Mark John McEncroe: Musical Images for Chamber Orchestra
Navona Records
Mark John McEncroe is disarmingly matter-of-fact abut his creative process. The Sydney, Australia-born composer disavows intellectualizing and is instead humbly content to let his music emerge of its natural accord. That doesn't mean it lacks purpose: in bringing his so-called descriptive material into being, his primary aim is to evoke in musical form “a musical and emotional description of exactly what I'm feeling.” Refusing to align himself with any established tradition, McEncroe focuses on following his intuition and expressing himself in way that feels genuine and authentic.
There's no denying, however, that this humble one-time chef and former music executive possesses a special ability to compose powerful, expressive music that connects at an immediate level. Cued to some degree by the track titles on Musical Images For Chamber Orchestra, the listener is captivated by the beauty of McEncroe's writing and Mark J Saliba's orchestrations. Recorded in June 2017 and January 2018 in Ostrava, Czech Republic by the Janácek Philharmonic with Anthony Armoré conducting, Musical Images is a ravishing collection whose wistful character makes the composer's lyrical material all the more affecting. Subtitled Reflections & Recollections Vol. 1, the material is understandably infused with yearning and nostalgia.
“Introspective Moments” introduces the recording with gentle splendour and emotional outpourings. McEncroe's music instantly captivates with the purity of its expression and its sincerity. Right away you feel yourself transported as you're confronted with sonorous harmonies untainted by cynicism and melodic lines abundant in beauty. All thirteen pieces weigh in at a concise five- to seven-minute running time, except for two, “The Calling” a two-and-a-half miniature and the “Shades of Autumn” eleven.
It's only natural to be reminded of Satie when lilting melodic patterns arrive in “Ripples On Still Water”; the tasteful arrangement, which often features a solo instrument alone or in small groupings, likewise reflects a shared affinity for restraint by the two composers (note, in another example, the lovely pairing of vibraphone and harp midway through “The Calling”). A programmatic dimension can't help but emerge when many a piece is titled suggestively. The to-and-fro rhythms and two-note melodic figures in “The Pendulum” are perfectly in keeping with material so titled, while “Shadows of an Old Memory” is as haunting (and haunted) as you'd expect. While many of the settings are gentle in character, darker hues emerge from others, “The Gargoyle Fountain” a case in point.
During the past few years there's been a remarkable outpouring of music from McEncroe, almost as if he's wishing to make up for lost time. Musical Images For Chamber Orchestra is but the latest in an impressive string of releases on Navona Records, with 2017's Dark Clouds in Life and 2018's My Symphonic Poems others of note. Some of his material exemplifies a simplicity that could prompt some to dismiss it as ‘light classical'; doing so, however, misses the beauty in music that communicates so directly. Certainly the sweetly nostalgic theme coursing through “Shades of Autumn” has to be one of the loveliest things you'll hear on this or any other day.
No commentary on the release would be complete without acknowledging the contribution of Saliba, who deserves a great deal of credit for the music's impact. His orchestral arrangements of McEncroe's piano works not only retain the mood of the original material but illuminate it without in any way deviating from the composer's vision. Saliba demonstrates remarkable sensitivity to tone colour; woodwinds, harp, percussion, strings, and horns come together magnificently in these arrangements, and a thoroughly satisfying balance is achieved in performances that are never overbearing. The pieces in their piano presentation are affecting, too, as shown by the treatments given them by pianist Yoko Hagino on the 2018 McEncroe release Musical Images For Piano, but Saliba's resplendent arrangements make them resonate all the more memorably. Given that the Hagino collection includes volumes one and two of Reflections & Recollections, one imagines a sequel to this Musical Images For Chamber Orchestra set presenting the second volume might be a very distinct possibility.September 2019