Follow the trials and tribulations of a toy soldier cast on a turbulent journey in this presentation of the classic tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen. Narrated by award-winning actor Robertson Dean (Star Trek: Nemesis, Vanilla Sky) and set to music by composer Jan Järvlepp and the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, the scenes captured in writing along the soldier’s voyage are brought to life visually in illustrations by PARMA graphic designer Edward A. Fleming. Written, visual, and musical mediums come together as one in this presentation, showcasing a cohesive family-friendly cross-section of compelling storytelling.
About
Composer Jan Järvlepp creates a genuine European/American musical fusion by combining the excitement of rock and jazz rhythms with the large-scale classical structures found in orchestral and chamber music. The seriousness of his well-thought-out forms and the immediacy of contemporary rhythmic and melodic ideas make a potent brew that is appealing to both open-minded classical listeners and pop music listeners who are searching for something new. Sometimes the influence of world music makes itself felt in his compositions as it did in his Concerto 2000 for flute and symphony orchestra (Available from Navona Records: NV6291).
Järvlepp began playing pop guitar and cello as a teenager and learned bass guitar and harmonica during the same period. In university he majored in composition while developing his cello-playing skills. As his studies progressed, he realized that he was not on the same wavelength as his modernist composition teachers.
He returned to his native Ottawa in 1981 after completing his doctoral studies in composition and 20th century music at the University of California, San Diego. His composition teachers over the years were Luis de Pablo, Alcides Lanza, Will Ogdon and Roger Reynolds. Since returning to Canada, Järvlepp has been a member of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and has been active as a freelance cellist, composer, teacher and recording technician. Once outside the university environment, he began composing in the newer, postmodern style of neo-tonal music that would rarely be acceptable among academics.
Järvlepp has been delving deeper and deeper into the world of pop-influenced contemporary “classical” composition. He has completely turned his back on the avant garde modernism that he was rigorously trained in to concentrate on postmodern style. He has also taken an interest in Hispanic, Arab, and Nordic folk styles. The result has been a variety of accessible pieces of music that appeal to a surprisingly wide cross section of listeners. At times Järvlepp employs unusual combinations of instruments that have not previously been heard in the world of classical music. He has composed over 80 works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, orchestra and electronic instruments.
His orchestral music was first heard on the BIS CD-1052 The Garbage Concerto. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lan Shui was joined by the Kroumata Percussion Ensemble. Then in 2020, Navona Records released Järvlepp’s orchestral album entitled Concerto 2000 featuring various performers.
For more information visit: https://www.navonarecords.com/artists/jan-jarvlepp/
ALBUMS
With recordings of nearly 1000 audiobooks under his belt, Rob Dean has led a fruitful career in the entertainment industry. Dean trained at the Yale School of Drama, quickly immersing himself in roles in various productions upon departure with two Broadway shows — Pygmalion with Peter O’Toole, The Circle with Rex Harrison — and one long-running off-Broadway show. Soon after, he moved to Los Angeles CA and began appearing in recurring and guest roles on TV shows like Frazier, The Young and the Restless, 24, and the majority of the Star Trek series. Further TV appearances and a heavy involvement in Los Angeles’s noted classical repertory theater A Noise Within gave way to an interest in directing, and Dean made a splash in Los Angeles, Turkey, Provincetown, and Texas. Of the many audiobooks Dean has narrated, he cites William Gibson’s Neuromancer and all 65 hours of Robert Caro’s The Power Broker as his favorite projects.
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.
Around the same time that Ostrava was being frequented by composers like Paul Hindemith, Leoš Janáček, Sergei Prokofiev, and Igor Stravinsky, a Radio Orchestra was formed in the city. In 1954, this ensemble was established as the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, and began touring two years later. The orchestra has appeared over its history with notable names such as Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Diana Ross, and Joseph Calleja to name a few, and it has remained one of the most notable orchestras in the Czech Republic.
For more information visit: https://www.navonarecords.com/artists/janacek-philharmonic-ostrava/
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. From 1994 to 1998, Vavřínek was the principal conductor of the Prague Student Orchestra, which won many awards under his leadership. In 1998, he also conducted the International Youth Orchestra in the final festival concert in Shizuoka, Japan.
As a guest conductor, Vavřínek has collaborated with more than 30 symphonic and chamber orchestras including the Brno Philharmonic, the Prague Philharmonie, the Czech Philharmonic, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic, the Hamburger Symphoniker, and the Gdansk Philharmonic. He has appeared on stages in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland and Spain, and Japan. He has also collaborated with a number of outstanding soloists and performed at a number of prominent festivals such as the Shizuoka International Music Festival, the Brno International Music Festival, the Prague Autumn, and the Prague Spring. He has recorded nine CDs with music by Mozart, Haydn, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, Sternwald, Bartók, Shostakovich, and others.
From 1999 to 2008, Vavřínek served as the Chief Conductor of the South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra in České Budějovice before taking up the same position with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic in Zlín, which he held until 2015. He is a frequent guest conductor of many orchestras both at home and abroad, not only in concerts, but also during various notable extraordinary productions.
From 2006 to 2010, Vavřínek taught at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he was a member of the Department of Conducting.
For more information visit: https://www.navonarecords.com/artists/stanislav-vavrinek/
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