I regard my piano pieces to be more like “musical paintings,” expressing thoughts & chapters from my life as it unfolds.

 

The French Impressionist Claude Monet used his garden & settings from French nature as the source of inspiration for much of his work. I too am inspired by my own Japanese garden & Japanese gardens in general as my source of inspiration, sitting amongst my bonsai collection & gazing into my Koi pond looking back on major landmarks of my life’s journey. A journey of Reflection & Recollection, full of “musical imagery”.

 

Music more than any other medium has that ability to express human emotion, as does paintings from the great masters.

–Mark John McEncroe

 

 

Mark John McEncroe

 

Born in Sydney, Australia, Mark John McEncroe commenced music studies in his adulthood. He had a varied interest in many kinds of music, not just classical ,which led him to working in the music/record business for EMI Records in his early 20s and 30s. For much of that time he was a Label Manager, first with EMI Australia and then with EMI Sweden.

 

At age 37 McEncroe commenced piano lessons in earnest studying first with Will Scarlett in Sydney. Later he continued with Valerie Fawcett and then Helen Kennedy, after Will Scarlett’s death. During this time he developed an interest in composition which eventually became his all consuming passion and main focus. To this end, in 2003 he began music theory and composition study with Margaret Brandman in Sydney, which continued on & off until 2012.

 

In 2006 he collaborated with Mark J Saliba, who orchestrated a piano work from McEncroe’s Symphonic Poem, The Passing. This work was eventually recorded and performed by The Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra in The Czech Republic. Since then Saliba has orchestrated much of McEncroe’s material from his piano works and piano reductions.

 

To date McEncroe has recorded and released two piano albums, Reflections & Recollections, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 with pianist, Helen Kennedy. Australian pianist John Martin has also recorded the pieces from his first piano book titled Reflections, and was released on the Wirripang Label.

 

He has also released his Fanfare Suite for orchestra & piano; two Symphonic Poems: The Passing and A Celebration of The Natural World on the album Affirmations & Aspirations recorded in The Czech Republic with The Janacek Philharmonic conducted by Anthony Armore. Also on the Wirripang label.

 

Over the last few years McEncroe has recorded many works with The Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Anthony Armore.

 

In 2016 McEncroe signed with PARMA Recordings in the USA. In March 2017 PARMA released his album Dark Clouds In Life which features his work for piano and orchestra Natalie’s Suite - Three Faces of Addiction; Symphonic Poem Echoes from A Haunted Past, together with pieces from his piano volumes.

 

In August 2017 Navona Records released his Symphonic Suites No. 1 and 2 on a double CD. The third movement of Symphonic Suite No.1 “Rising Discontent” made the Spotify Classical picks list at No.2 in August 2017 & has enjoyed over 56,000 plays worldwide.

 

In September 2017 all the pieces from both volumes of Reflections & Recollections- musical Images for piano were recorded again in Rockport MA in the USA at the Shalin Liu Performance Centre with Japanese /American pianist Yoko Hagino. The album was produced by Brad Michel.

 

Symphonic Suites No. 1 and The Passing have now been performed in The Czech Republic. Symphonic Suites No. 1 and No. 2 were performed in Ruse Bulgaria in October 2016 with the Ruse Philharmonic conducted by Nayden Todorov.

 

Symphonic Poem - The Passing was performed by The Janacek Philharmonic in January 2016 in Ostrava The Czech Republic, conducted by Anthony Armore. The same orchestra also performed McEncroe’s Symphonic Suite No. 1 in October 2016, conducted by German conductor Heiko Mathias Forster.

 

Symphonic Suite No.2 will be performed again in Munich Germany on January the 28th, 2018 at the Herkulessaal with Nayden Todorov conducting the Czech Symphony Orchestra from Prague.

 

All of McEncroe’s compositions to date have been published by Wirripang-home of Australian Composers.

 

For more information visit:

www.markjohnmcencroecomposer.com