David Nisbet Stewart is a composer, pianist and organist. His career began in academia and migrated into computer technology from 1979 onward. His style of composing also changed as he pursued his new occupation. David believes that leaving academia for the business world was a great benefit to his art. He calls music the business of entertaining, where there must be an emotional connection. David’s compositions are created to connect with the listener’s ear and heart.
Today, David is our featured artist in “The Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our artists. Read on to …
Who was your favorite composer growing up?
As a child, my mother had 78 rpm records of Tchaikovsky’s 5th and 6th Symphonies and I loved listening to them. Later on, once we had 33 1/3 rpm vinyl discs, my mother got the famous The Heart of the Piano Concerto. I had begun to play the piano myself so I fell in love with many excerpts from the record. Eventually, in my later years, I even composed a piano concerto myself.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I like to eat all kinds of baked desserts. Most times I will bake them myself. My chef-d’oeuvre is chocolate eclairs. I like the medium sweet chocolate icing of an eclair, although I will make it more bitter to suit my wife.
Where in the world would I like to create?
I would spend my creative time in Luang Prabang, Laos, on the banks of the Mekong River. There are hardly any signs of western musical influence over there. The local people truly appreciated hearing me play a piano recital comprised of western music, specifically Bach, Brahms, and some of my own pieces.
What was your favorite musical moment on the album?
The album features ten composers total, each with their own unique composition. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the other composers’ works. Each piece of new music was compatible to my own esthetic sense.
What does the album mean to me personally?
It gives me great satisfaction to have my original music published for posterity. The performers of Trio Casals did an excellent job with my piece. Maybe in time other performers of their caliber will discover this composition and find the same joy that I had composing it.
What specific feeling do I want to impart to listeners?
My piece is titled Habanera, which is the “dance of Havana (Cuba).” It originated in 18th century Europe as a contradanse. It was later brought to the New World and made popular by the Cuban musicians of the time. I would like for listeners to experience and enjoy the distinctive rhythm of the music and maybe even feel like dancing.
MOTO BELLO is now available through Navona Records for streaming or purchase. Click here to explore this new album.
