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Life and Career -- Sylvester
Levay
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•37th
Week 2005 / Sylvester Levay, born in Subotica, Yugoslavia
close to the Hungaian border began his musical studies at
the age of eight and won his first composition competition
at the age of 15. Levay told me, he came to Germany in the
mid-60s and worked from1963 to1972 with various orchestras
throughout Europe. During my conference call with Levay and
Cory, "Levay said he first met Ambros in 1967, in Basel,
Switzerland." After he moved to Munich in 1970, he made a
name as a composer, conductor, pianist and arranger.
MORE
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Photo:
l-r - Troy Cory, Sylvester Lavey, Gerti, Ambros
Seelos and Jossi Sigl (Cory) / Basel, 1970.
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•
Working with recording artist like
Ambros and Troy, Udo Juergens, Gitte Henning, Katja Ebstein,
Penny McLean and Donna Summer, he told me, "he met his
writing partner Michael Kunze with whom he has created many
successful theatrical
works.
•
•International
recognition for Levay and Kunze came in 1975 with the
international hit "Fly, Robin, Fly" for which they received
a Grammy. Following hits were "Get up and Boogie" and "Lady
Bump". MORE
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Photo:
l-r - Josie and Troy Cory, Ambros Seelos and
Sylvester Levay, making music pact for the future. / Munich,
1970.
Photo:
l-r - Troy Cory, and Sylvester Levay going over
"Hurricane" arrangements. / Munich, 1970
• •
Between 1977 and 1980 he composed for
international stars like Elton John, Donna Summer, Sister
Sledge and others. From 1980 to 2000 he lived in Hollywood
and concentrated on composing film music working with
various Hollywood greats, including, George Lucas, Steven
Spielberg,
• •
Michael Douglas, Sylveste Stalone,
Charlie Sheen, and many others. "His classical music
education and experience as a rock and pop composer made him
a most sought after talent in Hollywod" -- said Troy during
the phone interview.
• •
"In fact," -- continued Troy, "when
Josie and myself first met Donna at the Vine Street Studios,
before she bought it, she credits high regards to her German
producers and arrangers Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellote and
Sylvester Levay for her success. The, 17-minute heavy
breather "Love To Love You Baby", says Pete Allman, "brought
Summers to international prominence, and was eventually
crowned the Queen of Disco.
• •
Troy relates to Summer's monetary
success in Germany, as part of the great "Karma" and music
pact -- the Ambros, Levay, Troy team developed and made in
the Munich hotel bar in 1970, to advance each others success
in the spirit of a longlasting friendship. See
Donna Summer's Buys the Troy Cory's Vine Street Video
Center.
• •
As a member of the National Academy
of recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), Levay has lectured on
film composition at UCLA and USC. He conducts and
orchestrates all his own work, and plays the piano,
saxophone, clarinet, flute, and organ. Since the 1990s,
Levay has dedicated himself to the musical. He is currently
working on a new project, Rebecca, which is to be premiered
in Vienna.
•
•He
divides his time between homes in Munich, Vienna and Los
Angeles. Married for 25 years, he and his wife, Monika, have
a daughter, Alice.
///
_________
ByLines:
Editors Note
Sylvester Lavey's Compositions
(selection)
• • Music for
"Buster" - VRA TelePlay / Ambros Seelos & Troy Cory,
Munich, 1970)
• • Fly Robin Fly (reached no. 1 in the U.S.
Charts)
• • Music for Bambi
• • Music for Airwolf
• • Hexen, Hexen (musical)
• • Elisabeth (musical) (1992), premiered at
Theater an der Wien)
• • Mozart! (musical) (2001), premiered at Theater
an der Wien)
Composer (Music Score)
• • Composer -- Flash
Fire (1994)
• • Composer -- Dead Before Dawn (1993)
• • Composer -- Donato and Daughter (1993)
• • Composer -- In the Deep Woods (1992)
• • Composer -- Hot Shots! (1991)
• • Composer -- Stone Cold (1991)
• • Composer -- Cry in the Wild (1991)
• • Composer -- False Arrest (1991)
• • Composer -- Owl (1991)
• • Composer -- The Heroes of Desert Storm
(1991)
• • Composer -- Courage Mountain (1990)
• • Composer -- Navy Seals (1990)
• • Composer -- Burglar (1987)
• • Composer -- Three O'Clock High (1987)
• • Composer -- Mannequin (1987)
• • Composer -- Cobra (1986)
• • Composer -- Howard the Duck (1986)
• • Composer -- Invaders from Mars (1986)
• • Composer -- Where are the Children? (1986)
• • Composer -- Choke Canyon (1986)
• • Composer -- Creator (1985)
• • Composer -- Body Rock (1984)
• • Composer -- Where the Boys Are '84 (1984)
• • Composer -- "Buster" Songs: Relax, Hurricane
(1970)
Prizes
• • Grammy for Fly the
Robin Fly (1975)
• • Goldene Stimmgabel (2002)
• • Goldene Europa (2002)
More
Articles
• Converging
News 372005 / TeleCom Buy Outs and Asset Seizure
Boom
Respectfully
Submitted
Josie
Cory
Publisher/Editor
TVI Magazine
•
• TVI
Magazine, tviNews.net, YES90, Your Easy Searh, Associated
Press, Reuters, BBC, LA Times, NY Times, VRA's D-Diaries,
Industry Press Releases, They Said It and SmartSearch were
used in compiling and ascertaining this Yes90 news
report.
•
• ©1956-2005.
Copyright. All rights reserved by: TVI Publications,
VRA TelePlay Pictures, xingtv and Big Six Media
Entertainments. Tel/Fax: 323 462.1099.
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107
Celebrity Scene - The Life and Career of Sylvester
Levay / Photo Images: l-r - Sylvester
Levay, Band Members, Ambros Seelos and Troy Cory /
Innsbruck, Austria,
1970.
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Television
International Magazine's Person Of The Week POW
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372005 -
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Convergence -37th Week of 2005
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107MunichAmbrosPhotos.htm
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