Composition Recordings
For recordings of Leisner’s performances click here
Music for voice and instruments with Katherine Whyte, soprano, Andrew Fuchs, tenor, Michael Kelly, baritone, Lenore Fishman Davis, piano, Dimitri Dover, piano, Raman Ramakrishnan, cello, Sarah Whitney, violin, Scott Bartucca, oboe, David Leisner, guitar
Music for voice and instruments with Katherine Whyte, soprano, Andrew Fuchs, tenor, Michael Kelly, baritone, Lenore Fishman Davis, piano, Dimitri Dover, piano, Raman Ramakrishnan, cello, Sarah Whitney, violin, Scott Bartucca, oboe, David Leisner, guitar
“A strong, inquisitive interest in new possibilities. His palette is varied, ranging from the sad to the playful, frequently impassioned but never mawkish, and the words are always clearly and aptly set…Letter to the World is a well made, very rewarding recording that will appeal to listeners across the aesthetic board.” Opera News
“The sixty-four-minute collection makes a compelling argument for Leisner as a composer of art songs and vocal suites…Having premiered works by David Del Tredici, Virgil Thomson, Philip Glass, Peter Sculthorpe, Osvaldo Golijov, and others, Leisner has been justly celebrated for expanding the guitar repertoire. However, Letter to the World indicates that he deserves as rightful a place amongst vocal composers when its works are as accomplished as they are…All four [works] exemplify arresting melodic character, emotional depth, and dramatic sweep.” Textura
“Leisner conquers us not only with the beauty of the music, but particularly with the coherence of musical expression in relation to the lyrics…A recording that deserves the highest praise. Some passages of great intensity will remain in our emotional memory for a long time.” Il Fronimo
Letter to the World, link to booklet, with texts, performer bios and program notes
Letter to the World on Spotify
Eve’s Diary, Olson/De Cari Duo
Eve’s Diary on Talking Cat Records
Ghosting, Brasil Guitar Duo
“The piece, commissioned by Symphony Space through the Isaiah Sheffer Fund for New Initiatives, opens and closes with freely floating harmonics that switches to a simple tune that shifts meter to create variations. There is an eerie quality throughout, as the original melody is outlined like a distinctive cloud shape on a windy day that expands and then fragments from the original tune, shifting and reforming sonically with echoes of its original self that linger hauntingly in the end.” Guitar Blog (Julia Crowe)
“Leisner’s Ghosting is fragmentary and unfolds provocatively inside the recording like a defiant, blooming flower. Contrasting with the Brazilian character of much of the proceedings, it feels almost sculptural in construction, and yet is enticingly ephemeral.” Classical Guitar
Love Dreams of the Exile, Cavatina Duo and Avalon String Quartet
“Leisner’s atmospheric Love Dreams of the Exile draws one back for repeated listening; the sighing microtones of its first movement, a meditation on the song “Yo bolí,” add a layer of deep resignation within the calmly flowing figuration that surrounds them.” The Santa Fe New Mexican
“A work of substantial power, with the almost programmatic second movement being particularly noteworthy. The phantasmagorical opening of the final movement defies description, but is finally resolved in a tender, peaceful ending.” Soundboard
Sephardic Journey on Amazon Downloads
Acrobats, complete works for flute and guitar by Leisner, played by the Cavatina Duo
“Rich in invention and melody, emotionally direct and beautiful…experienced, subtle, and wise craftsmanship yielding musically satisfying results.” Fanfare
“I would like to recommend this CD because it touched me very much.” Gitarre und Laute
Leisner Three James Tate Songs
Leisner Away, Arc Duo
Arc Duo on Amazon
Arc Duo on iTunes
Leisner Disturbed, a Lullaby, Aaron Larget-Caplan, guitar
New Lullaby on Amazon
New Lullaby on iTunes
Leisner Dances in the Madhouse, Harris-Coates Duo
Dances in the Madhouse on Amazon
Leisner Dances in the Madhouse, Haslop-Sanders Duo
Leisner Nostalgia, Haslop-Sanders Duo
Leisner Nostalgia on Amazon
Leisner Nostalgia on iTunes
Leisner Outdoor Shadows, Olson/De Cari Duo
Other recordings, some hard to find or out of print
Leisner Compositions
- Dances in the Madhouse – Virginia Taylor, flute and Timothy Kain, guitar, Music of the Americas, ABC 456 691-2
- Mirage – Julian Gray and Ronald Pearl, guitars, Homages & Evocations, Dorian DOR-90230
- Mirage – Folkwang Guitar Duo (Volker Niehusmann and Carsten Linck, guitars) , Bad Boy, Signum SIG X70-00
- Dances in the Madhouse – Duo Essence, Shadowdance, Capstone, CPS 8738
- Sonata – Arturo Delmoni, violin, and David Burgess, guitar, Music for Violin and Guitar, Athena (Sonora) SACC 102
- Four Pieces – Benjamin Verdery, guitar, Ride the Wind Horse, Sony Classical/Newport Classic
- Three Moons – Villa Lobos Duo (Sven Holger Philippsen, cello, and Michael Seubert, guitar), Orange Moon, Acoustic Music Best.Nr.319.1155.242
- Three Moons – Lisa Nielsen, cello, and William Simcoe, guitar, Studies, Memories and Moons, Eroica Classical
- El Coco – Jan Boland, flute, and John Dowdall, guitar, Red Cedar Collection, Fleur de Son Classics FDS 57960