“Lewis Spratlan’s Invasion is a raucous, volatile tone poem… Invasion is the music of indignation and outrage, its combative nature (it does have a more contemplative central section) mirrored in the scoring, with broadsides of drums, brass fanfares, and the maniacal presence of the mandolin which, with the piano, seems to indicate a human presence amid the mechanistic carnage. The performance is powerful…

The album is a programme of two halves, however: the larger part (Invasion is the opening track) is a succession of recent compositions – all predating the war – for piano solo by Spratlan that cover a wide variety of expression. Perhaps the most successful are the Suite No 1 (2021) – a succinct triptych of frantic Capriccio, mournful Dirge (very adroitly constructed) and a ‘whimsical’ Pastorale – and the Six Rags (2018), multifaceted miniatures inspired by mountains and lakes around New England; Spratlan avoids the temptation to go into full Ives mode in what is a very enjoyable set. Two Sonatas (2021) are Scarlattiesque essays that confound expectations by having the Presto first invade – presciently – the Gentle second, which finally repulses it. Largest of all is the earliest work, Wonderer (2005), in which the titular character traverses an at times nightmarish landscape that could easily be the by-product of war. Shpachenko audibly has a deep understanding of Spratlan’s compositional processes, and – in writing all bar Wonderer for her – he clearly has an appreciation of her pianistic abilities… each individual part is impressive, and mostly haunting. All proceeds will go to Ukraine humanitarian aid programmes.”

At once a moving response to war and a shining testament to imagination

“Exceptional release… Calling upon her friend and sometime collaborator, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan, Shpachenko commissioned Invasion, which is scored for piano and chamber ensemble. My expectations of grim, angry music were overturned by Invasion, whose three sections, lasting 12 minutes, don’t echo the stark bleakness of wartime Shostakovich, or any other war music I can think of. Instead, Spratlan has concocted a dream-like musical experience that looks into a cultural mirror. Menacing drumbeats last only a few seconds before elements of jazz and folk music enter, and the restless piano part adds a layer of frantic but also exciting motion. I kept thinking of the layering of texts in a palimpsest—in this case the layers are simultaneously like Kurt Weill cabaret, drummers marching to war, drunken slip-sliding, a pianist trying to compete with artillery shelling, and the resilience of music-hall song and dance in the face of a black midnight.

What makes Invasion specifically tailored to this release, whose proceeds are being donated to Ukrainian aid relief, is the very absence of unrelieved sorrow, although mournful horn, trombone, and saxophone solos appear prominently in the second part. Shpachenko has filled every page of the booklet with paintings by Ukrainian artists, including the most remarkable creations of children, alongside reflections by these artists on Spratlan’s five works here… Invasion, composed in direct response to the war, is one of the first and most fascinating responses to events in Ukraine…

Shpachenko’s playing is spectacular, constantly swinging from bravura flair to inward reflection as the music demands… The major piano work, at 20 minutes, is Wonderer… It is a scintillating tour de force. The overall effect of Wonderer is exhilarating and emotionally satisfying, to the point where I hope it joins the standard repertoire among contemporary pianists. Shpachenko’s reading is close to ideal in its variety, quick-wittedness, and tenderness… Anyone enticed by my descriptions will be amply rewarded listening to this release, which is the outstanding contemporary-music disc of the year.”

“The piece titled Invasion is not a wartime dirge but a mix of elements overturned by the war, “a counterpoint of moods — between ominous undercurrents, folkloric touchstones, and a modernist ‘authorial’ commentary,” in the words of annotator Peter Yates. This work is echoed in the Six Rags for solo piano, which are not classical piano rags but juxtapose ragtime rhythms with modernist passages in various ways, and in the final Wonderer for solo piano, a work likewise depicting a journey through a trauma-strewn landscape. The artists’ “reflections” included suggest other resonances the program may have in time of war. This is certainly one of the first releases to reflect the war in Ukraine; it may go down ultimately as one of the richest and best, and it serves also as a reference for the remarkable late-life creativity of Spratlan…”

“[Invasion is a] compelling piece with a lyrical middle section that allows each instrument a moment of expression. Meanwhile, pulsating piano chords continue the sense of unease before the piece explodes again into rage, grief and a whirl of emotions that must resonate with all these musicians, as well as the people of Ukraine… There is a clarity to Shpachenko’s performance here that took me by surprise. With precision she takes us on a journey through music in all its forms, from delicate moments in the Piano Suite through to the athletic prowess of the Piano Sonata’s first movement. However, it is her ability to convey the humour and sadness juxtaposed at the heart of ‘Six Rags for Solo Piano’ that shows Shpachenko’s true musical genius… Invasion is a truly contemporary album, with piano, war and raw emotion at its centre. This is not an album to put on in the background, it is something to really listen to: music to make you think, and art at its most powerful.”

With its discordant thumps, Invasion is not an easy listen and nor should it be. Written in response to the invasion of Ukraine, this album has been curated by pianist Nadia Shpachenko to convey her emotional response to the destruction of her home city of Kharkiv. Working with her long-time collaborator, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan, she commissioned the title work for piano, saxophone, horn, trombone, percussion and mandolin. It’s a strange but compelling piece with a lyrical middle section that allows each instrument a moment of expression. Meanwhile, pulsating piano chords continue the sense of unease before the piece explodes again into rage, grief and a whirl of emotions that must resonate with all these musicians, as well as the people of Ukraine.

After the initial swirling chaos of emotions, the album continues into solo piano music by Spratlan, and there is a clarity to Shpachenko’s performance here that took me by surprise. With precision she takes us on a journey through music in all its forms, from delicate moments in the Piano Suite through to the athletic prowess of the Piano Sonata’s first movement. However, it is her ability to convey the humour and sadness juxtaposed at the heart of ‘Six Rags for Solo Piano’ that shows Shpachenko’s true musical genius.

This is one of those multi-disciplinary productions, and an extensive booklet of artwork adds extra layers of meaning to the music. For the booklet, Shpachenko not only commissioned well-known Ukrainian artists working in different media, but also curated artworks by the children of Kharkiv that record their responses to the war. Shpachenko will also donate 100% of proceeds from the album to humanitarian aid organisations working in Ukraine.

Invasion is a truly contemporary album, with piano, war and raw emotion at its centre. This is not an album to put on in the background, it is something to really listen to: music to make you think, and art at its most powerful.

Invasion is “Best of 2022” Pick

“(Invasion) An emotionally charged, boldly dissonant, intensely descriptive composition… When the composer stops the musical satire and the bucolic reflections, as in the bluntly harrowing opening Invasion or as in the closing Wonderer, we hear the impassioned Spratlan, utterly familiar with and fully able to put into music the sounds of tragedy… Gratitude is due to Lewis Spratlan and to Nadia Shpachenko, soulmates against man’s inhumanity to man.”

Invasion is No. 1 recording of 2022

“Invasion features world premiere recordings of the music of Lewis Spratlan, especially noting his chamber work, Invasion written in March 2022 as the war was raging… the work is nothing but gripping, powerful and exceptionally colorful, using the unusual combination of instruments to full effect... Shpachenko commissioned Ukrainian artists to create artwork to use in the album booklet, and in an online gallery, expressing their responses to the music. The booklet is alone worth the price of the CD, not only for the artwork but the excellent notes on each piece. ”

These are all World Premiere recordings, making this an invaluable release, while Shpachenko is magnificent

"Subtitled “Music and Art for Ukraine,” the sentiments on this disc certainly tap into a profound humanitarianism. If anything will inspire musicians, it is injustice and catastrophe. A selection of paintings by Ukrainian artists adorns the booklet.

Written in March 2022, Invasion for piano with mixed ensemble is Lewis Spratlan’s response to the atrocities. In the booklet notes, it is pointed out that “motives are underlined like obsessions”; and how can that not reflect events? Spratlan’s music is viscerally exciting, a sonic representation of (understandable) anxiety via a preponderance of gesture. The performance is as good as one could imagine.

(Six Rags) This is a remarkable set of miniatures, played brilliantly by Shpachenko, who understands exactly when to bring back the innocence of ragtime within a far deeper context… and now Spratlan so expertly juxtaposes the two. This set is worthy of investigation by pianists on the hunt for new repertoire… (Wonderer) Spratlan’s virtuosity in moving between tonal references (as memory) and spikier, post-Prokofiev toccata is fascinating, and Shpachenko’s virtuosity in realizing this ideal is remarkable. This is a terrific performance of a wonderful piece; it is worth hearing this disc for Wonderer alone… Recommended unhesitatingly.”

Invasion… seems to depict a small band playing old fashioned club music (a mandolin suggests the music of the balalaika) that quickly begins to disintegrate into dissonant fragments, symbolizing the nightmare of an unimaginable act of violence... Wonderer… adds a fleeting aura of hope to a dire situation.

“Invasion is an evocative and powerful musical snapshot of the war in Ukraine. Perhaps this is the opening movement of a work that will ultimately give us a heroic and victorious final ending.”

"The rare combination of poetry and athleticism by Nadi Shpachenko was on full display last night, as the executant of equally athletic compositions by Lewis Spratlan... Ms. Shpachenko resides on the West Coast, yet she has been a paragon of execution for virtually every American composer from Elliott Carter to the late (alas) George Crumb to last night’s Lewis Spratlan. And no wonder. It isn’t her incredible pianism, her endless gymnastics; instead it was her clarity, the quantum attention to every change of metre in every measure. The performance of muscular piano geniuses is hardly rare, and their displays can always dazzle us. Ms. Shpachenko takes another route, that of sprinting down dozens of simultaneous tangly paths and allowing us to see every flower, tree, insect along the way... Musically, [Invasion] could have resembled Goya’s war pictures or Picasso’s Guernica. But the instruments themselves... offered a picture of frightening tragedy. It started yes, with a percussive bang. But the medley of improbable instruments–horn, trombone, mandolin, sax and of course Ms. Shpachenko’s piano–gave a picture of war at its most warlike. Mr. Spratlan was never averse to interject a folk melody or two, yet they were eradicated by the sounds of battle. It was a stunning opening... Using Scott Joplin as his foundation for Six Rags was genius. Each of them had a geographical place named in the New England mountains. Yet that was a personal inspiration. The results were purely original. Yes, he used Joplin-style rags within each of the six pieces. They could be blatant–and played with dynamic impetus by Ms. Shpachenko–or hidden amongst a forest of intervals... Ms. Shpachenko didn’t have to emphasize the ironies in all six Rags. They sung for themselves, were written with elation, and played last night with both brunt and beauty."