Great Performances » David Foster

In Memoriam: Remembering Donna Summer (1948 – 2012)

fultonk — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:42:48 +0000

The original “Queen of Disco,” Donna Summer — winner of five Grammy Awards — died yesterday at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer. Summer appeared on stage in a European production of Hair when she was only 18. Later, she would put the stamp of that phenomenal voice on a long list of iconic disco classics. GREAT PERFORMANCES was privileged to showcase her talents on Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends which aired in March of last year.

In January 2011, Summer thrilled the TV reviewers of the Television Critics Association at their gathering in Los Angeles, bringing even the most staid of them to their feet as she belted out her signature song “Last Dance” with a voice undiminished by time to promote the Hitman Returns special.

GREAT PERFORMANCES offers its condolences to her husband, musician and producer Bruce Sudano, her children and the rest of her family.

From Hitman Returns, here’s a clip of Donna and Seal singing “Crazy” in honor of her memory and her amazing voice.

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Jackie Evancho: Dream with Me in Concert: Highlights

colin fitzpatrick — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:07:08 +0000

In support of the release of Dream with Me, Great Performances presents Jackie Evancho in a solo concert that fully reveals the complete range and depth of this spectacular young talent. Watch highlights from the solo concert debut of the 11-year-old girl with the extraordinary soprano voice.

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Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends: Seal and Donna Summer sing “Crazy”

colin fitzpatrick — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:02:31 +0000

In a clip from Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends, Donna Summer and Seal perform Seal’s hit single from 1991 off of his debut album, “Crazy,” with accompaniment by David Foster. Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends airs throughout March 2011 on PBS (check local listings).

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Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends: Jackie Evancho performs “O Mio Babbino Caro”

colin fitzpatrick — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:36:08 +0000

In a clip from Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends, Jackie Evancho, the 10 year old opera singer who first appeared on America’s Got Talent, performs Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro” from the opera Gianni Schicchi. Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends airs throughout March 2011 on PBS (check local listings).

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Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends: Highlights

colin fitzpatrick — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:35:39 +0000

Watch clips from the performances in Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends airing for Great Performances this March on PBS. Foster’s high profile friends on this occasion include All-4-One, Martina McBride, Charice, Natalie Cole, Earth, Wind & Fire, America’s Got Talent sensation Jackie Evancho, Lara Fabian, Ne-Yo, Michael Bolton, pedal steel guitar virtuoso Robert Randolph, Chaka Khan, Kenny Loggins, Seal, Ruben Studdard, and Donna Summer, performing songs either written, produced or connected to Foster over the course of his prolific musical career.

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Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends: Preview the Show

colin fitzpatrick — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:36:38 +0000

Maestro to the stars David Foster, who has collaborated with some of the greatest superstars in music, returns to THIRTEEN’s Great Performances series with several of his favorite artists for a magnificent night of music: Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends is scheduled to air this March 2011 on PBS (check local listings). (In New York, THIRTEEN will air the program on Wednesday, March 9 at 8 p.m.)

Filmed last October 2010 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Hitman Returns, the follow-up concert to the hugely popular 2008 Hitman: David Foster & Friends, is an all-star celebration featuring even more chart-topping stars and music from the 15-time Grammy Award-winner’s extensive career catalog.

Watch a preview:

(View full post to see video)

Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET, one of America’s most prolific and respected public media partners.

The Mandalay Bay Events Center concert followed showman Foster’s 10-city “Foster + Friends” tour which sold out across the country. “We had such a phenomenal time last go round, I knew that I wanted to come back with a stronger, bigger and even more theatrical show that would be totally unforgettable. I think we succeeded in assembling some of the greatest voices out there for one night,” stated Foster. “I was thrilled to be hosting and accompanying my friends on this very special night,” he concluded.

Foster’s high profile friends on this occasion include All-4-One, Martina McBride, Charice, Natalie Cole, Earth, Wind & Fire, America’s Got Talent sensation Jackie Evancho, Lara Fabian, Ne-Yo, Michael Bolton, pedal steel guitar virtuoso Robert Randolph, Chaka Khan, Kenny Loggins, Seal, Ruben Studdard, and Donna Summer, performing songs either written, produced or connected to Foster over the course of his prolific musical career.

The evening offers a succession of showstopping solos, from both veteran performers and newcomers, the latter category represented in spectacular fashion by 10-year-old phenomenon Jackie Evancho’s renditions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Pie Jesu” and Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro,” and “Glee” star Charice’s soulful “All By Myself.”

But the concert is also thrilling for its striking duets: Bolton and Seal’s bluesy mash-up of “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “It’s a Man World”; Natalie Cole and Ruben Studdard’s nostalgic “When I Fall in Love”; Lara Fabian and Bolton’s fervent “The Prayer”; and Donna Summer and Seal’s powerhouse medley of “Unbreak My Heart,” “Crazy,” and “On the Radio.”

Foster — who has been nominated for an unprecedented 45 Grammy awards, won two Emmys and was an Oscar nominee — has discovered and nurtured the careers of megastars such as Josh Groban and Michael Bublé. He has well as created chart-topping hits for legends Andrea Bocelli, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind and Fire & Chaka Khan.

Song Rundown (as of press time)

David Foster “Winter Games”
Kenny Loggins “Heart To Heart”
Chaka Khan “Through the Fire”
All-4-One “I Swear”
Natalie Cole / Ruben Studdard “When I Fall In Love”
Jackie Evancho “Pie Jesu”
Jackie Evancho “O Mio Babbino Caro”
Martina McBride “We’ve Got Tonight”
Michael Bolton / Seal Medley “When A Man Loves A Woman / It’s A Man’s World”
Chaka Khan “I’m Every Woman”
Earth Wind & Fire Medley “In The Stone / September / After The Love Has Gone”
Lara Fabian “Caruso”
Ne-Yo “Miss Independent”
Charice “All By Myself”
Ne-Yo, Charice, Robert Randolph “Earth Song”
Lara Fabian / Michael Bolton “The Prayer”
Donna Summer / Seal Medley “Unbreak My Heart / Crazy / On The Radio”
Donna Summer “Last Dance”

The concert was produced by THIRTEEN for WNET and WBR (Warner Bros. Records) for PBS broadcast on Great Performances, and will also be released this March as a concert CD/DVD on 143/Reprise Records.

The telecast was directed for television by David Horn, and produced by Mitch Owgang. Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn and David Foster are executive producers.

Great Performances is funded by The Starr Foundation, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Joseph A. Wilson, public television viewers and PBS.

Andrea Bocelli & David Foster: My Christmas: Preview of the Concert

colin fitzpatrick — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:27:45 +0000

Everyone’s favorite “Hitman” David Foster joins Great Performances superstar Andrea Bocelli for a new Christmas concert of holiday classics airing on Thanksgiving night. Showcasing Bocelli’s unmistakable soaring vocals are lush new arrangements infused with the distinctive Foster touch. The inspiring concert performance, recorded at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, also features special musical guests Natalie Cole, Mary J. Blige, Reba McEntire, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, The Muppets and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Among the featured songs highlighted will be “White Christmas,” “Oh Holy Night,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” “The Christmas Song,” “What Child is This” and many more. Andrea Bocelli and David Foster: My Christmas will be broadcast in the New York City/tri-state viewing area on THIRTEEN’s Great Performances series in HD on Thanksgiving night, Thursday, November 26 at 8 p.m. EST, with additional broadcasts continuing in December on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings).

Watch a preview of the concert:

(View full post to see video)

The My Christmas concert is the ultimate holiday musical experience from Andrea Bocelli, showcasing the tenor in performances of traditional carols and other favorites in English, with a few additional selections in Italian and German. Regarding Christmas music, the star remarks, “I have long dreamed of recording a holiday album that captures the beautiful traditions of the holiday season. Every year, these songs have brought incredible joy to me and my family, and it is my hope to give back that same joy by making this album.” Of her experience singing Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas” with Bocelli during the taping, country music star Reba McEntire told the Toronto Sun, “I sat there in awe. I just loved it. (His voice) is rich like frosting on a cake – decadent. It’s so full. I stood there right beside him and just watched him.”

An iconic figure in music who has sold more than 60 million albums to date, Bocelli continues to defy categorization, age barriers and labels of any kind. In concert or on the opera stage, he has sung with everyone from Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo to Bono and Celine Dion. In addition to his solo Great Performances concert programs, Bocelli’s many memorable television appearances include the Oscar and Grammy Awards telecasts, mentoring contestants on American Idol and performances at the Official Ceremonies of the Olympic Games, all of which have propelled Andrea Bocelli into becoming a global household name in contemporary popular music.

Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers and PBS.

Hitman: David Foster & Friends: Introduction

daniel ross — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:56:48 +0000

Photo: Karl Simone

“Dear friends,” 15 Grammy Award-winner David Foster calls them, “some of my favorite people in the world.” To you and me, however, they’re better known as Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Michael Bublé. The gilded trio leads a parade of entertainers nurtured by the Canadian-born producer, honoring him in a gala concert this December on PBS (check local listings).

Recorded live in performance at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center, Hitman: David Foster & Friends features Foster himself presiding center stage at the keyboard. The evening is a virtual jukebox worth of songs written by and/or produced by him. Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and brother Kevon offer “I Swear;” Brian McKnight revisits Earth, Wind and Fire’s “After the Love Has Gone;” former Chicago front man Peter Cetera gets down with “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” “You’re the Inspiration” and “Glory of Love;” while Boz Scaggs reprises “Look What You’ve Done to Me” from Urban Cowboy.

Neatly arcing Foster’s remarkable 35-year career, other highlights range from early hits like St. Elmo’s Fire Love Theme, recalled here by Kenny G; and “Man in Motion,” performed by American Idol hottie Michael Johns, through foot stompin’ disco with Cheryl Lynn’s “Got to Be Real,” to the neo-jazz swing of Michael Bublé’s “Feeling Good.”

Also look for American Idol’s Katharine McPhee soloing on “Somewhere” then joining Italian tenor Bocelli for “The Prayer”; Bocelli’s silky “Amapola”; Bublé and Country’s Blake Shelton duetting to Bublé’s “Home,” and new Foster discovery William Joseph at the keyboard for “Asturias.” And if Josh Groban brings the house down with signatures “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (in duet with Brian McKnight) and “You Raise Me Up,” Scene Stealer Award would have to go to 16-year-old power-house Charice, from the Philippines. Best known in America for her appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, she stuns both audience and Foster with the Whitney Houston-by-way-of-Dolly Parton hit “I Will Always Love You.”

“A star is born tonight,” a genuinely startled Foster exclaims – a man who knows whereof he speaks. Over the past 35 years, he has amassed among his 15 Grammys three for producer of the year. He has also been nominated a whopping 44 times. He has produced hits with everyone from Natalie Cole to Celine Dion, from Barbra Streisand to the Corrs, Madonna to Chicago. He has also overseen such blockbuster soundtracks as The Bodyguard, Footloose and Ghostbusters.

More recently, he has created his own label, 143 (I Love You) Records, in partnership with Warner Brothers, where he’s developing the careers of Groban, Bublé and McPhee, to name just a few lustrous protégés.

Featuring pre-recorded segments with Dion and Foster offering “Because You Loved Me” and a special appreciation from Streisand (“David, thanks for spending part of your musical life with me”), Hitman: David Foster & Friends is a co-production of Chartmaker Records, Inc., Thirteen/WNET New York and Align Entertainment Group LLC. Also available on DVD from Warner Brothers Home Video, it is directed by David Horn and co-produced by Horn and Mitch Owgang. David Foster is Executive Producer.

“I’m grateful for my musical past,” says the still-youthful Foster, 58, who began playing the piano at age 5 and enrolled in the University of Washington’s summer music program at 13. “And I have great anticipation about the musical adventures waiting to reveal themselves in the future. I’m one happy, fortunate and lucky guy.”

GREAT PERFORMANCES is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers, and PBS.

Vivere: Andrea Bocelli Live in Tuscany: Production Credits

daniel ross — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:14:57 +0000

Web Credits

Producer: Anu Krishnan
Graphic Art: Gabriel Torres
Technical Director: Brian Lee
Production Assistant: Diana Cofresí-Terrero
Copy Editor: Leslie Kriesel
HTML Implementation Assistance: Brian Santalone

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Tamara E. Robinson, Vice President & Director, Programming.

Television Credits

VIVERE: ANDREA BOCELLI LIVE IN TUSCANY

Directed by
David Horn

Executive Producers
Filippo Sugar
David Horn

Producers
Andrea Cotromano
Mitch Owgang

Creative Consultant
David Foster

Music Produced by
Humberto Gatica

Music Co-Produced by
Tony Renis

Music Recorded and Mixed by
Humberto Gatica
Alejandro Rodriguez

Editor
Laura Young

Additional Editing by
Gary Bradley

Coordinating Producer
Cara Cosentino

Production Coordinator
Fabrizia Cerciello

Lighting Director
Al Gurdon

Music Director
Matthew Della Polla

Associate Director
Sandra Restrepo

Stage Managers
Iain Patrick
Pippo Balestrieri

Production Manager
Vicki Betihavas

Location Manager
Rosemary Plum

Production Coordinator
Ian McGinty

Technical Manager
Brian Thomas

Engineer in Charge
Pier Paolo Piacentini

Vision Mixer
Sara-Jayne Phillips

Production Secretary
Jessica Lacombe

Cameras
David Barber
Chris Chatfield
Mark Cruickshank
Barrie Dodd
Dave Emery
Anthony Freeman
Kevin French
Julian Harries
Dom Jackson
Pete Johnson
Duncan McLaren
Gary Tepper
Andy Watt
Carlo Tamburello
Massimiliano Tortora
Shaun Willis

Video Supervisor
Billy Steinberg

Video Tape
Franco Leggeri

Gaffer
David Cook
Darren Hodge

Board Operator
Ben Cracknell
Digital Engineers
Alejandro Rodriguez
Christian Robles
Jorge Vivo
Jochem Van Der Saag
Kenny O’Brien

Additional Audio Engineering
Pier Paolo Guerrini

Pro Tools Operator
Valerio Calisse

Music Production Coordinators
Courtney Blooding
Maggie Cashman

Audio Engineer
Andy Rose

Audio Record Supervisor
Tim Summerhayes

Recording Engineer
Mike Silverston

Sound Engineer
Dave O’Carroll

Sound Assistant
Alison Dales

Post Production Audio
Ken Hahn
John Bowen
Jay Fisher

Music Mastering
Vlado Meller

Rigger/Driver
Alex Goodison

Production Aides
Marco Beltramini
Nick Boy
Michael Ponterotto
Pino Scimo’

English Translations
Kenneth Chalmers

Graphic Design
B. T. Whitehill

Taped live at Teatro del Silenzio
Lajatico, Italy

Special Guest
David Foster

Featuring
In Order Of Appearance
Kenny G

Heather Headley

Lang Lang

Elisa

Sarah Brightman

Chris Botti

Laura Pausini

The Band
Bass
Nathan East

Drums
Gregg Bissonette

Guitar
Dean Parks
Ludovico Vagnone

Keyboards
Emilio Marinelli

Percussion
Arnaldo Vacca

Piano
Randy Kerber

Orchestra Conducted by
Jorge Calandrelli

Orchestra
Orchestra da Camera delle Marche

Chorus
Associazione — Societa’ Corale Pisana

“Il Sole” Sculpture Created by
Arnaldo Pomodoro

For Four One Music & Events
Event Promoter
Vittorio Quattrone

Event Production Director
Massimo Ferranti

Assistant to Massimo Ferranti
Maurizio Cappellini

Andrea Bocelli’s Business and Management Office
Almud Music
Alberto Bocelli
Veronica Berti
Carlo Tomba
Massimiliano Ballanti

For Sugarmusic
Chairman, Sugar S.R.L.
Caterina Caselli Sugar

Legal & Business Affairs
Lorena Pizzi

General Manager, Sugar S.R.L.
Riccardo Usuelli

Product Manager, Sugar S.R.L.
Massimo Cardino

Attorneys
Ted Harris
Michael Goldsmith
David Toraya

For GREAT PERFORMANCES
Business Affairs
Ranfi Rivera

Director, Program Development
Bill O’Donnell

Series Producer
David Horn

A production of Sugar S.R.L. in association with Thirteen/WNET New York

The contents of these GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages are copyrighted under United States and other copyright laws. You may not download, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute or make derivative works from the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages other than for personal use without the advance written permission of the copyright owner. Any unauthorized use of any of the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Online Web pages may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Vivere: Andrea Bocelli Live in Tuscany: Musical Selections

daniel ross — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:14:55 +0000

The evening’s program was recorded live at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Italy in July 2007.

“Melodramma”
Music and lyrics by Pierpaolo Guerrini and Paolo Luciani
Andrea Bocelli

“A Te”
Music and lyrics by Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, Kenny G

“Romanza”
Music and lyrics by Mauro Malavasi
Andrea Bocelli

“Vivo Per Lei”
Music and lyrics by Mauro Mengali, Luigi Panceri, and Valerio Zelli
Andrea Bocelli, Heather Headley

“Io Ci Sarò”
Music and lyrics by Walter Afanasieff, Andrea Bocelli, Eugenio Finardi, and David Foster
Andrea Bocelli, Lang Lang

“La Voce del Silenzio”
Music and lyrics by Elio Isola and Paolo Limiti
Andrea Bocelli, Elisa

“Bellissime Stelle”
Music and lyrics by Luigi De Drescenzo and Francesco Sartori
Andrea Bocelli, David Foster (piano)

Medley
“Bésame Mucho”
Music and lyrics by Consuelo Velazquez
“Somos Novios”
Music and lyrics by Armando Manzanero
“Can’t Help Falling in Love”
Music and lyrics by Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti, and George Weiss
Andrea Bocelli, David Foster (piano), Ludovico Vagnone (guitar)

“The Prayer”
Music and lyrics by David Foster, Carol Bayer Sager, Tony Renis, and Alberto Testa
Andrea Bocelli, Heather Headley, David Foster (piano)

“Because We Believe”
Music and lyrics by David Foster, Andrea Bocelli, Amy Foster Gillies, and Amy Skyla
Andrea Bocelli, David Foster (piano)

“Italia”
Music and lyrics by Chris Botti, Lorenzo Cherubini, and David Foster
Andrea Bocelli, Chris Botti, David Foster (piano)

“Canto della Terra”
Music and lyrics by Lucio Quarantotto and Francesco Sartori
Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman

“Sogno”
Music and lyrics by Giuseppe Servillo and Giuseppe Vessicchio
Andrea Bocelli

“Il Mare Calmo della Sera”
Music and lyrics by Gianpietro Felisatti, Adelmo Fornaciari, and Gloria Nuti
Andrea Bocelli

“Dare to Live” (”Vivere”)
Music and lyrics by Angelo Anastasio, Eugenio Finardi, Gerardina Trovato, and Celso Valli
Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini

“Time to Say Goodbye” (”Con te Partirò”)
Music and lyrics by Franscesco Sartori and Luciano Quarantotto
Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman