Mood and Melody and Dynamic Contrast - Symphonic Suites 1 & 2 Album Review
Textura.org have reviewed McEncroe's new album Symphonic Suites 1 & 2:
"More than anything else, two things in particular distinguish the music presented on Mark John McEncroe's Symphonic Suites 1 & 2: mood and melody.
"Dynamic contrast is fundamental to the ninety-minute work, with robust, horns-heavy passages countered by woodwinds-driven sections of a quieter disposition. In terms of thematic material, tension between the economically challenged peasants and the wealthy royals drives the narrative of the first suite, whereas uprising and battle leading to the king's overthrow is the narrative thrust in the second. It hardly surprises, then, that the “Rising Discontent” and “Peasants Uprising” movements are marked by agitation, even if lyrical solo passages also appear. Though the story is set in medieval times, it's McEncroe's contention that, human nature being what it is, such events occur and then re-occur, history endlessly repeating itself; certainly there's no shortage of current evidence at hand to support the view."
You can read the full review here.
Mark John McEncroe’s Symphonic Suites 1 & 2 — A Medieval Saga was released on August 11th on Amazon, iTunes, Naxos Direct and ArkivMusic, and streaming on Spotify.
