The award-winning composer and lyricist Maury Yeston discusses his music, legendary career in the theatre and his new album, Maury Sings Yeston: The Demos (PS Classics, 2020), with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

One of the legendary composers in the American theatre and popular song joins me now. Maury Yeston has just released a new album, Maury Sings Yeston: The Demos. It has forty tracks of Mr. Yeston singing and playing his own compositions from his award-winning scores of Nine (based on Fellini’s 8½), Titanic, and his production of Death Takes a Holiday, an unproduced show Queen of Basin Street (based on the French film La Cage Aux Folles), the concept album Goya (which was commissioned by and written for Placido Domingo), and other pop songs and theatrical works in progress. These demos are fascinating because they’re often recordings made just after Yeston has written its music and lyrics. Some have been overhauled or worked on, but they are terrific insights into the writing process. I’ll get Mr. Yeston to talk about how he works, and the rich material that’s on this album. Maury Yeston is a composer, lyricist, author, and teacher. He is the winner of two Tony Awards for Best Score, for Nine, and Titanic. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song in 2010 for “Take It All,” a song he wrote for the film version of Nine starring Daniel Day-Lewis, which was directed by Rob Marshall. He was also nominated for a Tony Award for the score of Grand Hotel: The Musical. His score for Phantom remains very popular; it’s a show produced in the United States and around the world. It was a show that was created before that other one by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Visit www.mauryyeston.com for more information. This new album is from PS Classics, and is now available through the various digital and streaming platforms. A 2-CD set will be released in December. Visit www.psclassics.com for information on that. Mr. Yeston joined me earlier this week from New York City. It was such a delight to talk to someone whose music I’ve been listening to for years, whose work I’ve admired. Incidentally, he celebrated his 75^th birthday last week. He indulged me in many great stories from his life and career. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Maury Yeston; Mr. Yeston, good morning.

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