sPLASH OF INDIGO

THE MUSIC OF MARTY REGAN

 

OVERVIEW

 

American composer Marty Regan specializes in composing music for traditional Japanese instruments, a fascination he has developed since 2000. Regan describes his Japanese-style compositions as, “hybrid musical soundscapes that reflect the age in which we live, an era based not necessarily on globalization, but of partnership based on global cultural interaction.” In contrast, SPLASH OF INDIGO features a complementary side of Regan’s output, containing only works for Western orchestral instruments and voice.

 

Despite the album’s instrumentation, Regan’s connection to Japan remains strong in SPLASH OF INDIGO. For example, Regan borrows from Japanese culture in a different way via the text of Three Poems by Tanikawa Shuntarō, while Splash of Indigo is based on idiomatic gestures and pitch collections found in Japanese folk music. Likewise, Regan’s solo piano composition Riding through Misty Clouds reconvenes with the naturalistic symbolic space he explores so thoroughly in his works for Japanese instruments, such as those featured on his earlier Navona releases FOREST WHISPERS (2010) and MAGIC MIRROR (2012).

 

As the latest addition to Regan’s growing catalog on the Navona label, SPLASH OF INDIGO offers a unique and valuable perspective on the full character of Regan’s music. Indeed, Regan’s works for traditional Japanese instruments tend to be understated and convey a subdued energy level. SPLASH OF INDIGO shows a different side of Regan’s aesthetic, like the explosive and post-minimalist personality of his rhythmically-driven orchestral work Overdrive. Even the more lyrical works on SPLASH OF INDIGO, such as Two Movements for Violin and Piano, are fundamentally different from Regan’s other music. Here, lyricism functions as a distinct space in the piece, and – particularly in the first movement of Two Movements for Violin and Piano – is placed against highly energized, rhythmic material to define the work’s structure.

 

Seen in the context of Regan’s career, the works on SPLASH OF INDIGO are most impressive in the range of musical forms they display. Perhaps drawing from Japanese musical aesthetics, constructing clearly defined musical forms are less of a concern in Regan’s compositions for traditional Japanese instruments. However, SPLASH OF INDIGO proves Regan is more than capable of inventing and developing charming and complex networks of musical ideas. In its varied collection of chamber and large ensemble works, SPLASH OF INDIGO shows Marty Regan is a composer of considerable breadth and skill beyond his dedicated efforts to build a bridge between American and Japanese musical culture.

 

​

HIGHLIGHTS

 

Known for his music for traditional Japanese instruments, this album is Regan’s first release featuring his works for Western orchestral instruments and voice, representing a cross-section of his music over an eighteen-year period

 

The liner notes for Three Poems by Tanikawa Shuntarō include the original Japanese poems as well as English translations

 

Regan draws upon his travels and unique life experiences for compositional inspiration

 

To date, Regan has released three compact discs under the "Selected Works for Japanese Instruments” series on Navona Records. The current release marks Vol. 1 of “The Music of Marty Regan” series

 

Currently an Associate Professor of Music at Texas A&M University, Regan completed his Ph.D. in Music with an emphasis in composition at the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa

 

Widely regarded as the authoritative source on the subject and the only resource of its kind available in English, his translation of Minoru Miki’s orchestration-instrumentation manual Composing for Japanese Instruments was published by the University of Rochester Press in 2008

​

 

ALSO ON NAVONA RECORDS

 

SCATTERING LIGHT, SCATTERING FLOWERS (NV5933)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Release Date: November 18, 2016

Catalog #: NV6064

 

 

​

TRACK INFO

 

1 Riding through Misty Clouds / かすみ雲にのって (2012)

Brendan Kinsella, piano

 

2 Overdrive (2005)

Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Petr Vronský, conductor

 

Two Movements for Violin and Piano (2005)

Chloé Trevor, violin; Brendan Kinsella, piano

3 I. = 52 - 60 Poco rubato

4 II. = 112 Moto perpetuo

 

5 Runaway Train (2004)

Trio Xia |  Frederick Lau, flute; I-Bei Lin, violoncello; Tommy Yee, piano

 

Three Poems by Tanikawa Shuntaro / 俊太郎谷川の詩３編 (2002)

Julia Fox, soprano; Andrea Imhoff, piano

6 I. Kiss

7 II. Koro, koro

8 III. Haru

 

9 Splash of Indigo (2014)

Apollo Chamber Players |  Matt Detrick, violin I; Anabel Ramirez, violin II;

Whitney Bullock, viola; Matthew Dudzik, violoncello

​

 

CREDITS

 

Riding through Misty Clouds / かすみ雲にのって (2012)

& Two Movements for Violin and Piano (2005)

recorded at Wire Road Studios in Houston, TX on August 15, 2015

recording session engineer/editing & mixing Andrew Bradley

 

Overdrive (2005)

recorded March 1, 2016 at Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic

recording session engineer Pavel Kuncar

recording session producer Vit Mužík

 

Runaway Train (2004)

recorded April 8, 2016 at Orvis Hall in Honolulu, HI

recording session engineer/editing & mixing Pierre Grill/Rende-Vous Recording

 

Three Poems by Tanikawa Shuntaro / 俊太郎谷川の詩３編 (2002)

recorded May 12, 2015 at Wire Road Studios in Houston, TX

recording session engineer/editing & mixing Andrew Bradley

 

Splash of Indigo (2014)

recorded November 15, 2015 at Clarion Hall (Brazosport College) in Lake Jackson, TX

recording session engineer/editing & mixing Ryan Edwards & Shannon Smith/Coincident Sound

 

Executive Producer Bob Lord

Executive A&R Sam Renshaw

Audio Director Jeff LeRoy

Editing, Mixing & Mastering Shaun Michaud

Production Engineer Nate Hunter, Lucas Paquette

Art & Production Director Brett Picknell

Graphic Design Ryan Harrison

A&R Alex Bourne

Marketing Mike Mahn

 

Producer Marty Regan

 

Funding for this recording was generously provided by the College of Liberal Arts Seed Grant Program (2016) and the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts Research Enhancement Grant (2016) at Texas A&M University

 

Special thanks to Brendan Kinsella, the Moravian Philharmonic, Chloé Trevor, Trio Xia, Julia Fox, Andrea Imhoff, the Apollo Chamber Players, Andrew Bradley, Pierre Grill, Manami Miura,

Paul Justin Charity, Kim Kattari and PARMA Recordings

 

Artwork and design Manami Miura

Composer portrait photography Paul Justin Charity

Proofreading Kim Kattari

 

All works © by Marty Regan, ASCAP