanning the genres of opera, symphonic music, choral and contemporary works. He is the Associate Conductor and Chorus Director with Vancouver Opera, Music Director of the Vancouver Bach Choir, and Music Director Emeritus of the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra.
On the podium, Leslie is known for his passionate, dynamic, and charismatic approach to music making. He has conducted in Europe, Asia, and throughout Canada and recently made his debut at Carnegie Hall and Santa Fe Opera.
During the long covid shutdown of 2020, he immersed himself in mastering the Philip Glass Piano Etudes, recording the project the following year.
Leslie’s Philip Glass: The Complete Piano Etudes was voted one of Canada’s Top 21 Classical Albums of 2021 by CBC Music.
"Dala has a natural pianistic affinity for Glass’ compositional language. He experiments with a wealth of colours found in these etudes but never strays away from the classical pianistic tradition. A strong percussive touch accentuates the fluid motion of the music. The result is an album that is refined and rich, natural in its expression." - Ivana Popovic, Whole Note
Romance to Radiohead
Leslie is currently bringing his solo piano work to new audiences live in concert. He intimately narrates from the piano how the works of the greatest composers of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries have personally inspired him.
Romance to Radiohead features music by Clara Schumann (3 Romances, Op.11), Franz Liszt (Petrarch Sonnets and Rigoletto Fantasy), a selection of Radiohead songs (transcribed by Christopher O'Riley) and the solo piano version of Gershwin's iconic Rhapsody in Blue.
Spanning music over a period of almost 200 years, the music is linked and inspired by the virtuosic piano writing of the early 19th century composer/ performers like Clara Schumann and Liszt. The jazz idiom of George Gershwin and the alternative rock idiom of Radiohead are cleverly infused by Leslie on this "classical" foundation.
