Second Flight
Catalog #: NV6634
Release Date: June 14, 2024
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalPianoSaxophoneSaxophonist Dan Goble and pianist Russell Hirshfield join forces on SECOND FLIGHT to deliver virtuosic performances of works by a variety of today’s leading composers, several of them winners of GRAMMY® awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and more. The title track is Joan Tower’s exhilarating sequel to the popular clarinet piece Wings; written explicitly for the saxophone, echoing the grandeur of flight and the vastness of the human spirit. Jennifer Higdon's dynamic Yes, No, Maybe? captivates with its intricate melodies and compelling rhythms, a testament to her mastery of contemporary composition. James David’s Pradakshina: Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano takes inspiration from the Buddhist architecture of Colorado’s Great Stupa, finding connection between the seemingly disparate composition and improvisation. Three-time Academy Award winner Philip Glass and Pulitzer Prize for Music laureate John Adams contribute pieces that resonate with depth and humanity, while critically-acclaimed composer David Biedenbender's Images offers a glimpse into the ethereal realms of dreams and imagination. Produced by multiple GRAMMY®-winner Judith Sherman, SECOND FLIGHT unites today’s foremost compositional figures with the inimitable talents of Goble and Hirshfield, who celebrate 20 years of collaboration in the arts with this release.
On an Overgrown Path
Catalog #: NV6640
Release Date: June 14, 2024
20th Century21st CenturySolo InstrumentalPianoON AN OVERGROWN PATH from pianist Jennifer Elowsky-Fox features music by composers Leoš Janáček and Larry Thomas Bell. Janáček gives the album its title piece, a programmatic work that evokes the composer’s memories from early 20th century Moravia. The piano cycle, performed with masterful sensitivity by Elowsky-Fox, blends the eastern and western cultural influences of the region. Based on hymn tunes included in Bell’s A Hymnbook for Congregational Singing, op. 169, Bell’s Piano Sonata No. 5, A Landscape of Small Ruins, op. 166, was composed in 2020 specifically for Elowsky-Fox. Her performances have been described in print as “buoyant”, “fun” and “gorgeous in all respects,” all sentiments that resonate in this Navona Records release.
Majestic Liszt
Catalog #: NV6632
Release Date: June 28, 2024
RomanticSolo InstrumentalPianoPiano visionary Sandrine Erdely-Sayo pays a dignified tribute to Maestro Franz Liszt in MAJESTIC LISZT, an intimate recording of some of his finest works. Having a deep respect and admiration since childhood, Erdely-Sayo pours every ounce of her being into capturing the contemplative and song-like quality that pervades Liszt’s middle-to-late repertoire. A rich and elegant session, it’s impossible not to be enraptured by her sensitive and languishing treatment in Consolations, nor her delicate attention to poetics in the melody lines of Ständchen and Romance in E Minor. Erdely-Sayo shines in the beloved Liebesträume, delivering an electrifying interpretation while still maintaining a dream-like musicality at its core. MAJESTIC LISZT is a perfect introduction to the Maestro’s oeuvre, catering to both devoted Liszt enthusiasts and those just starting to explore his music.
Oboe in Hues
Catalog #: NV6638
Release Date: June 28, 2024
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalOboeWhat do you get when a Puerto Rican-American oboist falls in love with the music of a French oboist-composer? The answer is OBOE IN HUES, on which accomplished oboe virtuoso Nermis Mieses champions rarely-heard compositions for solo oboe by Gilles Silvestrini with astounding empathy and bravado. Silvestrini may hark back to certain traditions by using Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and other Russians as sources of inspiration, but his musical concept is almost non-Western in its focus on exploiting the entire gamut of the instrument. Mieses excels at this challenge. An intriguing exploration of the oboe and all that it is capable of.