Michael Easton
Michael Easton (1954–2004) was a British-born composer, pianist and arranger who settled in Melbourne in 1982. His music is accessible, wickedly witty and finely crafted, drawing on French models and jazz.
Michael Easton was born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1954. Once in Australia – some 28 years later – he quickly established himself as a practical and inventive composer able to answer commissions of every kind, as a brilliant arranger of other people's music, and as an all-round musician of wide abilities. By 1986 he felt able to leave music publishing and work entirely as a freelance composer. That did not stop him forming an ongoing duo-piano partnership with Len Vorster, or giving many stimulating pre-concert talks for the Melbourne Symphony, Musica Viva and Opera Australia.
His music carries the same energy and good humour. It is wholly accessible, built on ear-catching melodies, piquant harmonies and brilliant orchestration. French models (especially Milhaud, Poulenc and Ravel) and jazz run through it: the former from natural sympathy and study with Berkeley, himself French-trained; the latter from Easton's own skill as a jazz pianist. Wickedly witty and beautifully crafted, it can please at first hearing while depth and seriousness only gradually become clear.
He died in 2004.
Compositions by Michael Easton appear on
Teamwork
An eminently listenable collection of piano pieces written for four and six hands. Romantic, brilliant and companionable by turns, this is an exciting, all-stops-out tour de force.
Sun Fun and other Disappointments: The music of Michael Easton
This compilation CD brings together the wide range of British/Australian composer Michael Easton’s compositional output (1981–1993) – ranging from solo piano and duo pianos to a flute sonata, a piccolo concerto, song cycles, and four songs from Easton’s one-woman show Dorothy Parker Says.
Composer
Night Thoughts
During the long still nights of the Covid pandemic, pianist Len Vorster, well-known as a thoughtful accompanist, spent most of his evenings listening to a wide array of music ranging from Schumann to Copland. He also spent a lot of time thinking about the music. These ruminations developed into the wide ranging, fascinating and beautiful program of 15 deep-rooted works.