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Concerto 2000 and Other Works
Jan Järvlepp composer
Pascale Margely flute
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava | Stanislav Vavřínek conductor
Zagreb Festival Orchestra | Ivan Josip Skender conductor
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský conductor
Jan Järvlepp's first Navona release, CONCERTO 2000, presents a tonal concerto, scored for orchestra – one might think Wagner or Mahler when listening. Except that Wagner and Mahler might not quite have agreed with the directness of his tonal language: for Järvlepp's work unabashedly aspires to appeal on a popular level.
Järvlepp, born in Ottawa, Canada to Finnish and Estonian parents in 1953, began to play guitar and cello as an adolescent and even studied composition in San Diego – where he didn’t quite see eye-to-eye with his instructors. Unimpressed with the dissonance and lack of coherence in Modernist music, the young man turned his back on those teachings the day he left University, and instead began to create music in a style he felt was more fitting: a curious melange of folk elements, neoclassical structure, large instrumental setups, clear melodic lines, accessible harmonies, and pop music rhythms. Järvlepp, ever convinced, has stayed true to this style to this day.
The listener who expects a daunting epic in face of an awe-inducing title such as CONCERTO 2000 will therefore be surprised (and likely, relieved) to instead encounter lighthearted, bubbly music able to put a spring in your step. Järvlepp's deceptively fine brushstroke bears a secret power: that of whisking the listener on a world tour within the span of three symphonic movements. I. Caliente! would be just as fitting a soundtrack for a film set in Mexico, or perhaps Spain, during a more romantic, heroic age than ours. The calm II. Nocturne is reminiscent of a mysterious urban scene, perhaps in Paris, London or Warsaw; it's the musical equivalent of a walk in nightly fog. The whole concerto concludes with the fittingly-titled III. Fire, Ice and Vodka, a spirited collision of the Champagne Aria, Hungarian-esque folk dances, and the kind of merriment one is likely to find among a group of slightly-intoxicated Russians (but sans the melancholy). Interestingly and intriguingly, all this somehow works to Järvlepp's advantage – not least owing to the solo flute, whose ample deployment ties together the entire concerto.
CONCERTO 2000 demonstrates that writing great music and writing music with popular appeal can be one and the same. It's got style, it's got humor, and it’s a pleasure to listen to.
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Track Listing & Credits
# | Title | Composer | Performer | |
---|---|---|---|---|
01 | Concerto 2000: I. Caliente! | Jan Järvlepp | Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava | Pascale Margely, flute; Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor | 7:48 |
02 | Concerto 2000: II. Nocturne | Jan Järvlepp | Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava | Pascale Margely, flute; Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor | 13:11 |
03 | Concerto 2000: III. Fire, Ice & Vodka | Jan Järvlepp | Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava | Pascale Margely, flute; Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor | 6:46 |
04 | Pierrot Solaire (Version for Orchestra) | Jan Järvlepp | Zagreb Festival Orchestra | Ivan Josip Skender, conductor | 13:59 |
05 | Brass Dance | Jan Järvlepp | Zagreb Festival Orchestra | Ivan Josip Skender, conductor | 5:04 |
06 | Street Music | Jan Järvlepp | Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, conductor | 4:39 |
07 | In Memoriam (Version for String Orchestra) | Jan Järvlepp | Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, conductor | 7:17 |
08 | Camerata Music (Version for Orchestra) | Jan Järvlepp | Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, conductor | 7:49 |
CONCERTO 2000
Recorded June 24 - 25, 2019 at Dům Kultury města Ostravy (The Ostrava House of Culture) in Ostrava, Czech Republic
Session Producer Jan Košulič
Session Engineer Aleš Dvořák
Assistant Engineer Maroš Hlatký
PIERROT SOLAIRE & BRASS DANCE
Recorded November 3, 2019 at Blagoje Bersa Concert Hall, Zagreb, Croatia
Session Producer Krešimir Seletković
Session Engineer Jan Košulič
STREET MUSIC
Recorded March 14, 2018 at Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Session Producer Vít Mužík
Co-producer Bob Lord
Session Engineer Jan Kosulic
IN MEMORIAM
Recorded March 7, 2017 at Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Session Producer Vít Mužík
Session Engineers Aleš Dvořák, Jan Košulič
CAMERATA MUSIC
Recorded September 11, 2018 at Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Session Producer Vít Mužík
Co-producer Bob Lord
Session Engineer Aleš Dvořák
Assistant Engineer Maroš Hlatký
All photos, unless otherwise noted Jane Staples
Executive Producer Bob Lord
Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
VP, Audio Production Jeff LeRoy
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
Recording Sessions Director Levi Brown
Recording Sessions Assistant Emma Terrell
International Recording Sessions Manager, Editing & Mixing (tracks 1-5) Addtl. Mixing (tracks 6-8), Mastering Jan Košulič
Editing & Mixing (tracks 6-8) Shaun Michaud
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Patrick Niland, Sara Warner
Artist Information
Jan Järvlepp
Composer Jan Järvlepp creates a genuine European/American musical fusion by combining the excitement of rock and jazz rhythms with the large-scale classical structures found in orchestral and chamber music. The seriousness of his well-thought-out forms and the immediacy of contemporary rhythmic and melodic ideas make a potent brew that is appealing to both open-minded classical listeners and pop music listeners who are searching for something new.
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
The Janáček Philharmonic is a world-class symphony orchestra based in Ostrava, Czech Republic and an emerging figure on the international performance scene. With over 100 top-level musicians, the orchestra aims to introduce unique, quality repertoire while showcasing their own recognizable sound.
Zagreb Festival Orchestra
The Zagreb Festival Orchestra was founded in 1989, comprised of the top classical performers in Croatia and formed with the intent to record a single album. That intent was fulfilled with OVERTURES, a record of composer Gioachino Rossini’s greatest operatic works conducted by the acclaimed maestro Michael Halász, a resident conductor at the Vienna State Opera for 20 years, and produced by six-time GRAMMY Award winner Martin Sauer.
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.
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.
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.