Ovidiu Marinescu, a native of Romania, is active as a cellist, conductor, composer, and educator. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Rachmaninov Hall, Holywell Room in Oxford, Oriental Art Center in Shanghai, and many other venues around the world. He has appeared as a soloist with the New York Chamber Symphony, the National Radio Orchestra of Romania, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Helena and Newark Symphonies, Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Philharmonic, Limeira Symphony in Brazil, Orquesta de Extremadura in Spain, and most orchestras in Romania. Recently, he served as a member of the jury and guest professor for the Greenhouse Foundation Awards and Festival in Seoul, South Korea, and Composer-in-Residence for the International Chamber Music Festival in Guatemala City. His works have been performed in Romania, China, Brazil, Guatemala, and across the United States.
Marinescu has had more than 10 album releases with PARMA Recordings and Cambria as a cellist, conductor, and chamber musician, as well as several independently-released recordings.
Marinescu has conducted the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra in Moscow, the Chamber Orchestra of the Romanian Radio, “New Russia” State Orchestra, the Bacau, Craiova, Ploiesti, Botosani, Targu Mures, and Brasov Philharmonic Orchestras in Romania, Filarmonica de Gaia in Portugal, Orquesta de Extremadura in Spain, the Helena, Newark, and Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestras (USA), and the Vidin Sinfonietta in Bulgaria.
News
Albums
Sonix and other Tonix
Release Date: March 15, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6603
Catalog Number: NV6603
21st Century
Chamber
Flute
Percussion
String Quartet
SONIX AND OTHER TONIX is a collection of innovative chamber works from composer Jan Järvlepp. The title refers to his piece Sonix for Ónix, composed for the Ónix Ensamble of Mexico. It combines elements from his most popular chamber and orchestral works, Pierrot Solaire and Garbage Concerto, respectively. The album also features Trio No. 3, a three-movement work for violin, cello, and piano which protests the rise of the surveillance state. SONIX AND OTHER TONIX also includes Shinkansen, which takes listeners for a ride on a Japanese bullet train, and In Memoriam, written for the composer’s late brother. Spanning a diverse range of topics and influences, SONIX AND OTHER TONIX exemplifies the iconoclastic creativity for which Järvlepp is known.
Sonix+
Release Date: January 19, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6596
Catalog Number: NV6596
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Flute
Piano Trio
SONIX+, a collection of new works from cellist and composer Jan Järvlepp, is some of his most creative and defiant. The title piece, composed for the Ónix Ensemble of Mexico, draws upon elements from Järvlepp’s renowned works with a hidden theme from the 1960s sprinkled within. Trio No. 3 incorporates a very different concept from 1960s culture: protest music. The piece cries out against the constant surveillance that takes place in modern life, from cameras on every street corner to keyword tracking on search engines. Järvlepp’s music is unrelenting, one-of-a-kind, and inspired — a well balanced blend of time-tested virtuosity spoken through modern themes.
Aria
Release Date: January 5, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6577
Catalog Number: NV6577
21st Century
Chamber
Vocal Music
Harp
Piano Trio
Voice
Composer Michael Cohen delivers an enticing follow up to his 2022 Navona Records release with ARIA, his second full album of original chamber works. Featuring a mix of studio and live recordings captured from various points in his diverse and expansive career, Cohen’s music emanates a thorough line of vitality and fervor. While strikingly rooted in tonal principles, these works embrace an elegant, confident, and ebullient character, permeated by a magnificent, effervescent spontaneity throughout.
Transmutation
Release Date: October 27, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6559
Catalog Number: NV6559
21st Century
Chamber
Vocal Music
Orchestra
Piano Trio
Voice
Transmutation: “to change or alter in form, appearance, or nature, especially to a higher form.”
Joanna Estelle embodies this definition in her deeply personal and profound compositions on TRANSMUTATION, a communal effort featuring various talented performers coming together to transmute their message to you.
With music as vulnerable and exposed as the stories it tells, TRANSMUTATION is a reflection on the patterns of life through periods of both rain and shine, and the constants that keep us grounded through the changes that they bring. Estelle’s message is clear: to allow for change is to allow for healing.
A Grand Journey Vol. 2
Release Date: August 11, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6550
Catalog Number: NV6550
21st Century
Chamber
Piano Trio
With music echoing themes of persistence in the face of adversity, calls for reflection and attention on acts of injustice, and more, A GRAND JOURNEY VOL. 2 delivers resounding chamber music from a diverse range of contemporary composers. Performed by the critically-acclaimed Trio Casals, this Navona Records release offers a variety of sounds, from traditional classical forms to jazz-infused rhythms, mixed meters, and a deeply-moving piece for solo cello.
London Cello Connection
Release Date: March 10, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6514
Catalog Number: NV6514
21st Century
Orchestral
Cello
Orchestra
Eight exceptional composers, eight premiere recordings with a legendary orchestra, and one spectacular soloist: LONDON CELLO CONNECTION is a captivating compendium of contemporary compositions by celebrated cellist Ovidiu Marinescu and the London Symphony Orchestra with conductor Miran Vaupotić.
Marinescu’s emotive, lush sound and superb technical command provides the continuous thread throughout the program, from the elegant “Sarabande” by Marvin Lamb to Arthur Gottschalk’s regal “Brunetti Meditations” to the shimmering, pulsing “Soul Dance” of Diane Jones, connecting and contrasting each of these works and others by John Robertson, Katherine Price, Joanna Estelle, L Peter Deutsch, and Keith Kramer.
Recorded in June 2022 at the LSO’s St. Luke’s Church, the historic site on London’s Old Street which dates to 1733 and was restored to become home to the orchestra’s recording, community, and music education programs.
Trios & Sonatinas
Release Date: March 24, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6511
Catalog Number: NV6511
21st Century
Chamber
Piano
Piano Trio
Viola
If there is one thing that is important to Richard E Brown, it’s clarity; it would be impossible to listen to any of his compositions without finding one’s emotions immediately and intuitively seized, no explanations necessary. Brown’s music is at once neoclassical and aesthetic, and his selection of TRIOS & SONATINAS makes for a perfect introduction.
Aforementioned clarity is also the secret ingredient which allows Brown to breezily and naturally unite polar opposites: the Western classical piano trio with Korean folk themes, the simple sonatina form with musical complexity, and the frail violin and resounding horn as equals in another trio. Simplicity is supposedly the ultimate form of sophistication, and TRIOS & SONATINAS makes a strong point indeed.
Collected Works of Beth Mehocic
Release Date: January 14, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6410
Catalog Number: NV6410
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
The music of composer Beth Mehocic comes together as a fulfilling and enticing whole in the COLLECTED WORKS OF BETH MEHOCIC. This all encompassing album merges the many corners and triumphs of Mehocic’s library, with commissioned pieces, tone poems, and various styles colliding in celebration of her extensive breadth of repertoire. Find early works like Piece by Piece alongside the more recent Left of Winter, Picasso’s Flight, and others with performances from Trio Casals, Croatian Chamber Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Altius Quartet, Zagreb Festival Orchestra, and more.
Moto Finale
Release Date: December 10, 2021
Catalog Number: NV6388
Catalog Number: NV6388
21st Century
Chamber
Piano Trio
MOTO FINALE brings the beloved chamber music series to a close with a number of works inspired by nature, loss, spiritual connection, and music of the past. The seasoned Trio Casals returns for this seventh and final installment to perform the works of seven composers in a diverse and conclusive capstone of modern composition. A fitting album to end the series, MOTO FINALE rewards the attention of listeners as it leads them on a journey of interweaving experiences. Trauma and chaos mingle with tranquility, nostalgia, melancholy, and hope, painting a broad emotional landscape.
A Grand Journey
Release Date: September 10, 2021
Catalog Number: NV6367
Catalog Number: NV6367
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Piano
Piano Trio
Inspired by traditional melodies and cultural flavors, A GRAND JOURNEY gives us contemporary chamber works by Richard E Brown, Ovidiu Marinescu, and Mark G. Simon. Performed by internationally acclaimed Trio Casals, these distinct works immerse listeners in varying motifs drawn from diverse cultures, simulating a journey of melodic Korean folk patterns, Greek mythological icons, Irish fiddling, tango, and sensations garnered from the Black Sea and English countryside.
Moto Eterno
Release Date: March 26, 2021
Catalog Number: NV6341
Catalog Number: NV6341
21st Century
Chamber
Piano Trio
Ten international composers showcase their respective styles on MOTO ETERNO, the latest installment of NAVONA's successful MOTO chamber music series. Like the previous MOTO releases, MOTO ETERNO is the result of a wide-ranging Call For Scores and a scrupulous selection process. Acclaimed piano trio Trio Casals (Ovidiu Marinescu, cello; Alexandr Kislitsyn, violin; Anna Kislitsyna, piano), masterfully perform their favorite picks.
Through Glass
Release Date: June 12, 2020
Catalog Number: NV6289
Catalog Number: NV6289
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Piano
Piano Trio
Navona Records presents some of the finest American voices of modern serious music on THROUGH GLASS, a brand-new compilation of recently-created works for piano – both solo and in chamber setups.
Moto Celeste
Release Date: January 24, 2020
Catalog Number: NV6266
Catalog Number: NV6266
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Cello
Piano Trio
In MOTO CELESTE, the fifth installment in Navona Records’ MOTO series, the internationally-acclaimed Trio Casals takes on eight new works by eight preeminent composers. It is an electrifying collection, full of drama and adventure. The compositions borrow from an eclectic array of musical traditions, including rhumba and flamenco music. MOTO CELESTE is forged into a cohesive work by the trio’s sensitive and highly-organic performances.
Moto Quarto
Release Date: July 12, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6237
Catalog Number: NV6237
21st Century
Chamber
String Quartet
Acclaimed international piano trio Trio Casals makes a triumphant return with the fourth installment of Navona Records' MOTO series, zestfully interpreting nine new American compositions – virtually all of them either tailor-made or arranged for the ensemble. The opening track, Three for Three by David Nisbet Stewart, could almost be considered a neoclassical piano trio – if you're thinking along the lines of Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges. Like his Russian predecessor, Stewart chose to endow his composition with a perspicacious structure, along which the motives and modulations climb like vines on a trellis.
Moto Bello
Release Date: May 11, 2018
Catalog Number: NV6156
Catalog Number: NV6156
21st Century
Chamber
Piano Trio
Navona Records and the acclaimed ensemble Trio Casals proudly present MOTO BELLO, the next chapter in the moving series that brought 2015’s MOTO CONTINUO and MOTO PERPETUO in 2013. Living up to its name, MOTO BELLO, or “beautiful motion,” is a collection celebrating the synergy of Trio Casals and the vibrant works of ten contemporary composers including Diane Jones, Beth Mehocic, David N. Stewart, Sidney Bailin, L Peter Deutsch, Giovanni Piacentini, Adrienne Albert, Clive Muncaster, Joanne D. Carey, and Bruce Babcock.
The Sea Knows
Release Date: July 14, 2017
Catalog Number: NV6111
Catalog Number: NV6111
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Cello
Viola
Violin
Michael Kurek’s PARMA Recordings debut, THE SEA KNOWS, is a charming collection of works written with an emphasis on that which is beautiful and emotive. Composing in a tonal idiom reminiscent of the great melodists of the early 20th century, Kurek creates music that tugs at the heartstrings without ever pandering, that is rich in emotive content without feeling sugary. The works on THE SEA KNOWS plumb the depths of musical sensitivity and will appeal to anyone who listens to music seeking intimacy and an emotionally-grounded experience.
The Vocal Music Of Alan Beeler
Release Date: July 8, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6049
Catalog Number: NV6049
21st Century
Liturgical
Vocal Music
Choir
Voice
The music of Alan Beeler (1939-2016) is frequently a compact, tightly focused one, presenting sharp contrasts of color and mood in the context of clear, direct compositional structures. Although noticeably influenced by artistic movements in Europe and America during the first half of the 20th century, Beeler’s musical voice is an identifiable one – crisp, bold, and pointedly quirky.
Dream Vapors
Release Date: February 12, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6025
Catalog Number: NV6025
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Music can possess the power to take hold of our emotions, guiding us along an imagined journey that stirs our inner being, a concurrently unique and familiar experience. New York composer Rain Worthington writes music to captivate the listener, creating textural and lyrical worlds that are inhabited by various colors and tones. On DREAM VAPORS, her full-length solo debut on Navona Records, the composer offers a selection of her orchestral works, presenting intense dreams, intangible perceptions, and musically evocative elaborations.
Moto Continuo
Release Date: July 10, 2015
Catalog Number: NV6003
Catalog Number: NV6003
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Cello
Piano Trio
Praised for his "bold and expressive" playing (Gramophone Magazine), cellist Ovidiu Marinescu and Navona Records present MOTO CONTINUO, a collection of six contemporary solo cello and piano trio works - from the intense, dark, and expressive to the calm, light, and austere - performed by Marinescu and his colleagues from Trio Casals, violinist Sylvia Ahramjian and pianist Anna Kislitsyna.
PARMA Music Festival Live 2014
Release Date: June 9, 2015
Catalog Number: NV6002
Catalog Number: NV6002
21st Century
Chamber
Orchestral
Cello
Orchestra
14 concerts, 12 venues, 4 days. The 2014 PARMA Music Festival featured a diverse range of events, from concert performances of orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and jazz groups, to an outdoor presentation of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and panel discussions about music licensing and multimedia composition, as well as improvised collaborations between indie rockers and classical instrumentalists.
Paragonia
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Catalog Number: NV5982
Catalog Number: NV5982
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Piano
Trumpet
On his latest Navona Records release, PARAGONIA, composer Michael G. Cunningham explores ways in which the orchestra can interact with itself on several levels. Counter Currents presents contrary phrases and themes simultaneously stated while TransActions portrays dimensions of density, emphasizing orchestral blur and presenting gestures and passages that prompt interplay between the sections of the orchestra.
PARMA Music Festival Live 2013
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Catalog Number: NV5950
Catalog Number: NV5950
21st Century
Jazz
Orchestral
Cello
Electronic
Orchestra
10 concerts, 7 venues, 3 days. The inaugural PARMA Music Festival in 2013 featured more than 100 composers and performers in works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and jazz groups, as well as improvised collaborations between indie rockers and classical instrumentalists. This release collects some of the finest performances from the Festival, as recorded by the PARMA Recordings production team.
Moto Perpetuo
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Catalog Number: NV5901
Catalog Number: NV5901
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Cello
Piano Trio
Here at Navona, we believe that despite varied influences, styles, and techniques, contemporary works by a variety of carefully selected composers can unite to represent the classical landscape as a whole. On MOTO PERPETUO, a collection of moving works for cello by March, Bartholomew, Beeler, Sherrill, Gottschalk, and Ascioti, the music is bound by the instruments simultaneous steadfastness and adaptability and the composers' shared ability to seize and control the instruments expressive timbre and range.
New York Moments
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Catalog Number: NV5888
Catalog Number: NV5888
21st Century
Chamber
Cello
Clarinet
Oboe
Navona Records is proud to present the Tapestry Ensemble's NEW YORK MOMENTS. Oboist Richard Kravchak, clarinetist Julia Heinen, cellist Ovidiu Marinescu, and pianist Dmitry Rachmanov bring their varied experiences to the table to create a dynamic and versatile group whose collaboration led to the creation of a new subgenre of chamber music.
La Leyenda del Kakuy
Release Date: September 1, 2012
Catalog Number: NV5882
Catalog Number: NV5882
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Piano
Violin
LA LEYENDA DEL KAKUY is the latest Navona release from acclaimed Spanish composer Osias Wilenski. Lauded for his compositional style by Gramophone, Audiophile Audition, and more, Wilenski's unique works range from narrative symphonic poems to operatic spin-offs to instrumental miniatures.
Fine Music, Vol. 2
Release Date: May 1, 2011
Catalog Number: NV5851
Catalog Number: NV5851
Orchestral
Solo Instrumental
Cello
Piano Trio
String Orchestra
FINE MUSIC, VOL. II is the second compilation of the Navona Records Fine Music digital series. This installment features the works of Marinescu, Barber, Evans, Elizondo, Zaimont, Nagorcka, Hofmeyr, Wilenski, Stölzel, Bakker and Sackman. This collection both highlights some of Navona's choicest tracks and offers a preview of things to come.
Light and Shadow
Release Date: April 1, 2011
Catalog Number: NV5847
Catalog Number: NV5847
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Light and Shadow is an all-new collection of modern orchestral works from composers Adrienne Albert, Daniel Perttu, Rain Worthington, Rebecca Oswald, Russ Lombardi and Tadd Russo. The works on this disc range from a musical depiction of the imagery of war to the representation of the impressionistic logic of dreams to a bold, tonal piece inspired by a property dispute. With all tracks shorter than nine minutes, this collection offers a succinct and powerful view into the world of modern orchestral composition.
Bach Cello Suites
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Catalog Number: NV5840
Catalog Number: NV5840
Baroque
Cello
BACH CELLO SUITES is a two-disc release from native Romanian cellist Ovidiu Marinescu featuring Johann Sebastian Bach's 6 Suites for Violoncello Solo. Representing the pinnacle of solo cello repertory, the suites on this disc were composed in 1721/22 in Cöthen, Germany. Bach's cello suites follow the trend that developed in mid-18th century German-speaking countries, in which a suite consisted of four stylized dances: the allemande, courante, sarabande and gigue.
Continuum
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Catalog Number: NV5836
Catalog Number: NV5836
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
CONTINUUM features the modern orchestral works of Stephen "Lucky" Mosko, Tim Sullivan, Dan Crozier, and Michael G. Cunningham. From Mosko is the premier recording of Transliminal Music, one of only three of the composer's orchestral works. From Sullivan is Polychrome, a piece based in instrumental colors that finds the perfect balance between experimentalism and accessibility. From Crozier is Fairy Tale, an "opera scene without words" that explores the narrative power of music. From Cunningham is TransActions, which is driven by actions, gestures, and lines on one orchestra level bringing about reactions on other levels.
