US composer Jim Steinman, who wrote hits for musicians such as Meat Loaf, Céline Dion and Bonnie Tyler, has died. The coroner’s office in the US state of Connecticut confirmed his death, according to which Steinman had died on 19 April at the age of 73.
Although Jim Steinman is primarily known as a composer and producer whose records have sold over 100 million copies, his career began in theatre after graduating from Amherst College. His mentor Joe Papp hired him after seeing Jim’s infamous rock epic Dream Engine. Jim’s collaboration with Joe Papp lasted seven years. When singer Meat Loaf showed up for an audition, it was “one of the ten most important encounters in the history of rock ‘n’ roll”. Steinman wrote most of the hits for the American singer, with whom he fell out in the 80s. It was only when the dispute was settled in the early 90s that the singer had success again with Steinman’s songs.
In Austria, Jim Steinman has also become known as a composer in connection with the musical “Dance of the Vampires”. This was commissioned by the “Vereinigte Bühnen Wien” and premiered at the Raimund Theatre on 4 October 1997. It then ran there for several years and moved to the “Ronacher”, also in Vienna, in 2009.
Jim Steinman’s compositions are known for their bombastic sound and symphonic arrangements, so they are also well suited for wind orchestras. Here is the list of works.
