Mirabile in Prague Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra & David Kram

• John Allan (b. 1948):
• 1Allan: Aeolian Caprice05:10
• 2Allan: Fantasia on Mahler’s Purgatorio09:20
• 3Allan: Mirabile05:46
• 4Allan: Mirabilia Antipodia05:32
• 5Allan: Marcia Mirabilis.11:18
• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918):
• 6Debussy: Estampes -La Soirée dans Grenade04:51
• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897):
• 7Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 1 in C, Op.1 - Scherzo06:19
• Total Runtime48:16

Info zu Mirabile in Prague

Australian composer John Allan has orchestrated a collection of his own original compositions. This album also includes his orchestrations of piano pieces by Debussy and Brahms. David Kram conducts members of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor David Kram: "Over eighty members of the Prague Radio Symphony performed John's work under my direction. They vie with the Czech Philharmonic for quality and are more experienced in a recording studio. I have worked with these musicians since 2006, when Paul Kram founded a company now called Concertori Recordings. Czech musicians have the richness of German orchestras, the elan of the Italians and the subtlety of the French. Czech recording producers are magic-weaving wizards."

“'Mirabile', a peaceful, heart-warming melody, cleverly inter-woven, with restless harmonies, that takes us on a romantic musical journey, full of drama. John skilfully brings the piano works of Debussy and Brahms to orchestral life.” — Crispin Merrell,

“It was a thrill to conduct John Allan’s spirited large-scale works, supported by a superb team and executed by superb musicians. The dedication and professionalism of the orchestra throughout the recording sessions was a joy. John's music should be more widely known. The Mirabile was the first work we recorded, and an excellent way to accustom the orchestra to John’s style. Its accessible genre and lyrical timbre should make this track an audience favourite. Listeners will enjoy the contrasting eeriness in the opening of Mirabile Antipodia and then the passion and power that explodes in the second half of the piece. 


John knows how to engender the perpetuum mobile of the Marcia Mirabilis with enough fantasy to keep our interest for more than eleven minutes and also show the quirky side of this serious-hearted composer. Finally, the orchestrations show that John has a thorough knowledge of musical literature, and enough creativity to put his own stamp on the finished product. Aeolian Caprice is an early work of John’s but displays his lyrical emotion. The orchestra found the Mahlerian Fantasia a bit challenging, having to sustain uneven metre interspersed with lightning strike entries for more than nine minutes, but the energy never flagged and the solos were played incisively and with spirit. I am proud of the result and thank John Allan, the musicians and management of the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the outstanding recording team for a vital experience. I hope this album brings John to the next stage of his career. He deserves it. — David Kram, University of Melbourne

Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
David Kram, conductor

The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra
is among the most important, and most long-established, of Czech orchestras. Our recording of John Allan's compositions was conducted by David Kram employing, not the full orchestra, but members of the orchestra.

Its creative dramaturgy and ever improving artistic level has helped it win a significant role in the country’s concert life. It is also warmly welcomed at concert halls beyond the Czech Republic. Its tradition dates back to 1926 and is linked to the creation of the station Radiojournal. Rich recording activities of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra are noteworthy. It has been recorded at leading domestic institutions and has seen releases on pre-eminent labels (Supraphon, Radioservis, Pony Canyon, Clarton, etc.). Recordings of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra have reached listeners throughout Europe and further afield via the EBU’s international musical exchanges.

David Kram
is a distinguished conductor who has worked in Australia and in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, China, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia and Switzerland. He has a repertoire of over 200 works, has conducted more than 30 orchestras and has collaborated with Richard Bonynge and Dame Joan Sutherland, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Mark Elder, Simone Young, Giancarlo Menotti and Lotfi Mansouri.

Kram studied composition and conducting at the Royal College of Music (London), at Luigi Ricci (Rome) and at Adelaide and Monash Universities where he completed his PhD. After his first international conducting debut the Spoleto Festival in Italy, a series of full-time European engagements followed where Kram worked as repetiteur for the Grand Théâtre de Genève, as Kapellmeister at the Stadttheater in Basle, and as Erster Kapellmeister, Nationaltheater in Mannheim.

In 1978 David became resident conductor at the Australian Opera for eight years. He then relocated to Adelaide as Music Director, State Opera of South Australia. During the 1990s, David had frequent guest conducting engagements in Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Karlsruhe, Nantes, and Wiesbaden, before settling in Victoria.

In 2000 David was awarded his PhD by Monash university. As a researcher and teacher he held academic positions as a senior lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) where he taught orchestration and was Head of Opera from 1999 - 2005. He continues his association with the University of Melbourne as a Senior Fellow.

In 2000, David established 'More Than Opera' to expand the reach of opera to many diverse audiences in the community. More Than Opera continues to flourish with many projects realised through innovation and artistic excellence.

David's first composition, a film score, was recorded in 1966. He has since written a range of music including incidental songs, orchestral overtures, children's operas and arrangements of existing works. In 2013 he wrote the award-winning Ring. Wagner. Animated, an adaptation of Wagner's ring cycle for children with chamber orchestra, condensed from sixteen hours to two hours, presented on tour and at Melbourne Recital Centre.

A deep respect for the life and work of Sir John Monash and associations with Rotary, the 0808 Committee and Spirit of Australia, led him to compose PEACE - A Cantata for John Monash in collaboration with Kevin O'Flaherty. Premiered at Hamer Hall in 2017, PEACE is performed in Amiens, France in April and September.

Booklet für Mirabile in Prague