• 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.

  • Formika

    Catalog #: NV6129

    Release Date: February 9, 2018

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Piano
    Saxophone
    Wind Ensemble

    Mexican composer Felipe Pérez Santiago introduces the follow up to his 2013 album, Mantis with his first Navona release, FORMIKA, an album of chamber music. Pérez Santiago continues his series with a vast notational layering and timing propelled by traditional instrumentation. Masterful playing by choice ensembles like Tamayo and Onix, create a particularly kaleidoscopic nostalgia in this pitching album.

  • I Give You My Home

    Catalog #: NV6513

    Release Date: March 10, 2023

    21st Century
    Opera
    Percussion
    Saxophone
    Voice

    I GIVE YOU MY HOME is a site-specific chamber opera inspired by Rose Standish Nichols and the Nichols House Museum in Boston MA that premiered June 3, 2022. This elegant new opera paints a portrait of Rose, a professional Bostonian woman, and highlights her professional work as a landscape architect as well as her efforts to affect change through activism in the Women’s Peace Movement and Women’s Suffrage. Soprano Aliana de la Guardia portrays Rose in this opera, and is joined by saxophonist Philipp A. Stäudlin and percussionist Mike Williams.

  • Inner Music

    Catalog #: NV5954

    Release Date: June 1, 2014

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Piano
    Saxophone

    On his debut release on Navona Records, INNER MUSIC, composer Ruud van Eeten presents three works that highlight the refinement and control evident in his compositional style. Throughout the four movements of Piano Quintet No. 1, the composer adds no excess; every note has a role. Yet the piece exudes emotion, particularly the second movement which develops a deep sense of longing.

  • Light & Shadows, Waves & Time

    Catalog #: NV6154

    Release Date: April 13, 2018

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Clarinet
    Saxophone
    Wind Ensemble

    An exploration of the unique timbral characteristics and technical extensions of wind instruments, Gregory Wanamaker’s LIGHT AND SHADOWS, WAVES AND TIME is comprised of eight compositions that collectively illustrate the composer’s ability to integrate various genre influences into a distinctive whole. His music has been lauded as “pure gold, shot through with tenderness and grace” by the San Francisco Chronicle and “achingly beautiful” by the Palm Beach Daily News.

  • Motion Studies

    Catalog #: NV6614

    Release Date: April 5, 2024

    21st Century
    Vocal Music
    Choir
    Saxophone

    The Crossing, conducted by Donald Nally, returns to Navona Records with MOTION STUDIES, performing works by commissioned artist Justine Chen’s Shallow Breath and Stealth and commissioned artist Nicholas Cline’s watershed. Reflecting on a culture where data mining and government traceability have become normalized to the point of population complacency, Chen encapsulates the dissecting points of poet Jena Osman’s musings on the 21st-century reframing of paranoia, privacy, and the pervasive desire to run away from the data that follows us. Evidence of these reflections is present in the tittering, whispering, and often frantic conveyances of the ensemble in an unnerving collection of sequences that paint an antagonistic image of the modern machine. watershed designates motion as boundary rather than as escape: the movement of water as a crux point of political power and community resource. Joined by Matthew Levy on tenor sax, the ensemble ebbs with lap and flow as the American history of water is sung and dictated, leading the question of the damage nationalistic attitudes towards shared water resources have caused to our environment. A 2024 Best Choral Performance GRAMMY® nominee and multi-GRAMMY® winning ensemble, The Crossing continually proves itself to be at the forefront of new choral literature and performance. MOTION STUDIES is a release not to be missed.

  • Old & New Poetry

    Catalog #: NV6342

    Release Date: June 11, 2021

    21st Century
    Vocal Music
    Clarinet
    Saxophone
    Voice

    Carl Vollrath’s OLD AND NEW POETRY from Navona Records is a lovingly-prepared setting of the works of seminal poets William Blake and Sara Teasdale, as well as the contemporary writer John Gracen Brown. The verses chosen by Vollrath—including such varied selections as Blake’s “The Fly,” Teasdale’s “Dusk In War Time,” and Brown’s “The Coming of a Summer Rainstorm”—all reflect the composer’s belief in the interdependency of all life on earth. Employing piano, saxophone, and mezzo-soprano, Vollrath thoughtfully pushes tonal boundaries in response to the poetic language.

  • Prisma

    Catalog #: NV6141

    Release Date: February 9, 2018

    21st Century
    Orchestral
    Orchestra
    Saxophone

    Navona Records is proud to present PRISMA, a compilation featuring four contemporary composers from the United States and England including Lionel Sainsbury, Clive Muncaster, Patricia Julien, and J. A. Kawarsky. PRISMA spans the spectrum of unique styles of composition, from the grandiose and triumphant to the fragile and tender. This compilation captures a journey through colorful orchestral elements in a singular listening experience that builds into a thrilling sound.

  • Rise

    Catalog #: NV6416

    Release Date: April 22, 2022

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Large Ensemble
    Percussion
    Saxophone

    On RISE: MUSIC IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY, composer David Colson employs conventional and innovative chamber combinations alike to express a wide array of emotional content. Drawing upon years of experience as a performer, conductor, and composer, his command over the music and ability to adapt is present on each piece. How We Change for brass quintet pays homage to a dear friend with quick-changing tempos and unequal phrases, which represent the flood of emotions caused by sudden loss. The Wind Is Rising, the Earth lets itself be inhaled for bassoon and percussion, simultaneously primitive and cosmic, calls for respect for the earth. The micro-concerto RISE for piano and percussion quartet highlights various percussion elements to emphasize the performers’ skill and versatility. Finally, Dionysian Mysteries, composed freeform with minimal methodology, allows the saxophone quartet to plumb the depths of their instruments’ capabilities to render raw, emotional sound.

  • Romance al Campesino Porteño

    Catalog #: NV6516

    Release Date: May 26, 2023

    20th Century
    21st Century
    Chamber
    Piano
    Saxophone

    Navona Records is proud to present ROMANCE AL CAMPESINO PORTEÑO, an album threading saxophonist José Antonio Zayas Cabán’s childhood memories with music both old and new. The tunes of his childhood and his culture sonically surround a newly-composed piece, the GRAMMY®-nominated El País Invisible, that addresses Puerto Rico’s political status as a commonwealth of the United States Empire. Featuring Miguel Zenón, Ryan Smith, Casey Rafn, and Zayas Cabán himself, ROMANCE AL CAMPESINO PORTEÑO explores the textures of Puerto Rico and Latin America, and the sounds of both struggle and celebration. “ROMANCE AL CAMPESINO PORTEÑO is an artful scream into the void of forgetting,” says essayist Katheryn Lawson. “We hope you will listen. We hope you will remember.”

  • Saxophone Concerto

    Catalog #: NV5848

    Release Date: April 1, 2011

    21st Century
    Concertos
    Orchestra
    Saxophone

    Saxophone Concerto is the latest release from renowned composer Lee Actor, featuring five compositions: Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra (2009), which exploits the considerable dramatic and expressive possibilities of the saxophone; Dance Rhapsody (2010) for orchestra, which consists of several strongly rhythmic dance sections interspersed with two slower, nonrhythmic interludes; Concerto for Horn and Orchestra (2007), a work of compact dimensions, consisting of three movements; Opening Remarks (2009), a brisk, upbeat, 6-minute work for orchestra designed as a concert opener; and Celebration Overture (2007), a joyous and invigorating piece with instrumentation similar to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Actor's music is filled with rhythmic drive and shows a superb ear for orchestral color, and he is able to create music that catches the ear and draws the listener into a world of emotion and drama.

  • Second Flight

    Catalog #: NV6634

    Release Date: June 14, 2024

    21st Century
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano
    Saxophone

    Saxophonist 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.

  • Second Wind

    Catalog #: NV6253

    Release Date: December 13, 2019

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Flute
    Piano
    Saxophone

    Saxophonist Dave Camwell's interpretations on SECOND WIND impressively demonstrate the capabilities of the instrument in music spanning three centuries. SECOND WIND presents a wide selection of saxophone music: a J. S. Bach partita with piano accompaniment added by Robert Schumann, a Vivaldi concerto, a Händel sonata, but also several contemporary, tonal saxophone compositions.

  • Spoon Hanging From My Nose

    Catalog #: NV6194

    Release Date: November 9, 2018

    21st Century
    Romantic
    Chamber
    Large Ensemble
    Saxophone
    String Orchestra

    SPOON HANGING FROM MY NOSE, the debut album by composer J.A. Kawarsky, combines spirit and wit with compositions that dance between tender and strikingly agitated. With works for orchestra, some composed by Kawarsky and others originally by Brahms but arranged and reimagined by Kawarsky, the album as a whole is a triumphant entrance into the full album release for the composer.

  • Starry Night

    Catalog #: NV5844

    Release Date: March 1, 2011

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Orchestral
    Clarinet
    Orchestra
    Saxophone

    STARRY NIGHT is the latest release from Hawaii-based composer John A. Carollo. This release features compositions that span a decade, including the concert band version of Transcendence in the Age of War, previously released on the Navona label. Carollo's skillful representations of fear, suffering and sadness, as well as enthusiasm and determination, are on full display as he takes us through the course of emotion. From orchestra pieces to works for saxophone quartet, Carollo is able to capture the essence of what it means to be human.

  • Stories Out of Cherry Stems

    Catalog #: NV6424

    Release Date: May 13, 2022

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Vocal Music
    Cello
    Saxophone
    Voice

    Composer Peter Dayton and Navona Records present STORIES OUT OF CHERRY STEMS, an album of original vocal chamber music with carefully curated texts spanning multiple centuries. Soprano Katie Procell and numerous selected performers navigate a persistent tension between simplicity and complexity delicately threaded throughout the program, providing a solid stage for the texts of notable poets Pablo Neruda, Oscar Wilde, and more. The strengths of vocal and instrumental chamber music merge into a cohesive powerhouse in this recording, brimming with sung stories that compliment Dayton’s compositional style.

  • Sustain Vol. 2

    Catalog #: NV6345

    Release Date: April 23, 2021

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano
    Piano Trio
    Saxophone

    Two years after the release of SUSTAIN comes the long-anticipated follow-up, SUSTAIN VOL. 2. This fresh collection of works centered around the piano includes a range of contemporary compositional styles: tonal, atonal, and everything in between. This volume features a new cast of composers and performers, with contributions by Sarah Wallin-Huff, Karen Tarlow, Chen-Hsin Su, Bill Sherrill, Jim Puckett, Ron Nagorcka, Gordon Monahan, Kenneth A. Kuhn, Santiago Kodela, John Craven, and John A. Carollo. The album’s varied soundscapes and arrangements—including solo piano, piano and saxophone, and piano and strings—constantly surprise and delight the ear. A fitting sequel to the first installment, SUSTAIN VOL. 2 is steeped in the dynamic complexity piano music offers.

  • The Bright and Rushing World

    Catalog #: NV5955

    Release Date: March 1, 2014

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Jazz
    Percussion
    Saxophone
    Trumpet

    The Navona Records debut from chamber-jazz group Douglas Detrick's AnyWhen Ensemble features composer and trumpeter Douglas Detrick's ten-movement suite, The Bright and Rushing World, commissioned by Chamber Music America. This work, which George Grella called "impressively clear, inventive and compelling," (Big City Blog, 2.4.14) is not a pastiche of styles, but a thoughtfully-constructed hybrid of music with a unique and personal sensibility inspired by sources as diverse as Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Benjamin Britten and Igor Stravinsky.

  • The Conscious Sleepwalker

    Catalog #: NV5870

    Release Date: March 1, 2012

    21st Century
    Concertos
    Orchestral
    Orchestra
    Saxophone

    Through his Argentinean tango-infused classical works, composer Alejandro Rutty has carved an original, unique niche in classical music, blending tango, electronic, and classical elements into a cohesive whole. On the multifarious THE CONSCIOUS SLEEPWALKER, his first album on Navona Records, Rutty presents works for saxophone quartet and orchestra that explore concepts ranging from explorations of tango within pop culture of the future to half-dreams versus fictional reality.

  • The Eloquent Saxophone

    Catalog #: NV6158

    Release Date: May 11, 2018

    20th Century
    Chamber
    Piano
    Saxophone

    Navona Records is proud to announce the re-release of David Tanner's 1988 album THE ELOQUENT SAXOPHONE. Tanner is no Stranger to Navona; his compositions and arrangements can be heard on two other Navona releases: Of Birds and Lemons (2012) and Dashing (2016). This was his first album, featuring him as a performer. It includes two unaccompanied pieces and two sax quartets recorded by multi-tracking, as well as a rich variety of works with accompaniment admirably rendered by pianist Marc Widner. The music ranges from Schumann to a stylized blues by Gene DiNovi.