Soul-stirring creations - album review
Musical Images for Piano is the latest set of recordings of McEncroe's solo piano works, performed by pianist Yoko Hagino.
"Recorded in September 2017 at Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts," writes the reviewer at textura.org, it "should be regarded as indispensable for admirers of the composer's work, given how definitively the twenty-four introspective pieces are rendered by Hagino.
"As with any recording, certain moments stand out as particularly special, and Musical Images for Piano is no exception. Two such instances, “Shades of Autumn” and “A Lazy Summer's Afternoon,” are disarmingly soul-stirring creations that speak volumes about McEncroe's gifts as a composer. In its title, the former might reference a single season but is so expansive in vision it feels as if it an entire lifetime of experience is traversed during its mesmerizing nine minutes, and much the same could be said of the wistful latter, whose gentle explorations prove as affecting.
"The recording in toto is so rewarding and, furthermore, designed to be experienced as a whole, not distinct parts. In the end, identifying the pieces collectively as “Reflections & Recollections” feels right, given their introspective and nostalgic character. Much like the other material issued on Navona, Dark Clouds In Life especially, McEncroe's Musical Images for Piano is conducive to deep dreaming."
You can read the full review here: textura.org/archives/d/desalvo_mcencroe.htm
The album is released through Navona Records on March 9th, 2018 and available on iTunes, Amazon, Naxos Direct and Arkiv Music.
