Release Date: September 9, 2016
Catalog #: NV6057
Format: Digital & Physical
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Guitar
Wind Ensemble

Between The Echoes

Contemporary Chamber Works

Daniel Burwasser composer
Allan Crossman composer
David Devasto composer
Michael Lee composer
Georges Raillard composer

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.

For some pieces on the album, musical tradition is a source of inspiration. Burwasser’s colorful woodwind quintet Whirlwind imbues a familiar instrument group and classical forms with imaginative, lyrical melodies, culminating in a distinctly Haydn-esque finale. In his dramatic and spontaneous Florébius for violin and piano, Crossman weaves new interactions between Schumann’s favorite characters, the introverted Eusebius and the extroverted Florestan—“one within the other, one lurking behind the other, each ready to take center-stage.” Elsewhere, tradition is gleefully thrown to the wind—such as with Lee’s stunning Farewell… for string quartet, with its ever-shifting rhythms, timbres, and moods. In an intensely personal musical display, Raillard’s melancholic Sinking Islands for solo guitar uses interconnecting minimalist figures to meditate on mortality. DeVasto’s lush trio His Branches Run Over The Wall for violin, cello, and piano is inspired by the biblical account of the dream interpreter Joseph, conjuring an entangled web of melodies and harmonies to create a “musical dreamscape”—one of several new and familiar sound worlds to be found on the album.

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Artist Information

Daniel Burwasser

Composer

Daniel Burwasser, born in New Brunswick NJ, is an American composer who has been writing and playing music since the age of 5. Originally a student of the piano, he eventually progressed to other forms of percussion, including drum set and orchestral percussion. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Temple University, a Master of Arts degree from Rutgers University, and his Ph.D. in Composition from the Graduate School of CUNY. He is a recipient of grants from both The American Music Center and Meet the Composer.

Allan Crossman

Composer

Allan Crossman has had the great pleasure to write for soloists and ensembles worldwide, including many commissions and awards. Millennium Overture appeared on the eponymous GRAMMY-nominated album from North/South Consonance; Music for Human Choir shared Top Honors at the Waging Peace Through Singing Festival in Oregon; Flyer, for cello solo and string orchestra, was written in 2003 for the centenary of the first Wright Brothers flight and premiered/recorded by the North/South Chamber Orchestra (NYC) under Max Lifchitz, with cellist Nina Flyer.

David DeVasto

Composer

David DeVasto (b.1979) has presented works in the United States and Europe; including The IAEF International Summer Arts Institute, The Council for Undergraduate Research, Society of Composers, Charlotte New Music Festival, Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers, Electronic Music Midwest, The Iowa Composers Forum, Nevada Encounters of New Music, and The Electro-Acoustic Juke Joint.

Michael Lee

Composer

Michael M. Lee is a composer and teacher with a background in composition, theory, post-tonal analysis, and musicianship, and is a graduate of the U.S.C. Thornton School of Music (D.M.A.), Juilliard (M.M.), and Eastman (B.M.). Born in Atlanta GA, and raised in Maryland, he was first introduced to classical music through the trumpet. He can play the piano and took several private lessons in classical guitar at the Peabody Institute in Maryland before starting his bachelor's degree in composition. His music can be heard on Spotify and Apple Music and purchased on iTunes, Naxos, or Amazon. He is currently residing and teaching in Southern California.

Georges Raillard

Composer

Georges Raillard was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1957, where he completed his education, culminating in studying foreign languages at the University of Basel. From 1983 to 2001 he resided in Madrid, Spain, where he worked as a language teacher, translator, and writer. From 2001 to 2019 he worked as a writer, composer, translator, and archivist, mainly in Basel. Returning to Madrid in 2019, he has since been focusing on his artistic endeavors.