Dimensions Vol. 5

Works for Orchestra

Nan Avant composer
Christine Jancarz composer
Matthew Hetz composer
Joseph T. Spaniola composer
Scott Brickman composer
Lawrence Mumford composer
Pietro Mascagni composer

Release Date: July 28, 2023

Catalog #: NV6542

Format: Digital

21st Century

Orchestral

Orchestra

Hot on the heels of its preceding installments, DIMENSIONS VOL. 5 from Navona Records highlights the works of seven celebrated composers. These orchestral pieces showcase a broad range of innovative compositional styles featuring traditional and modern influences, drawing inspiration from an opera about a mystical wolf, moments of uncertainty and reflection in life, the music of Handel, and traditional Latvian folk music, just to name a few. Leveraging musical passion and orchestral ferocity, DIMENSIONS VOL. 5 offers listeners a broad example of some of the most exciting work in contemporary orchestral music.

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Track Listing & Credits

#	Title	Composer	Performer
01	Rememoramini	Nan Avant	Charlene Farrugia, piano; Franko Božac, bandoneon; Zagreb Festival Orchestra \| Miran Vaupotić, conductor	5:16
02	Fate of the Wolf Concert Overture	Christine Jancarz	Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra \| Jiří Petrdlík, conductor	7:51
03	Concerto for Flute, Celesta, and Chamber Orchestra	Matthew Hetz	Dieter Flury, flute; Lucie Kaucká, celesta; Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava \| Jiří Petrdlík, conductor	13:08
04	The First Step	Joseph T. Spaniola	Radek Joska, bassoon; Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava \| Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor	10:02
05	Sinfonia: I	Scott Brickman	Filharmonie Brno \| Jiří Petrdlík, conductor	4:07
06	Sinfonia: II	Scott Brickman	Filharmonie Brno \| Jiří Petrdlík, conductor	3:42
07	Sinfonia: III	Scott Brickman	Filharmonie Brno \| Jiří Petrdlík, conductor	3:32
08	Sacrifice (from Symphony No. 4)	Lawrence Mumford	Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava \| Jiří Petrdlík, conductor	6:11
09	Intermezzo Sinfonico	Pietro Mascagni	South Czech Philharmonic \| Miran Vaupotić, conductor	3:43

The recording of Concerto for Flute, Celesta and Chamber Orchestra is dedicated to the memory of Frances Schumacher Hetz, the composer’s Mom.

Rememoramini
Recorded January 17, 2023 at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall Theatre in Zagreb, Croatia
Producer Krešimir Seletković
Engineer Filip Vidović
Editing & Mixing Melanie Montgomery

Fate of the Wolf Concert Overture
Recorded September 12, 2022 at Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic
Producer Pavel Kunčar
Engineer Aleš Dvořák
Editing & Mixing Lucas Paquette

Concerto for Flute, Celesta, and Chamber Orchestra; Sacrifice (from Symphony No. 4)
Recorded December 5-6, 2022 at Vesmír Concert Hall in Ostrava, Czech Republic
Producer Jan Košulič
Engineer Aleš Dvořák
Assistant Engineer Adam Janků
Editing Jan Košulič
Additional Editing & Mixing Melanie Montgomery

The First Step
Recorded August 30, 2022 at Cooltour Ostrava in Ostrava, Czech Republic
Producer Jan Košulič
Engineer Aleš Dvořák
Assistant Engineer Jan Balcar
Editing & Mixing Lucas Paquette

Sinfonia
Recorded November 18, 2022 at Besední dům in Brno, Czech Republic
Co-Producer Jan Košulič
Producer & Engineer Jaroslav Zouhar
Editing Jan Košulič
Additional Editing & Mixing Melanie Montgomery

Intermezzo Sinfonico
Recorded January 13, 2022 at The Church of St Anne (Kostel svaté Anny) in Čecké Budějovice, Czech Republic
Producer Jan Košulič
Engineer Aleš Dvořák
Assistant Engineer Pavel Paluřík
Editing & Mixing Melanie Montgomery

Mastering Melanie Montgomery

Executive Producer Bob Lord

A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Danielle Sullivan, Chris Robinson

VP of Production Jan Košulič
Production Director Levi Brown
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
Production Manager Martina Watzková
Production Assistant Adam Lysák

VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming, Morgan Hauber
Publicity Patrick Niland, Aidan Curran

Artist Information

Nan Avant

Composer

Nan Avant’s music embraces thematic and rhythmic intentions often reflecting her Latin heritage, encompassing her passion for classical, jazz, world, and ethnic music. Avant has won numerous awards including two Global Music Awards Silver Medals in 2022, was named a Finalist for The American Prize in orchestral composition and is a four-time nominee in the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Avant’s Tributum for Celtic Bagpipes and Orchestra, recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, is on the ballot for first-round voting in the 65th Grammy Awards. Tributum enjoys airplay around the world, from Ireland’s Public Radio in the United Kingdom to Hawaii’s Maui Celtic Radio in the United States, and already boasts a Best Instrumental Song Award at the 13th Annual Independent Music Vox Populi Awards.

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Christine Jancarz

Composer

Storytelling is an important aspect in much of the music of American composer Christine Jancarz. Her recognizable melodies and rhythms are similar to the main characters of a novel, and along with aspects such as orchestration attempt to convey a narrative. Recurring melodies and rhythms are easily identifiable; like characters in a book, they become familiar. Much of her music is influenced by rock, jazz, and classical styles. She also frequently uses counterpoint, and mathematical concepts in her works, such as her Melodic Matrix series for solo instruments.

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Matthew Hetz

Composer

Matthew Hetz (b. 1957) is a native to Los Angeles where he still resides. His formal music studies began at age 16 with piano lessons, and composing has always been in the forefront. He began playing the violin in his 20s, and joined local orchestras, an experience of tremendous importance and influence for composing. His study of composition and music at California State University, Dominguez Hills in the 1980’s was at the height of atonality, with the dissolution of harmony as the accepted compositional practices.

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Joseph T. Spaniola

Composer

Dr. Joseph T. Spaniola is a composer on a passionate quest to engage the hearts and minds of audiences and performers through the communicative powers of music. Spaniola is active as a composer, arranger, educator, conductor, lecturer, producer, clinician, and adjudicator. He has composed works for band, orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, voice, choir, and electronic tape.

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Scott Brickman

Composer

Scott Brickman (b. 1963, Oak Park IL) is passionate about sport and his Baltic and Slavic ancestry and culture. A cancer survivor, he has run 5k and 10k races in both the United States and Canada and anticipates adding Europe to that list. Starting in 2018, he has attended summer school at the University of Latvia in Riga, studying Latvian Language and Culture.

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Lawrence Mumford

Composer

Lawrence Mumford's music, published by eight different companies, has premiered in cities across the country. Movements from his Symphony No. 4 have recently become a part of the broadcast libraries of the largest classical radio stations in Boston, Washington DC, Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities, and have been played repeatedly — even being included in two stations’ “Ultimate Playlist.” This music is also available on major streaming services including Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music.

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Zagreb Festival Orchestra

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.

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Miran Vaupotić

Conductor

Acclaimed as “dynamic and knowledgeable” by the Buenos Aires Herald, Croatian conductor Miran Vaupotić has worked with eminent orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Berliner Symphoniker, the Russian National Orchestra, the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Argentina, and others, performing in major halls around the globe such as Carnegie Hall, Wiener Musikverein, Berliner Philharmonie, Rudolfinum, Smetana Hall, Victoria Hall, Forbidden City Concert Hall, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Dubai Opera, Tchaikovsky Hall, International House of Music, CBC Glenn Gould Studio, and more.

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Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra

Orchestra

The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the foremost and oldest symphony orchestras in the Czech Republic. It is based in the historical capital of Moravia, the city of Olomouc, and has been a leader of music activities in the region for the past 70 years. Its artistic development was directly influenced by distinguished figures from the Czech and international music scene.

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Jiří Petrdlík

Conductor

Jiří Petrdlík (b. 1977) is appreciated as one of the most respectable conductors of his generation. He studied piano, trombone, and conducting — 1995–2000 at Prague Conservatory, and 2000–2005 at Academy of Performing Arts Prague — with Hynek Farkač, Miroslav Košler, Miriam Němcová, Radomil Eliška, and Tomáš Koutník, and took part in the masterclasses of the New York Philharmonic Principal Conductor Kurt Masur and the BBC Philharmonic Principal Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek. Petrdlík also successfully took part in several competitions, including the Donatella Flick Conductor Competition in London.

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Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava

Orchestra

The Janáček Philharmonic is a world-class symphony orchestra based in Ostrava, Czech Republic and an emerging figure on the international performance scene. With over 100 top-level musicians, the orchestra aims to introduce unique, quality repertoire while showcasing their own recognizable sound.

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Dieter Flury

Flutist

Dieter Flury was born and brought up in Zurich (Switzerland) and studied with Hans Meyer (Principal Flute of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich), André Jaunet (at the Zurich Music Academy), and Aurèle Nicolet. In addition to his flute studies he graduated in mathematics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. At age 25 he was appointed a member of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and in 1981 he was named Principal Flute of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Lucie Kaucká

Pianist

The pianist Lucie Kaucká was born on March 31, 1978 in Kraslice near Karlovy Vary, where she began studying music at the age of seven. She continued her piano studies at the Conservatory of Teplice and the Conservatory of Pardubice with Martin Hröel. After graduation from Pardubice she concentrated on the study of musicology at the Palacky University in Olomouc and finished successfully there in 2003.

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Stanislav Vavřínek

Conductor

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.

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Filharmonie Brno

Orchestra

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.

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South Czech Philharmonic

Orchestra

Originally known as The South Bohemian State Orchestra, the South Czech Philharmonic, based in České Budějovice (Budweis), was founded in 1981. Today, it comprises 39 artists and remains the only professional philharmonic orchestra in the South Bohemian region.

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Notes

Fate of the Wolf Concert Overture

Fate of the Wolf Concert Overture is a one movement work based on the opera that shares its name. This free form composition tells the story of the Wolf and She-wolf’s journey through an enchanted land. Many of the melodies and rhythms are derived from the opera.

A whimsical repeated note motif appears throughout the work. It is like the trail taken by the Wolf and She-wolf that leads from the beginning to the end. At the start of the work the listener can hear the conversation between the Wolf and She-wolf. They have just met and the She-wolf is hesitant to go on a journey with the Wolf. She decides to embark on the journey at the entry of the rhythmic section characterized by percussion and strings. As they head down the trail the She-wolf is wondering if she made the correct decision; her mood can be heard in the slight contrast between the melody and the rhythm.

As the sun begins to set they stop for the night. The She-wolf falls asleep near a tree at the edge of the trail, while the Wolf secretly declares his love for her with a single oboe. Soon the nocturnal darkness leads to hidden dangers. Ostinato violins create tension, while the brass emphasizes doom. Hidden monsters spring from the dense forest cover to face the Wolf and She-wolf in battle. The monsters return to their hidden realm as the sun rises, indicated by the whimsical motif.

The Wolf decides to go back into the forest to pursue the monsters, and protect the She-wolf. As she waits through the day her sadness increases. She is touched by the Wolf’s kindness and impressed by his bravery. As darkness falls the She-wolf wonders if the Wolf will ever return. Lifting her head to the starlit sky she sings her song of sadness and love with a solo violin.

In the predawn hours the rustling branches indicate the Wolf’s return. As the sun rises they happily head down the trail. The She-wolf is no longer hesitant to trust the Wolf, which is heard in the interchange of melodies that sync with the percussion and string accompaniment.

The Wolf and She-wolf soon enter a mysterious swampland. The swirling mist can be heard in the tremolo strings. They meet the Sage who tells of the Wolf’s fate with a conversational bassoon. The anxiety increases as they navigate a dense forest of petrified trees, which is indicated by instruments exchanging an ostinato. The Wolf sees the path out. The drama and anticipation increase as they both arrive at their destination.

— Christine Jancarz

Concerto for Flute, Celesta, and Chamber Orchestra

As a former flute player, the instrument holds deep significance to me. I had started piano and music lessons at age 16, and shortly before that one of my brothers had purchased a flute. He had difficulties with the instrument, and with it laying around I decided to try to play it. There was some success, and after a while the brother told me that to continue playing the flute I needed to buy it from him, which I did. I have not played the flute for decades —I cannot remember the fingering and my embouchure is gone, but its influences on me remain strong.

The work has gone through a couple of revisions, the latest in the first months of 2022. My Mom died in November, 2021, age 101, and in January 2022 I felt an intuitive need to revisit this work and a violin concerto. I am in a gravitational pull towards a more diatonic harmonic language and cleaned up the harmonic language and refined phrasing in the latest revision.

The concerto is in three movements, with influences for the three. The first movement is my homage to the music of Handel and his sonatas for flute or recorder which were the first works I played. The second movement reflects the influences of French music, from mostly the 20th Century. The third movement, recorded here, is a musical statement of my own voice, and is influenced by Los Angeles and Southern California and its vibes.

I thank Bob Lord, CEO of PARMA Recordings and the entire staff for their utmost professional work ethic and attitude. And my great thanks to flutist Dieter Flury for his virtuosity, incredible musicianship, and stylish performance which elevates the work. Celesta player Lucie Kaucká was excellent in her solos and deeply grasped the music. The Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava with conductor Jiří Petrdlík were excellent. All made the needed corrections to some passages, followed my personal requests on performance with utmost professionalism. Their musicality and artistry were brilliant.

This recording is dedicated to the memory of my mom, Frances Schumacher Hetz. I was her caregiver for many years. Once I began music lessons she encouraged and guided me.

— Matthew Hetz

The First Step

“The First Step” is the third movement of MUSIC FOR BASSOON AND ORCHESTRA: I. The Search, II The Struggle, III The First Step. The piece was composed during a period of uncertainty, reflection, and significant redirection of life’s path. “The First Step” explores the morning of the old, summoning the courage to move forward, and ends with the first step on the new path.

— Joseph Spaniola

Sinfonia

Sinfonia (Symphony No. 6) for Wind Ensemble was written in the summer of 2020. I began this composition immediately after I had finished chemotherapy treatments. Each of the three movements of this composition were inspired by Latvian music. The first movement is also influenced by the Lithuanian singing tradition called “Sutartine,” which is a type of singing game usually practiced by women. The second movement is a study in instrumentation and texture, where a theme is varied not necessarily by changing pitch elements but by instrumental color. The finale is tangentially based on a Lutheran Chorale, In Dulce Jubilo.

— Scott Brickman

Sacrifice (from Symphony No. 4)

Sacrifice may be performed as an independent concert piece, or as a movement of the composer’s Symphony No. 4. It was conceived and written entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the despondency and inconvenience that this disease provoked were significant to me, they pale in comparison to the heroic activities of all first responders, and indeed of all who sacrificed their comfort and safety as they fought to preserve our country throughout its history.

Instrumentation is straightforward, but the violins are divided into three staves, and a tenor drum is required in addition to standard percussion. Performance time is about 7 minutes.

— Lawrence Mumford

Videos

An Inside Look: Scott Brickman – Sinfonia

Dimensions Vol. 5

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Track Listing & Credits