“I’m the type, if I see something I tackle it,” says classical pianist Anthony de Mare. And he’s not just speaking figuratively.
The pianist, who makes his Carnegie Hall debut on March 15, is known for throwing his bulked-up body fully into his music making. In “Playin’ Myself,” his 2001 show that toured the U.S. and abroad, de Mare recited poetry, sang and even tap danced – all while playing the piano. “Interdisciplinary pianist” is how he describes himself.
De Mare, 47, has always had a knack for more than music. Accompanied by his older sisters, he started ballet and modern dance studies while in third grade. He was also heavily involved in the theater program at the Jesuit boys school he attended in his native Rochester. He’s had a serious gym routine for 20 years now.
But early on music and men both had a special draw. It was in his family’s basement, with the record player, where the two passions came together.
“I had a record collection as a kid and probably the love of music started with that,” he says.
A Mario Lanza recording of “The Student Prince” proved irresistible to the four-year-old. “I became fascinated with this cover. There was a virility in the picture of this man and I used to take this LP with me for my naps… (but) I never listened to the recording. It was all about the image!”
De Mare came out at age 21 but only after his mom found his copy of the popular 1974 gay novel “The Front Runner.” He recalls their conversation ending with his declaration: “ ‘This is who I am. I’ve been this way since I was a kid.’ She didn’t like it but she came to accept it quickly.”
De Mare, who was diagnosed HIV positive in 1991, will soon be moving to Chelsea, where his boyfriend of two years already lives. The two met about 5 years ago at the gym.
“Everything having to do with a locker room always has been a major turn on,” concedes de Mare. But he hastens to add, “One thing I find sexy is a man who has intelligence.” That’s a good thing, considering his lover is a writer.
Himself a teacher at NYU and the Manhattan School of Music, de Mare knows the classics, like Chopin and Rachmaninoff, but he’s made a specialty of the contemporary.
“It’s a genre I feel connected to,” he says. “I often say, come to this concert, look between the lines, and you’ll find out something about me.”
In store for De Mare’s concert at Carnegie’s new Zankel Hall are world premieres of new pieces by the gay composers Fred Hersch and David Del Tredici.
“What I love about Tony is he’s not afraid to be out in the classical music world,” says Del Tredici, who also has several works on de Mare’s latest disc “Out of My Hands” (Koch). Del Terdici also admires de Mare’s ability to have fun while on stage, adding “All the typical classical music nerds are so dreary.”
Of the dozens of works written for de Mare’s unique talents, one has become famous: Frederic Rzewski’s “De Profundis,” a setting of portions of Oscar Wilde’s famous letter from prison. In the 40-minute piece, de Mare recites the text while also playing at the keyboard. Occasionally he also blows old car horns or plays a beat on his muscular chest.
“It’s like doing a monologue… (and) the piano is supposed to be an extension of the body,” explains de Mare.
The timely political slant of Wilde’s writing prompted de Mare to bring the piece to Carnegie. “I see a potency that goes very deep inside,” says the pianist. “At the end, Wilde says ‘I hope to live long enough and to produce work of such a character that I shall be able at the end of my days to say, yes, this is just where the artistic life leads.’”
A version of this story appeared in The Advocate, 3/15/05
