William
Joseph Beyond [album]
“Exploiting
fully the delights of piano
music, William Joseph brings you
all the magnificence of this underused
instrument with his fabulous CD
album Beyond...”
ACCLAIMED MUSICIAN, COMPOSER AND PERFORMER William Joseph gives a heart-stopping
performance on his fantastic album, Beyond, which lifts piano music way
out of the ordinary. Piano ROCKS!
When William sat down to write the songs that appear on Beyond, he had
a very clear vision of how he wanted the music to sound. "I wanted it to be
memorable," he says, "I wanted it to be moving, inspiring and thought provoking."
William and his team, executive producer David Foster (a fourteen-time Grammy
Award winner who has worked with Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Josh Groban
and Michael Buble) and producers Jochem Van Der Saag (Groben, Buble and Andrea
Bocelli) and William Ross, have accomplished all that and more on the wonderful
Beyond.
Beyond is William's second studio album and is described as a blend of
genre-defying sounds that's referred to as classic pop. It is a bold, confident
collection of instrumentals that showcase the Phoenix native's artistry. The
music captures a variety of moods, from the dramatic to the heart-wrenching
to the light and playful; all performed with the emotional power and polished
precision for which William has become known.
William's style and material is glorious; magical and ethereal with an enigmatic
power that holds you under its spell from the very start of Beyond with
the gorgeous Standing The Storm — with its fabulous ivory dances
and highlights — through to the title track and Beyond.
Beyond itself is a treasure of such magnificence that, despite it's grandeur,
it is a great track to unwind with. Working your way through this remarkable
album is a joy. Leningrad is darkly evocative, taking you through the
streets of the city alone at night and taking in the sights.
As William draws you deeper into the album to the tremendously uplifting Heroes
and the sweet, golden tracks Once Upon Love, Sweet Remembrance Of
You and A Mother's Heart, you are inextricably hooked. The fabulous
pulse-racing Apasionada is played with skill and accomplishment yet restraint
in full-blooded gypsy style and Asturias simply rampages over the keyboard.
Whereas Return With Honor is infused with pathos; the masterful, rousing
and exotic Kashmir is steeped in passion.
Known for his outstanding piano playing and discovered by top record producer
David Foster in 2003, William Joseph has received global acclaim for his skills
as a musician, composer and performer. To further celebrate the release of Beyond,
William was a very special guest on Katherine Jenkins' UK tour to Oxford, London,
Birmingham and Manchester in December (2008). This is one addiction you won't
want to fight — to Infinity and Beyond!
• William Joseph's dream of an album Beyond,
executive produced by David Foster, is available now (released in the UK on
1 December, 2008, by Warner Music Entertainment).
Tracklisting
1 Standing The Storm | 2 Beyond | 3 Leningrad | 4 Heroes
| 5 Once Upon Love (featuring David Foster) | 6 Kashmir | 7
Sweet Remembrance Of You | 8 Apasionada | 9 Return With Honor
| 10 Cinema Paradiso | 11 Asturias (featuring Jesse Cook)
| 12 A Mother's Heart
"William's style and material is glorious; magical and ethereal with an enigmatic
power that holds you under its spell from the very start of Beyond with
the gorgeous Standing The Storm — with its fabulous ivory
dances and highlights — through to the title track and Beyond"
— Maggie Woods, MotorBar
Check out william-joseph.com
ABOUT
WILLIAM JOSEPH and BEYOND
"This album is absolutely me," says William, whose deft piano playing on Beyond
is backed by a band and a 72-piece orchestra. "The record is cinematic —
like the soundtrack to an epic film that has yet to be made. And then it goes
Beyond and has these high-energy, driving melodies that are not only
exciting to listen to, but also to perform live."
William's growing legion of fans has been devoted to him since the 2004 release
of his debut album Within, which featured a mix of original compositions,
inspired rock classics and impassioned classical pieces.
"Within was a great learning process for me," says William. "At that
point, I had never played with an orchestra before, I had only written for piano.
After Within, I saw the possibilities of working with orchestrators and
programmers and my whole creative world opened up. I wrote the songs on Beyond,
knowing that I would have the instrumentation I love. Plus, I've grown a lot
in the last four years and I really feel like I've figured out what my sound
is, and how to take what's in my head and put it on the album."
While he was composing, what was in William's head was often expressed as raw
emotion. "Most people, when they sit down to write, have a specific story or
experience to write about," William says. "When I sit down, it's purely about
the music. I focus on the emotion and the melody, then go back and think about
what this story is telling me."
The songs on Beyond soar, like the forceful Standing In The Storm,
the edgy Asturias, the epic Heroes and the dramatic Kashmir
(a reworking of the Led Zeppelin classic that has become William's signature
tune and a live show-stopper). William also proves his versatility on the tender
ballads Sweet Remembrance Of You and A Mother's Heart and then
fires up the mood once again on the flamenco-flavoured Apasionada, which
actress Jane Seymour fell in love with — she told William she would
dance to it if she won her season of Dancing With The Stars.
Finally, there's the title track which would, says William, sum up the entire
album for him. "If someone asked me what my music sounds like, I would play
them Beyond," he says. "Making this album took me on a journey through
all these feelings that I feel — romantic, hopeful, excited, intense
— and I hope anyone who listens can relate and go on that journey
with me."
With
the exception of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir (which features a violin solo
by Lucia Micarelli) and a version of Andrea and Ennio Morricone's Cinema
Paradiso, William composed all the songs on Beyond himself, along
with his various producers including Foster and his frequent collaborator Jochem
Van Der Saag (Groben, Buble and Andrea Bocelli). William, Van Der Saag and Bill
Ross, the album's veteran orchestral arranger and conductor, flew to Serbia
to record the Belgrade Film Orchestra to feature on the album; an experience
that William says was a dream.
"It was overwhelming," he says. "Four years of having these songs in my head
and thinking if we only had an orchestra. Finally I could hear what had only
existed on paper for so long. I have to say, I was totally blown away. It was
such an emotional experience that words cannot describe, I'll never forget it."
Indeed, the whole process of making Beyond was thrilling for William,
who has seen his career take off since Foster discovered him at a 2003 charity
event in Phoenix honouring Mohammed Ali. "David looked at me and said: Play
something. And I felt my heart skip a beat because I knew who he was and that
that was my moment, my big chance and everything I had worked for."
Twenty seconds into the song Foster signalled the band to join in and began
conducting them. "So I'm playing this song I had written, being backed by this
world class band, with David waving his hands in the air leading it all, and
I'm thinking: please don't mess up now. We finish, everybody starting
applauding and David gave me a high-five. It was like a scene out of a movie."
The original composition Within stopped Foster in his tracks. "William
sat down and played this beautiful piece magnificently and to perfection," Foster
says. "I was so impressed I asked him if he would perform that evening. A standing
ovation later and I knew I had to work with him."
Since the release of Within, William has been in demand for a number
of high-profile music events, including a support tour with Josh Groben in 2004,
a two-month tour with Clay Aiken in 2005 (plus a collaboration with him on his
album 1000 Different Ways) and supporting such artistes as Barbra Streisand,
Natalie Cole, Kenny G, Il Divo, and Peter Cincotti at concerts around the world.
William — who at the age of eight had already won a 'full ride'
national music scholarship that allowed him to study classical piano with acclaimed
Russian instructor Stella Saperstein — welcomes the opportunity
to perform any chance he gets. Hence he has appeared centre stage for several
prestigious celebrity events, including tennis great Andre Agassi's Grand Slam
for children fundraiser with Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and John Mayer, a charity
event for Carousel of Hope with Beyonce; as well as at private parties held
in the homes of Eva Longoria and Jane Seymour. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
also personally invited William to play at an intimate birthday party for his
wife, Maria Shriver.
In February (2008), William performed Kashmir at the star-studded opening
of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA, an invitation-only gala event
attended by, amongst others: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Prince Andrew, Steve
Martin, Christina Aguilera and Dustin Hoffman. Also this year Dr John Gray,
author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, selected Beyond
to be the theme music for his website and internet television programming.
William also launched his first headlining tour at the end of January (2008)
— a stint through Western Canada in which he drove fans into a frenzy
with his vigorous performing style, which includes playing the piano upside
down. "I absolutely love playing in front of an audience," William says. "Not
only do I want to take people on a musical journey, but I want to connect with
them and hear what they think, which is why I love meeting people after the
shows. The fans are as much a part of this as everything else and I take that
connection with them very seriously. In the end, I just want to bring as many
people along with me on this adventure as possible.
William made his American television debut performing on the Dr Phil Show on
May 28 (2008). He also appeared as part of an all-star cast including Josh Groban,
Michael Buble and Andrea Bocelli for A Tribute To David Foster, filmed at Mandalay
Bay in Las Vegas on May 23 (2008).
