"There is a filmic quality to McEncroe’s style"
The WholeNote
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.
While studying piano as an adult, McEncroe realized it was composition that he was drawn to, and began training in music theory and composition with prominent Australian music educator and composer Margaret Brandman.
With diverse musical interests, McEncroe draws inspiration from all genres. His solo piano pieces show a strong influence of French impressionism, combined with baroque flavors and jazz harmonies that stretch across his works. Thematically, his music explores the human experience with a universal theme aiming to create an emotional response in the listener.
In an ongoing collaboration with orchestrator and composer Mark J Saliba, McEncroe writes and records symphonic suites and poems for recording sessions and concerts by the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, The Sydney Scoring Orchestra, The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, The Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra, The Croatian Chamber Orchestra, and the Distinguished Concert Orchestra, New York. McEncroe’s piano works have been recorded and performed by Yoko Hagino, Van-Ahn Nguyen, John Martin, and Helen Kennedy.
When he’s not composing, McEncroe’s other great passion is his bonsai collection, koi pond, and Japanese garden, where he finds peace and inspiration.
Albums
Sparks: Eye of London
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6454
Catalog Number: NV6454
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Navona Records presents SPARKS: THE EYE OF LONDON, an assembly of original fanfares performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Drawing from the compositional strengths of today’s composers, the orchestra navigates chaos and order, isolation, and ascension towards triumph through passionate orchestral writing reminiscent of the fire that burns within us. A collection spanning thought-provoking narratives, scenic synesthesia, soothing passages, and the whimsically abstract, the London Symphony Orchestra explores a vast musical landscape of emotions, tackling each with precision and verve.
Symphonic Suite No. 3
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6436
Catalog Number: NV6436
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
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.
Musical Images for Piano: Reflections & Recollections Vol. 4
Release Date: January 14, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6391
Catalog Number: NV6391
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Piano
MUSICAL IMAGES FOR PIANO: REFLECTIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS VOL. 4 is the last installment of Mark John McEncroe’s REFLECTIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS series. While McEncroe often releases piano reductions of his larger scale pieces in an effort to make the most of each composition, the music featured on this album was crafted specifically for solo piano performance. As a retired chef, this Australian composer and classically-trained pianist is always thinking about his works in terms of ingredients; by carefully blending seemingly disparate “flavors,” he consistently concocts surprising and satisfying tonal creations. In this latest volume, McEncroe does just that, drawing on his own personal experiences to inform his music.
Fanfare Suite
Release Date: January 22, 2021
Catalog Number: NV6329
Catalog Number: NV6329
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
FANFARE SUITE, the latest from composer Mark John McEncroe and Navona Records, features six pieces originally scored for full orchestra on McEncroe’s 2015 album Affirmations & Aspirations. Now, with the help of the Sydney Scoring Orchestra, these sweeping and provocative pieces have been reimagined and rearranged for concert band. Evoking the promise of big horizons and wide open spaces, McEncroe’s compositions are reminiscent of Aaron Copland and Western films from the golden age of Hollywood.
Musical Images for Piano: Reflections & Recollections Vol. 3
Release Date: September 25, 2020
Catalog Number: NV6307
Catalog Number: NV6307
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Piano
MUSICAL IMAGES FOR PIANO: REFLECTIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS VOL. 3 is the latest continuation of composer Mark John McEncroe’s REFLECTIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS series with Navona Records. Many of the pieces featured on this album are reductions of McEncroe’s orchestral works, granting the listener fascinating insight into the mind of the composer.
Musical Images For Chamber Orchestra: Reflections & Recollections Vol. 2
Release Date: February 14, 2020
Catalog Number: NV6269
Catalog Number: NV6269
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Navona Records proudly presents its latest release from composer Mark John McEncroe: MUSICAL IMAGES FOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA – REFLECTIONS & RECOLLECTIONS VOL. 2. The album, which was recorded in the Czech Republic, features 11 of McEncroe’s piano works performed by the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra.
Musical Images For Chamber Orchestra
Release Date: September 27, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6247
Catalog Number: NV6247
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
When Mark John McEncroe is asked what kind of music he composes, his reply invariably is "I don’t know, I just write it." It's a clever answer: at first glance it is humble and modest, but it also reveals a considerable degree of naturalness, authenticity, and intuition. The same can be said for McEncroe's music, which is unapologetically evocative and driven by sentiment, with long lyrical lines and pleasant harmonies. The neo-Romantic style of orchestration which McEncroe intuitively employs fits his ideas perfectly.
Live in Ostrava
Release Date: March 8, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6215
Catalog Number: NV6215
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Mark John McEncroe, who started his musical training in his late 30's, had always exhibited a varied, profound interest in music – one that led him to work as a major music label manager over the course of two decades. No doubt that it was partially this section of his professional career which formed the basis of his personal compositional language. Unimpeded by the constrictions of a musical academic career, he developed a style which is unapologetically concrete and evocative.
My Symphonic Poems
Release Date: October 12, 2018
Catalog Number: NV6189
Catalog Number: NV6189
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
In MY SYMPHONIC POEMS, the two-disc album that is Mark John McEncroe’s fourth recording overall for Navona Records, the Australian composer explores worlds both internal and external. On each of the album’s ten tracks, McEncroe has crafted a musical painting, a work of art that describes, as it were, his reflections on the subject alluded to in its title.
Musical Images for Piano
Release Date: March 9, 2018
Catalog Number: NV6144
Catalog Number: NV6144
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Piano
Composer Mark John McEncroe's latest album MUSICAL IMAGES FOR PIANO presents a theater of the mind, performed with a delicacy that is both melancholic and nostalgic. Rather than attempting to shatter musical boundaries, McEncroe focuses on the introspective, letting the listener’s stories and memories give the music its own unique life.
Symphonic Suites 1 & 2
Release Date: August 25, 2017
Catalog Number: NV6116
Catalog Number: NV6116
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Australian composer Mark John McEncroe’s SYMPHONIC SUITES NUMBER 1 & 2 – A MEDIEVAL SAGA is a classic adventure in orchestral music. Powered by McEncroe’s thematic style, these two symphonic suites lead the listener through a harrowing and dramatic story of ancient conflict and grandeur. Like a film score from the Golden Age Of Hollywood, McEncroe’s musical ‘storytelling’ is made clear by his powerful melodic material, which conjures the sweeping shots of a classic epic film in the listener’s imagination.
Dark Clouds in Life
Release Date: March 10, 2017
Catalog Number: NV6082
Catalog Number: NV6082
21st Century
Orchestral
Solo Instrumental
Orchestra
Piano
A persistent goal of Mark John McEncroe is to create compositions that elicit an emotional response, as is echoed in the titles of his works. This is particularly true of the Australian composer’s Navona debut DARK CLOUDS OF LIFE, a conceptual release focused on overcoming addiction and depression, challenges McEncroe has personally struggled with. His sessions in Ostrava, Czech Republic with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Helen Kennedy produced a cornerstone suite and three addendums that capture the essence of the record’s stated purpose.
