Symphonic Suite No. 3
Mark John McEncroe composer
Zagreb Festival Orchestra | Ivan Josip Skender conductor
Australian composer Mark John McEncroe and Navona Records present SYMPHONIC SUITE NO. 3: THE FOREST AND THE MOUNTAINS featuring three orchestral movements that draw inspiration from the natural world—”Meandering in the Forest I,” “Running Mountain Streams II,” and “Wandering in the Mountain Wilderness III.” Brought to life by Zagreb Festival Orchestra, McEncroe’s unique voice and filmic quality flow throughout, with musical illustrations painted by striking crescendos and gentle string and woodwind melodies.
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Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Symphonic Suite No. 3 The Forest and the Mountains: I. Meandering in the Forest | Mark John McEncroe | Zagreb Festival Orchestra | Ivan Josip Skender, conductor | 16:23 |
| 02 | Symphonic Suite No. 3 The Forest and the Mountains: II. Running Mountain Streams | Mark John McEncroe | Zagreb Festival Orchestra | Ivan Josip Skender, conductor | 10:44 |
| 03 | Symphonic Suite No. 3 The Forest and the Mountains: III. Wandering in the Wilderness | Mark John McEncroe | Zagreb Festival Orchestra | Ivan Josip Skender, conductor | 15:41 |
Recorded September 8-9, 2021 at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall Theatre in Zagreb, Croatia
Producer Krešimir Seletković
Engineer Pavel Kunčar
Executive Producer Bob Lord
Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Chris Robinson
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Production Director Levi Brown
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
Production Assistant Martina Watzková
Editing, Mixing, Mastering Melanie Montgomery
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Patrick Niland, Aidan Curran
Content Manager Sara Warner
Artist Information
Mark John McEncroe
Australian composer and classically trained pianist Mark John McEncroe writes for solo piano and orchestras of all sizes. His compositions have been performed throughout Europe, Australia, and the United States, with the biggest highlight to date being a concert at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium in February 2020.
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.
Notes
SYMPHONIC SUITE NO. 3: THE FOREST AND THE MOUNTAINS from composer Mark John McEncroe contains three movements — “Meandering in the Forest,” “Running Mountain Streams,” and “Wandering in the Mountain Wilderness’’ — that exemplify McEncroe’s signature filmic quality, taking inspiration from nature’s sublimity. Drawing inspiration heavily from Deep in the Wilderness from McEncroe’s MY SYMPHONIC POEMS (Navona, 2018), the composition underwent a period of revision with collaborator Mark Saliba, growing from a piano reduction to a three-movement symphonic suite. McEncroe reflects upon past experiences and the tranquility of his Japanese garden and Koi pond, letting music tell his stories. The composer translates his connection with nature into his compositions and encourages listeners to look inward and establish a deeper and more personal connection to the music.
As a retired chef, McEncroe employs the ideals and skill sets learned in the food industry to his compositions. McEncroe lets nothing go to waste, and crafts compositions out of musical ingredients that may not work on their own, but blend together to make something unique and deeply personal. The composer values the listener’s individual interpretation of his musical recipes, and although the titles of the SYMPHONIC SUITE NO. 3 movements correlate with nature, McEncroe’s goal for his audience is to let them decipher the music in whichever way it speaks to them.
