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Astral Travels
David Arend composer
David Arend double bass
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, Jiří Petrdlíkconductors
Salim Washington tenor saxophone
With an innate sense of curiosity and a drive for knowledge, humans constantly push the boundaries of their physical and psychological environments, attempting to break through and discover the unexpected. On his debut Navona Records release ASTRAL TRAVELS, composer and double bassist David Arend explores several frontiers, including perceived boundaries between musical genres, earth and outer space, humanity and nature, and perception and reality.
Taking its title from the scientific name for California Redwood trees, Sequoia Sempervirens (2010) is a colorful double bass concerto whose atmospheric music illustrates the mysteries and forces of the forest. Arend deftly crafts moments of fragility, sweeping orchestral gestures and overlapping, intertwining textures to portray an abstract musical landscape.
Voyager: Three Sheets to the Wind (2013-14) celebrates the mission of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft and the relentless efforts of the scientists whose work greatly enhanced our understanding of the solar system. A double concerto for tenor saxophone and double bass, this work incorporates stylistic characteristics of jazz and classical music. Written for the brilliant tenor saxophonist Salim Washington, Voyager mingles through-composed and improvised sections for both soloists. At one point in the work, the entire orchestra enters into a quiet, distant improvisation. Composer/soloist Arend utilized a meditation technique called astral travel while composing this piece, mentally tracing the Voyager planetary encounters and the journey beyond. He uses color and timbre to great effect in his orchestral writing as well as in his handling of the soloists, dramatically portraying the journey from Earth to the Solar system’s edge and into the infinite.
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Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sequoia Sempervirens: I. Light Through Limbs - Redwood Grove | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, conductor | 6:16 |
| 02 | Sequoia Sempervirens: II. Nightfall - Pre-dawn | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, conductor | 3:58 |
| 03 | Sequoia Sempervirens: III. F(l)ight | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, conductor | 1:36 |
| 04 | Voyager "3 Sheets to the Wind": I. Departures | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Salim Washington, tenor saxophone<br /> Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Jiří Petrdlík, conductor | 8:43 |
| 05 | Voyager "3 Sheets to the Wind": IIa. The Grand Tour. Escape Velocity | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Salim Washington, tenor saxophone<br /> Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Jiří Petrdlík, conductor | 2:56 |
| 06 | Voyager "3 Sheets to the Wind": IIb. The Grand Tour. Jupiter | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Salim Washington, tenor saxophone<br /> Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Jiří Petrdlík, conductor | 3:07 |
| 07 | Voyager "3 Sheets to the Wind": IIc. The Grand Tour. Saturn | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Salim Washington, tenor saxophone<br /> Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Jiří Petrdlík, conductor | 1:53 |
| 08 | Voyager "3 Sheets to the Wind": IId. The Grand Tour. Uranus | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Salim Washington, tenor saxophone<br /> Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Jiří Petrdlík, conductor | 1:44 |
| 09 | Voyager "3 Sheets to the Wind": IIe. The Grand Tour. Neptune | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Salim Washington, tenor saxophone<br /> Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Jiří Petrdlík, conductor | 2:56 |
| 10 | Voyager "3 Sheets to the Wind": III. Interstellar Space | David Arend | David Arend, double bass; Salim Washington, tenor saxophone<br /> Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Jiří Petrdlík, conductor | 9:15 |
Sequoia Sempervirens
Recorded January 8, 2015 at Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Voyager: Three Sheets to the Wind
Recorded January 9 & 10, 2015 at Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Session Producer Vít Mužík
Session Engineer Aleš Dvorak
Executive Producer David Arend
Original artwork by Nicholaus Copernicus
Executive Producer Bob Lord
Audio Director Jeff LeRoy
Production Engineer Nate Hunter
Editing, Mixing, Mastering Shaun Michaud
Session Manager Matt Konrad
Art & Production Director Brett Picknell
Graphic Designer Ryan Harrison
A&R Alex Bourne
Marketing Manager Ethan Fortin
Artist Information
David Arend
Arend moves easily across genres such as classical, jazz, and electro-acoustic music. He has written or performed music in contexts ranging from theater, dance, and concert stage to art galleries, night clubs, and outdoor festivals. Arend's music has been performed in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra
The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the foremost and oldest symphony orchestras in the Czech Republic. It is based in the historical capital of Moravia, the city of Olomouc, and has been a leader of music activities in the region for the past 70 years. Its artistic development was directly influenced by distinguished figures from the Czech and international music scene.
Jiří Petrdlík
Jiří Petrdlík (b. 1977) is appreciated as one of the most respectable conductors of his generation. He studied piano, trombone, and conducting — 1995–2000 at Prague Conservatory, and 2000–2005 at Academy of Performing Arts Prague — with Hynek Farkač, Miroslav Košler, Miriam Němcová, Radomil Eliška, and Tomáš Koutník, and took part in the masterclasses of the New York Philharmonic Principal Conductor Kurt Masur and the BBC Philharmonic Principal Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek. Petrdlík also successfully took part in several competitions, including the Donatella Flick Conductor Competition in London.
Petr Vronský
After successes in several important international competitions for conductors — including the competition in Besancon France in 1971 and the Karajan Competition in Berlin in 1973 — his career began at the opera company in Pilsen. From 1974 to 1978, he was Chief of Opera of the State Theater in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic. In 1978, he was appointed Chief Conductor of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he held until 1991. Vronsky was later appointed Chief Conductor of the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava in 2002.
