American Scenes
Samuel A. Livingston composer
Winds of Filharmonie Brno | Stanislav Vavřínek conductor
AMERICAN SCENES, from composer Samuel A. Livingston is, as its title suggests, a painterly tribute to America. The album’s title piece, Three American Scenes, is a three-movement suite that expresses the grandeur of the American west, the serenity of a mountain lake at dawn, and the bustle of a busy day in a large city. The album opens with Celebrating the Fourth, which depicts an American Fourth of July celebration. The final two selections feature works for concert band with a solo instrument – the flute, in Silvertube Variations, and the clarinet, in Balkan Dance. In that last selection, Livingston turns his attention beyond our shores, to the harmonies and rhythms of the folk music of the Balkan countries, especially Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Altogether, AMERICAN SCENES is thoughtfully-crafted and unabashedly jubilant, expressing appreciation for America and the world beyond with refreshing sincerity.
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Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Celebrating the Fourth | Samuel A. Livingston | Winds of Filharmonie Brno | Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor | 3:53 |
| 02 | Three American Scenes: Big Sky | Samuel A. Livingston | Winds of Filharmonie Brno | Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor | 4:14 |
| 03 | Three American Scenes: Mountain Lake at Dawn | Samuel A. Livingston | Winds of Filharmonie Brno | Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor | 5:11 |
| 04 | Three American Scenes: Cityscape | Samuel A. Livingston | Winds of Filharmonie Brno | Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor | 4:28 |
| 05 | Silvertube Variations | Samuel A. Livingston | Winds of Filharmonie Brno | Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor; Martina Venc Matušínská, flute | 5:57 |
| 06 | Balkan Dance | Samuel A. Livingston | Winds of Filharmonie Brno | Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor; Emil Drápela, clarinet | 4:05 |
Recorded January 4-6, 2022 at Besední dům in Brno, Czech Republic
Producer Jaroslav Zouhar, Jan Košulič
Engineer Jaroslav Zouhar
Editing, Mixing, Mastering Lucas Paquette
Executive Producer Bob Lord
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Chris Robinson
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
Production Director Levi Brown
Production Manager Jean Noël Attard
Production Assistant Martina Watzková
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming, Morgan Hauber
Publicity Patrick Niland, Aidan Curran
Artist Information
Samuel A. Livingston
Samuel A. Livingston was born in 1942, and served from 1966-1967 with the U.S. 4th Armored Division Band. Livingston currently resides in New Jersey and plays the clarinet in a community band, traditional jazz groups, and chamber music groups. As a composer, he is entirely self-taught. His recent (21st century) compositions include works for concert band and several chamber pieces, mostly for wind instruments.
Filharmonie Brno
Since its earliest days, Filharmonie Brno has established a profile as a Janáčkian orchestra, thus making a substantial contribution to the cultural life of Brno — where Leoš Janáček composed nearly his entire oeuvre — and becoming an enthusiastic champion of his music. Since its foundation in 1956, the orchestra has regularly performed Janáček’s works in concerts at home and abroad; it has also recorded, multiple times, his complete symphonic works and cantatas.
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.
Notes
American-Scenes_Notes-1
Martina Venc Matušínská, flute
American-Scenes_Notes-2
Emil Drápela, clarinet
American-Scenes_Notes-3
Recording session with the Winds of Filharmonie Brno at Besední dům in Brno, Czech Republic
