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Peace, Nature, & Renewal
Mark Dal Porto composer
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský conductor
Vox Futura | Andrew Shenton conductor
Tracy Carr oboe
Mark Dal Porto piano
Arcadian Winds
Composer Mark Dal Porto’s award-winning, neo-Romantic Song of Eternity for Orchestra starts off THE MUSIC OF MARK DAL PORTO in epic fashion. If Mahler and Prokofiev had collaborated on a composition, it would probably have sounded a lot like this: pensive, evocative, and nostalgic. Song of Eternity describes the eternal renewal of nature with cinematic impact. It is inspired by an ancient Chinese poem, as is the next piece, I Seek Rest for My Lonely Heart for A-Cappella Choir. This work continues the subject of nature, albeit in a more individualized fashion, capturing the sentiment of a distressed soul in search of peace in a pastoral setting.
But it isn’t just Far Eastern poetry which Dal Porto sets to music. Western verse receives due attention as well, and it’s quite a trip through the ages: Spring, the Sweet Spring is an enthusiastic anticipation of the end of winter, based on a poem by Elizabethan poet Thomas Nashe. On the other hand, German Romantic poet Clemens Brentano laid the conceptual groundwork for Dal Porto’s musical adaptation When Your Song Rang Out to Me, an unbridled, joyful choir supported by a lively piano accompaniment.
Dal Porto strikes a more personal note with Romance for Oboe and Piano, dedicated to his beloved wife, oboist Tracy Carr. He also demonstrates considerable humor in his Exotic Animals Suite for Woodwind Quintet, depicting warbling birds, crawling reptiles, and growling big cats. The final piece, Mystic Mountain, evokes the sublime sensation of one overlooking a vast landscape after a breathtaking ascent to a mountaintop – with an intensity that is both uncanny and awesome. Caspar David Friedrich’s “Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” immediately springs to mind, and indeed, if one were to liken the Romantic painting to an album – THE MUSIC OF MARK DAL PORTO would be it.
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"A characteristic and very particular musical moment"
Artist Information
Mark Dal Porto
Mark Dal Porto has received numerous commissions with his works receiving hundreds of performances by many instrumental and vocal ensembles throughout the United States and abroad. In 2019, he released Peace, Nature & Renewal¸ a CD featuring some of his orchestral, choral, and chamber works. In the 2013 CODA (College Orchestra Directors Association) International Composition Contest, he was awarded first prize for his orchestral work Song of Eternity. He has also received certificates of excellence in band, choral, orchestral, and chamber music composition from The American Prize organization.
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.
Arcadian Winds
Arcadian Winds was founded at Boston University in 1987. Originally a woodwind trio consisting of flute, clarinet, and bassoon, the ensemble expanded to a wind quintet in 1989. Since its formation, Arcadian Winds has premiered almost 50 new works and championed many others. With a strong commitment to education, the group has brought chamber and contemporary music into the public, private and community schools in the Boston Area.
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.
Vox Futura
Vox Futura is New England's premier recording choir for composers, recording artists, film, television, and video games. Past projects have included work with internationally distributed classical production house PARMA Recordings, video game companies Nintendo and Bandai Namco, legendary German power metal band Blind Guardian, and platinum selling world music artist Sami Yusef.
