Here and Now Series: INVASION / Nadia Shpachenko, Lewis Spratlan

As she watched in horror her home city of Kharkiv (and the rest of Ukraine) being destroyed and civilians being murdered every day, Shpachenko tried to come up with ways to express her feelings of utter despair and anger, as well as hope and resilience, through her music making. In addition to performing fundraising concerts featuring music by Ukrainian composers, she decided to put together a new album to support humanitarian aid for Ukraine. The new album, titled Invasion, will be released on Reference Recordings in September 2022. She will collaborate with Ukrainian artists to create Invasion music videos and album art, describing their war experience.

The title work, Invasion, is Lewis Spratlan’s response to this tragic war scored for piano, alto saxophone, horn, trombone, timpani, snare drum, and mandolin. It was composed for Shpachenko during the period of February 24-March 13, 2022. The balance of the CD will feature world premiere recordings of more than 60 minutes of solo piano music by Shpachenko’s longtime collaborator Lewis Spratlan. The solo pieces reflect on the human experience, often finding solace and inspiration in nature and music of the past. Wonderer, a major piece that will close the program, connects to the current experience of many Ukrainian people, especially those displaced by the war. The hero, searching through the unknown, overcoming pain, and reminiscing about things past, triumphs at the end.

The concert will begin with an audio preview of the Invasion ensemble piece. Just recorded on May 29, 2022, the audio premier showcases Nadia Shpachenko, piano; Pat Posey, saxophone; Aija Mattson-Jovel, horn; Phil Keen, trombone; Yuri Inoo, percussion; and Joti Rockwell, mandolin, conducted by Anthony Parnther.

Following the audio presentation, Nadia Shpachenko will perform 4 solo piano works by Lewis Spratlan: