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East of the Sun & West of the Moon
Daniel Crozier composer
Seattle Symphony Orchestra | Gerard Schwarz conductor
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Stanislav Vavřínek conductor
Navona Records is proud to announce the release of Daniel Crozier’s enchanting East of The Sun and West of The Moon, orchestral album.
Using music, rather than words, to tell his story, Crozier’s music is full of startling detail and narrative. The two pieces comprising this album serve as windows into Crozier’s theory of musical story telling. Listeners are challenged to find a better narrative voice than the delicate oboe positioned against the profound strings.
Specifically, one feels this texture in Ballade: A Tale after the Brothers Grimm, rendered exquisitely by the Slovak National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stanislav Vavrínek. The piece flows with scenery and drama experienced through, what Crozier has referred to as, “three ideas” representing characters whose interaction creates the story of the piece.
His compositions have been praised by both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The Baltimore Sun wrote, “Composer Crozier has responded … with music of extraordinary depth and power.” Crozier’s movement, “Capriccio” (performed by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Gerard Schwarz) was awarded first prize in the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s Fresh Ink competition for Florida composers.
Crozier has been a recipient of grants or awards from organizations including the Florida Department of State, the Ernst & Elfriede Frank Foundation, ASCAP, and the National Opera Asscociation.
Explore the magical world East of The Sun and West of The Moon, and let your imagination show you the stories therein.
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Artist Information
Dan Crozier
Described as “harmonically lush and lyrically soaring” by the New York Times, and as having “abstract elegance, structural coherence, and tender feeling” by the Wall Street Journal, music by Daniel Crozier has been performed or recorded by the Fort Worth Opera, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Opera, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Songfest 2004, Winsor Music, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, oboist Peggy Pearson, and pianists Heidi Louise Williams and Vivian Choi.
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.
Stanislav Vavřínek
Stanislav Vavřínek is one of the most prominent Czech conductors and has been Chief Conductor of the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice since 2018. Having graduated from the Conservatory in Brno where he studied flute and conducting, he continued his education at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Subsequently, he also took master classes with Roberto Benzi in Switzerland, culminating with a concert in which he conducted the Biel Philharmonic Orchestra.
