SONGS FROM THE PIANO PLAYER FROM BUDAPEST

Stephen de Bastion - Songs from the Piano Player of Budapest’ is the new 12 track album compiled and curated by Roxanne de Bastion that brings a Holocaust survivor's music back to life. The album accompanies Roxanne’s first book, ‘The Piano Player of Budapest’, published by Little Brown and chosen by BBC Culture’s as one the most anticipated books of 2024. 

 

The book explores the extraordinary life and work of Roxanne’s grandfather, the composer and pianist Stephen de Bastion, a concentration camp survivor who emigrated to England in 1947. The album sees Roxanne restore, re-record and re-imagine Stephen’s music to astonishing effect, with Simon Tong (Damon Albarn/The Verve) on production duties, pianist Xenia Pestova Bennett, world class orchestrator Sally Herbert and critically acclaimed singer songwriter Ed Harcourt.

 

Stephen de Bastion was a celebrated composer and pianist in 1930’s Budapest whose career was cruelly interrupted by persecution during World War II. When Stephen and his beloved piano - which miraculously also survived the war - emigrated to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1947, he was unable to continue his storied career. But he never stopped composing, playing - or recording. 

Working from a treasure trove of cassette tapes of Stephen’s recordings, as well as original sheet music, Roxanne and Simon Tong have lovingly created a deeply moving and poignant album of Stephen’s music. Six tracks were performed and recorded on Stephen’s original piano, in-situ in Roxanne’s family home in Berlin by Xenia Petsova Bennett. Sally Herbert has arranged and played strings, while Ed Harcourt features on the beautiful lullaby “Sleep, Sleep Little Boy”.