Mirabile in Prague
Australian composer John Allan has orchestrated a collection of his own original compositions. This CD also includes his orchestrations of piano pieces by Debussy and Brahms. David Kram conducts members of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor David Kram: "Over eighty members of the Prague Radio Symphony performed John’s work under my direction. They vie with the Czech Philharmonic for quality and are more experienced in a recording studio. I have worked with these musicians since 2006, when Paul Kram founded a company now called Concertori Recordings. Czech musicians have the richness of German orchestras, the elan of the Italians and the subtlety of the French. Czech recording producers are magic-weaving wizards."
Artist
Press quotes
— Crispin Merrell,
— Robert Ekselman, Manhattan School of Music
“It was a thrill to conduct John Allan’s spirited large-scale works, supported by a superb team and executed by superb musicians. The dedication and professionalism of the orchestra throughout the recording sessions was a joy. John's music should be more widely known. The Mirabile was the first work we recorded, and an excellent way to accustom the orchestra to John’s style. Its accessible genre and lyrical timbre should make this track an audience favourite. Listeners will enjoy the contrasting eeriness in the opening of Mirabile Antipodia and then the passion and power that explodes in the second half of the piece. John knows how to engender the perpetuum mobile of the Marcia Mirabilis with enough fantasy to keep our interest for more than eleven minutes and also show the quirky side of this serious-hearted composer. Finally, the orchestrations show that John has a thorough knowledge of musical literature, and enough creativity to put his own stamp on the finished product. Aeolian Caprice is an early work of John’s but displays his lyrical emotion. The orchestra found the Mahlerian Fantasia a bit challenging, having to sustain uneven metre interspersed with lightning strike entries for more than nine minutes, but the energy never flagged and the solos were played incisively and with spirit. I am proud of the result and thank John Allan, the musicians and management of the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the outstanding recording team for a vital experience. I hope this CD brings John to the next stage of his career. He deserves it.”
— David Kram, University of Melbourne
Audio previews
Track Listing
- Aeolian Caprice John Allan
- Fantasia on Mahler’s Purgatorio John Allan
- Mirabile John Allan
- Mirabilia Antipodia John Allan
- Marcia Mirabilis John Allan
- Estampes La Soirée dans Grenade Claude Debussy Arr: John Allan
- Piano Sonata in C, Op. 1: No.1 Scherzo Johannes Brahms Arr: John Allan
Performers
Composers
John Allan
John Allan is an Australian composer, resident of Melbourne and has been composing since 1987. In 1986 he enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts Degree at La Trobe University majoring in Music, concentrating on musicology and composition.
John Allan
John Allan is an Australian composer, resident of Melbourne and has been composing since 1987. In 1986 he enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts Degree at La Trobe University majoring in Music, concentrating on musicology and composition.
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. In his lifetime, Brahms' popularity and influence were considerable; he is sometimes grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as one of the Three Bs.
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions.
Where to buy
Mirabile in Prague can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer secure online ordering.
This title can be ordered through fine music retailers across Australia including Readings and Fish Fine Music.
Product details
- List price
- $25.00 AUD
- Release date
- December 2019
- Copyright
- © 2019 John Allan
- Phonogram
- ℗ 2019 Move Records
- Categories
- Classical, Orchestral
- Catalogue number
- MD 3448
- Barcode
- EAN 9314574344820
