Invasion: Music and Art for Ukraine (CD)

The key piece on the album, titled "Invasion" (for piano, alto saxophone, horn, trombone, timpani, snare drum, and mandolin), is Shpachenko's longtime collaborator Lewis Spratlan's response to this tragic war. It was composed for Shpachenko during the period of February 24-March 13, 2022. The rest of the album features World Premiere recordings of solo piano music also by Spratlan. These pieces reflect on the human experience, often finding solace and inspiration in nature and music of the past. "Wonderer," a major piece that closes the album, connects in its character 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.
A "gifted and versatile pianist" (San Francisco Chronicle) and GRAMMY® Award winner, Nadia Shpachenko enjoys bringing into the world things that are outside the box - powerful pieces that often possess unusual sonic qualities or instrumentation. Nadia's 2019 Reference Recordings album The Poetry of Places, featuring world premieres of architecture-inspired works, won the Best Classical Compendium GRAMMY® Award. She is a Steinway Artist, Schoenhut Toy Piano artist, and professor of music at Cal Poly Pomona University.
Lewis Spratlan, winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in music, was born in 1940 in Miami, Florida. He is the recipient of numerous awards and Guggenheim, Rockefeller, NEA, Bogliasco, and MacDowell fellowships. He continues producing new works at a prodigious rate.

Musicians:
Nadia Shpachenko - piano
Pat Posey - saxophone ("Invasion")
Aija Mattson-Jovel - horn ("Invasion")
Phil Keen - trombone ("Invasion")
Yuri Inoo - percussion ("Invasion")
Joti Rockwell - mandolin ("Invasion")
Anthony Parnther - conductor ("Invasion")