• Ask of Me What the Birds Sang

    Catalog #: NV6481

    Release Date: December 9, 2022

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Vocal Music
    Flute
    Guitar
    Voice

    Modern traditionalist composer Garth Baxter’s album ASK OF ME WHAT THE BIRDS SANG presents a wide variety of instrumental works as well as vocal music; each of these unique pieces has a special connection with a song. When Lights Begin to Show, for example, includes a musical quote from “Afternoon on a Hill,” which is the first song in Three Poems from Edna St. Vincent Millay. The songs referenced sometimes come from earlier works by Baxter or borrow from folk music. An unabashedly lyrical composer, Baxter combines the traditions of form and clear melodic writing with contemporary approaches to harmony and other elements.

  • Beneath the Tide

    Catalog #: NV6216

    Release Date: March 8, 2019

    21st Century
    Concertos
    Orchestral
    Clarinet
    Guitar
    String Orchestra

    PARMA Recordings, together with the esteemed Croatian Chamber Orchestra, is proud to release BENEATH THE TIDE, a reflection on human emotion and experience through a collection of five concertos. As the title suggests, BENEATH THE TIDE looks under the surface, examining underlying human realities that rise to the surface with the arrival of life’s changes.

  • Between The Echoes

    Catalog #: NV6057

    Release Date: September 9, 2016

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Guitar
    Wind Ensemble

    Navona’s latest compilation release, BETWEEN THE ECHOES, showcases selected recent chamber works, expressing the common theme of recollections and interpretations of past experiences. Moving across the spectrums of moods and dramatics, each piece brings a harmonic resolution to its soulful journey. This album joins multiple personalities in a collection of propulsive musical expression.

  • Between Worlds

    Catalog #: NV6224

    Release Date: April 26, 2019

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Electronic
    Flute
    Guitar

    Composed almost entirely in 2018 and performed by composer Giovanni Piacentini, the music on BETWEEN WORLDS serves as a brand-new snapshot of a musician's prowess at the height of his creative capabilities. In an age where the musician-composer is a dying breed in the realm of so-called "serious" music, Piacentini brings a breath of fresh air in a multitude of ways. There is no doubt that his astounding technical skill as a guitarist deeply informs his compositions, and the effect is nothing short of breathtaking. Strikingly, even when employing modern elements – such as adding electronics – Piacentini resolutely resists the temptation of putting trendy, cheap showmanship over the soul of the music. The guitar, the mainspring of musical expression, remains paramount and prominent, always. And, thanks to the composer's talent for lyricism, structure, and depth, this pays off. Immensely.

  • Breakthrough

    Catalog #: NV6457

    Release Date: October 14, 2022

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Clarinet
    Guitar

    The repertoire for clarinet and guitar has traditionally been very limited. Or at least it was, until creative clarinet-guitar duo Jâca entered the stage. Comprised of Canadian clarinetist Wesley Ferreira and American guitarist Jaxon Williams, this spirited duo explores and expands the vast potential of this rare combination of instruments on their aptly-named album BREAKTHROUGH.

  • Butterflies in the Labrynth of Silence

    Catalog #: NV6071

    Release Date: January 13, 2017

    21st Century
    Solo Instrumental
    Guitar

    In his second project with PARMA Recordings, Swiss composer Georges Raillard gifts us with 12 solo classical guitar compositions on BUTTERFLIES IN THE LABYRINTH OF SILENCE, all performed by renowned guitarist David William Ross.

    The album follows the Sinking Islands suite, Raillard’s first project with PARMA Recordings, which appeared on BETWEEN THE ECHOES, a Navona Records compilation album featuring chamber works.

  • Chiaroscuro

    Catalog #: NV6097

    Release Date: May 12, 2017

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Clarinet
    Guitar
    Violin

    Global guitarist and composer Giovanni Piacentini’s talents as a dual-threat musician are on full display on CHIAROSCURO, his debut album. He wrote all these works themed around his instrument of choice, and his playing appears on two pieces – Miniatures, for guitar and chamber ensemble, and a solo guitar performance on the title track. Yet, even on the tracks where he does not perform, the composer’s voice remains ever-present, namely in each work’s reverberant use of space.

  • Chinoiserie

    Catalog #: NV6417

    Release Date: April 8, 2022

    21st Century
    Chamber
    East Asian
    Guitar

    A true melding of Eastern and Western cultures, Duo Chinoiserie’s CHINOISERIE combines the Chinese guzheng and European classical guitar to create an inspired new canon of classical repertoire. A bold and carefully handpicked selection of compositions—including new arrangements of Granados, de Falla, and Debussy alongside a transcription of Goss and new works by Assad, Duplessy, and Nakanishi—explores the instruments’ dialogue and complementary textures while uniting contrasting musical styles into a cohesive, well-defined whole. As the guzheng’s crisp, plucky clarity interplays with the guitar’s chords, even the most well-known classical pieces become fresh and energized, born anew with a unique and visionary sound.

  • Daytime & Night Songs

    Catalog #: NV6256

    Release Date: October 25, 2019

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Vocal Music
    Cello
    Guitar
    Voice

    Composer Mira J. Spektor presents both sensitivity and passion in her new album DAYTIME & NIGHT SONGS. She combines masterful, original compositions with thought-provoking poetry written by a number of artists.

  • Dedications: New Works for the Lute

    Catalog #: NV6422

    Release Date: May 27, 2022

    21st Century
    Solo Instrumental
    Guitar

    DEDICATIONS: NEW WORKS FOR THE LUTE from early music specialist and lutenist Laudon Schuett celebrates the history of the lute while contributing fresh music to the instrument’s centuries-old repertoire. In this album, Schuett, who has been praised for his “immaculate articulation and sensitive phrasing” (Fanfare), imagines himself a well-traveled and long-lived lutenist, composing and performing works that range in period and style; some pieces may sound Italian from the 1530s while others sound English from the 1590s. Schuett’s performances include contrapuntal fantasies, dances, and grounds, giving listeners the chance to more fully understand the instrument’s history and sheer versatility. In DEDICATIONS: NEW WORKS FOR THE LUTE, Schuett is both a performer and an educator, opening up the world of early music for connoisseurs and new fans alike.

  • Dimensions Vol. 2

    Catalog #: NV6251

    Release Date: October 11, 2019

    21st Century
    Orchestral
    Guitar
    Orchestra
    Voice

    Beginning as a single spark of inspiration, the orchestral work blossoms into something transcendentally grand and organically rich. DIMENSIONS VOL 2, the second in Navona Records’ series for orchestra, presents five organically inspired compositions, with music that is as multidimensional and richly textured as the subject matter is multifaceted. Traverse through each unique work and witness what vast results can be drawn from the creative mind.

  • Exhaling Space

    Catalog #: NV6145

    Release Date: March 9, 2018

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Guitar
    Saxophone
    String Quartet

    With EXHALING SPACE, Alejandro Rutty and his cast of remarkable performers create one hour of fresh, captivating music combining Latin and world music styles with the classical tradition. With tracks like the futuristic tango Martian Milonga and the meditative More Music for Examining and Buying Merchandise, Rutty composes the album like a breathing exercise, taking in an anxious pace in one movement, and then in the next, letting the melodies exhale gently through the piece.

  • Fading Sounds

    Catalog #: NV6426

    Release Date: May 27, 2022

    21st Century
    Solo Instrumental
    Guitar

    On FADING SOUNDS, composer Georges Raillard turns a creative eye towards the simple wonders of the world with a deep appreciation for the fleetingness of each moment. The aptly titled album presents 10 works for solo guitar, each of which take full advantage of the instrument’s tone and timbre. As the pieces conjure images and memories of landscapes, experiences, and thoughts, every cheerful chord, harmonic passage, and lyrical progression inevitably ends with a haunting resonance that leaves the ear wanting more. The compositions are dexterously played by guitarist David William Ross, whose gentle confidence on the instrument lets Raillard’s musical ideas ring out with clarity and precision.

  • Figments Vol. 2

    Catalog #: NV6259

    Release Date: November 15, 2019

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Guitar
    Saxophone
    String Quartet

    FIGMENTS 2, which follows the success of 2016’s FIGMENTS, is a compendium of chamber music that sparks the imagination. The album features the works of Yuan-Chen Li, Peter Dayton, Hans Bakker, Navid Bargrizan, and Charles Corey—innovative composers whose works draw inspiration from the world around them, be it the tribal dances of indigenous peoples, art history, 16th-century keyboard music, the science of acoustics, or the idiosyncrasies of language.

  • Flights of Fancy

    Catalog #: NV6323

    Release Date: November 13, 2020

    20th Century
    21st Century
    Chamber
    Flute
    Guitar
    Saxophone

    Fusing European and American musical traditions, the album pairs the excitement of rock and jazz rhythms with classical orchestral and chamber music forms.

  • Folksongs

    Folksongs

    Catalog #: NV6546

    Release Date: August 25, 2023

    20th Century
    Chamber
    Vocal Music
    Guitar
    Voice

    In FOLKSONGS from Duo Apollon, soprano Anastasia Malliaras and classical guitarist Aaron Haas conjure up portrayals of folksongs from around the world, traversing the Greek islands, Spain, England, and France. With this collection of popular songs, reimagined by 20th century composers, Duo Apollon invites us into the intimate, bare, and familiar sound of the guitar and voice duo. Join the duo on a musical journey into compositions by Ravel, de Falla, Britten, and Seiber, across cultures and languages, and into the heart of folklife.

  • Impressions of Spain

    Catalog #: NV6430

    Release Date: May 20, 2022

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Guitar

    On IMPRESSIONS OF SPAIN from Navona Records, the critically acclaimed guitar trio enchants and excites with their performance of Spanish-influenced works from master composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Arranged and adapted for guitar trio by Gregg Nestor, the unexplored repertoire of five composers cascades across guitar frets in this recording, communicating themes of love, poetry and literature, spanish dance, and the spirit of Spain itself through music. Experience the works of Isaac Albéniz, Maurice Ravel, Enrique Granados, Joaquín Turina, and Manuel de Falla through a new and virtuosic voice.

  • Letters To a Young Poet

    Catalog #: NV5980

    Release Date: November 11, 2014

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Guitar
    String Orchestra
    String Quartet

    On his debut Navona Records release, LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET, composer Mark Zanter presents recently commissioned chamber works for strings. The inspiration for the title track comes from Rainer Maria Rilke's letters to Franz Xaver Kappus, a correspondence in which his encouragement to a young poet becomes a vehicle for expressing his thoughts on the creative process and the transcendent qualities of art.

  • Marta, The Tempest

    Catalog #: NV6479

    Release Date: February 3, 2023

    20th Century
    Romantic
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Guitar
    Piano

    Every pianist makes a piece their own, adding flourishes and signature accents, but Marta Brankovich takes artistic interpretation to a new level. Leveraging her passion and irreplicable touch on the piano, the black swan of piano conjures an unforgettable storm on MARTA, THE TEMPEST. This long-awaited exploratory deep-dive into the classical canon delivers fresh interpretations of works by Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Kaufman, Jirásek, and Webber, complete with a solo piano composition by Brankovich herself that offers an inside look into her artistic emergence. Weaving themes of adversity, opposing forces, and oneness with a profoundly emotive approach, Brankovich delivers a powerful program in this Navona Records release.

  • Mi Palpita il Cor

    Catalog #: NV6056

    Release Date: October 14, 2016

    Baroque
    Chamber
    Guitar
    Violin

    MI PALPITA IL COR: BAROQUE PASSIONS is a compelling journey into the rich corners of the mid- and late-Baroque period. Featuring an array of thrilling instrumental and vocal compositions, the album is driven by the performances of French-Canadian soprano Dominique Labelle and American early music ensemble Musica Pacifica, founded in 1990, based in San Francisco, and whose playing has been called “a small miracle of precision and musical electricity” by the Washington Post.