La Leyenda del Kakuy
Catalog #: NV5882
Release Date: September 1, 2012
21st CenturyChamberClarinetPianoViolinLA 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.
In Times Of Torment
Catalog #: NV6035
Release Date: April 8, 2016
21st CenturyChamberCelloString QuartetViolinIN TIMES OF TORMENT, from the late composer Yves Ramette (1921-2012), displays major themes from almost every single musical era. Composed from 1941-1944 in Paris during the Nazi occupation, the album presents a unique perspective from Ramette, breaking away from the virtuosic piano works found in his previous albums to showcase varying chamber ensembles. Although his sonatas were written for the virtuosic violin and cello, the piano continues to be highlighted throughout his pieces, making it more than an accompaniment, but rather a featured instrument.
In Tandem
Catalog #: NV6227
Release Date: May 24, 2019
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalClarinetPianoViolinIntroducing the album is Lee Actor’s Duo for Violin and Cello. The track, which won the Eva Thompson Phillips Award for Composition in 1979, is a short, textured, and powerful piece. In ABA form, the energy of the stringed instruments swings like a parabola from the height of sharp, angular rhythms down into deep and gentle expressions and builds up to a sharp, explosive climax.
Imagining Worlds
Catalog #: NV6592
Release Date: January 5, 2024
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalViolinPraised for her “incisive technique and an exceptionally rich and beautiful tone,” violinist Wanchi Huang performs a diverse range of compositions written by living composers on IMAGINING WORLDS from Navona Records. Huang’s virtuosic performance takes listeners on a dynamic voyage through the elegant grandeur of the baroque era to the historic hilltops of Italy, passing through reflections on our darkest moments and soaring towards the brighter days that lie ahead. Featuring new music by composers Adolphus Hailstork, Jeffrey Mumford, John Corigliano, Judith Shatin, and Meira Warshauer, IMAGINING WORLDS is a stunning showcase of Huang’s artistry and the compelling voices in contemporary American music.
From the Valley of Baca
Catalog #: NV6208
Release Date: February 8, 2019
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalPianoViolinVoiceComposer David Carpenter’s PARMA debut, FROM THE VALLEY OF BACA, features three works that illustrate the expansive scope of his compositional style. From the lyrical Trio, to the powerfully poetic title work for baritone and piano, to the romantically-inclined Sonata, FROM THE VALLEY OF BACA demonstrates the composer’s ability to express his artistic vision in a wide variety of musical genres.
Fresh Dimensions
Catalog #: NV6026
Release Date: February 12, 2016
21st CenturyConcertosOrchestralOrchestraViolinThe modern romanticism of composer Craig Morris is one simultaneously deeply personal and broadly meaningful. His albums DREAMS (2011) and CIRCLE OF LOVE (2015), both on the Ravello Records label, in large part deal directly with musical representations of universal emotional states and concepts.
Forest Whispers
Catalog #: NV5831
Release Date: July 1, 2010
21st CenturyChamberClarinetEast AsianString QuartetViolinForest Whispers features works by Marty Regan that combine Western classical with the instrumentation and theory of traditional Japanese music, where musical time relies on the natural patterns of human breath to create a free, airy rhythm. With instruments from the shakuhachi to the koto, Forest Whispers delivers classical music with a distinctively Japanese aesthetic.
Figments Vol. 3
Catalog #: NV6419
Release Date: May 27, 2022
21st CenturyChamberOboePiano TrioViolinOn FIGMENTS VOL. 3 from Navona Records, the imaginations of composers Jacob E. Goodman, Gary D. Belshaw, Andrew Lewinter, Thomas Mann Jr, Elliott Miles McKinley, and Eleanor Alberga are brought to life in a dynamic breadth of emotional performances, from soothing to exhilarating and natural to mythical. A dynamic assortment of contemporary chamber music, fantasy and reality collide to bring forth exhilarating stories spanning scenes from Greek Mythology to those of spirited animals and surreal scenic portraits. Universal melodies and rhythms find their form, short sketches evoke seasonal qualities, and fantasies float into reality in this collection.
Figments
Catalog #: NV6023
Release Date: February 12, 2016
21st CenturyChamberCelloPianoViolinNavona Records presents FIGMENTS, a compilation of eclectic contemporary works for chamber ensemble that highlight the dramatic, the mysterious, and the inventive through diverse instrument combinations and use of extended techniques. The album features music by composers Mark Dal Porto, Richard Campanelli, David Nisbet Stewart, Paula Diehl, Jason R. Lovelace, and Mel Mobley.
Fantasy for Violin & Piano
Catalog #: NV6418
Release Date: July 22, 2022
21st CenturyChamberPianoViolinOn FANTASY FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO, composer Benjamin Shorstein examines the age-old rules and conventions of musical form and structure and transforms them into inspirational foundations on which to build narratives. The improvisational Fantasy for Violin and Piano begins Shorstein’s story with an exploration of emotion and character, as each instrument formlessly weaves and wanders between themes—a sentiment that continues with Sonata for Piano, which extends the album’s musical worldbuilding, expanding upon an original theme that remains warm and sensitive as it gains intensity. The dance-based partita is also interpreted anew by Shorstein, as he uses the violin to explore the coexistence of melody and dissonance within self-expression.
Elevate
Catalog #: NV6625
Release Date: May 10, 2024
21st CenturyChamberFluteString QuartetViolinNavona Records is pleased to present ELEVATE, the second installment of All Classical Radio’s award-winning Recording Inclusivity Initiative. A response to the industry’s inequities in classical music recordings, the RII highlights music from underrepresented communities to build a more diverse and inclusive soundscape around the world. Bringing to life the sonatas of Yuko Uébayashi and Nobu Kōda and a string quartet by Damien Geter, ELEVATE pairs deserving compositional talent with several of today’s leading classical performers — a synergetic testament to the power of uplifting each other in the arts.
Early Musings
Catalog #: NV6063
Release Date: November 18, 2016
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalViolinEARLY MUSINGS presents a comprehensive collection of new works for solo violin composed by American and American-based composers, almost all of whom were born after 1990. Though young, these composers’ music speaks to the core strengths of solo violin repertoire, a genre that has represented a prominent pillar in the Western chamber music canon since the seventeenth century.
Earl Kim & Isang Yun
Catalog #: NV6387
Release Date: November 12, 2021
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalViolinOn EARL KIM & ISANG YUN, violinist Chi Young Song presents complete works for solo violin by the titular composers, each of whom are of Korean heritage. Blurring the lines between Western musical heritage and traditional Korean music, each piece exhibits the crosscultural and borderless qualities of music. On 12 Caprices for Solo Violin, Chi Young tackles technical, intimate passages rooted in Western standards. The three works by Yun—written after his exile to Germany—make apt use of ornamental gestures, Korean folk music, and Taoist principles to harken back to the composer’s heritage.
Dedication
Catalog #: NV5926
Release Date: September 1, 2013
21st CenturyChamberOrchestralPianoSaxophoneViolinDEDICATION, a compilation of newly recorded works by composer Howard Quilling, features two sonatas for violin and piano, a suite for saxophone and wind orchestra, and a trio for violin, cello, and piano.
Crossroads
Catalog #: NV6380
Release Date: November 12, 2021
21st CenturyChamberPianoViolinTrue to their name, Duo Dramatique delights audiences with fierce and thoughtful performances of genre-bending programs with an undercurrent of social and emotional issues. On CROSSROADS, violinist Dominika Dancewicz and pianist Donald Doucet perform three original works written to highlight their style and talents. Arthur Gottschalk’s Sonata for Violin and Piano pays homage to great jazz violinists of the 20th century, with echoes of “Bluesette” and “When Sunny Gets Blue.” Karl Blench’s Sonata “In D” For Violin and Piano traverses distinct moods, using music to depict sarcasm, humor, and quiet serenity. Erberk Eryilmaz’s Insistent Music draws inspiration from Eastern European folk music to close out the album with percussive patterns and bursting melodic lines.
Comme Bon Lui Semble
Catalog #: NV6560
Release Date: October 27, 2023
21st CenturyOrchestralSolo InstrumentalOrchestraPianoViolinComposer Sophie Dupuis presents dazzling, profoundly eclectic compositions inspired by visual art on COMME BON LUI SEMBLE. Dupuis' musical language is measured, almost minimalist, but the colors she weaves into bright tapestries of sound certainly aren't. Pop culture or high culture, she draws inspiration from numerous sources — leading to compositions that are at once highly abstract, yet highly descriptive. It's a tightrope to walk, and at dizzying heights, but thankfully, Dupuis is not susceptible to musical vertigo.
Claviatures
Catalog #: NV5864
Release Date: October 1, 2011
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalClarinetPianoViolinCLAVIATURES is a collection of new works for piano and chamber ensemble from contemporary composers. These works by Asherov-Kalus, Scully, Tribble, Fletcher, Nagorcka, and Stölzel explore the notions of being human and observing the world around us with reflection, curiosity, and appreciation. This recording contains eight original and inspired pieces performed with talent and panache by musicians from around the world: pianists Karolina Rojahn, Lukáš Klánský, and Robert Pherigo; violinists Ondrej Lébr and Ann Marie-Brown; violist Neil Casey; clarinetist Doug Graham; flutist Lisa Hennessey; and cellist Lawrence Figg.
Chiaroscuro
Catalog #: NV6097
Release Date: May 12, 2017
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalClarinetGuitarViolinGlobal 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.
Chamber Music for Our Times
Catalog #: NV6310
Release Date: September 25, 2020
21st CenturyChamberPianoString QuartetViolinNew from Navona Records and Craig Morris comes CHAMBER MUSIC FOR OUR TIMES, a stirring album of original chamber works. Following DREAMS, which was released in 2011 to critical acclaim, CHAMBER MUSIC FOR OUR TIMES is the work of a master craftsman with an ear for poignant lyricism. The album features four pieces, each of which exhaustively explores the colors and timbres available to the chamber ensembles.
Beneath Winter Light
Catalog #: NV5985
Release Date: January 13, 2015
21st CenturyChamberPianoString QuartetViolinCommon threads between art forms are woven into the creative process of exploring and expressing our shared experiences, emotions, and uncertainties. On her debut Navona Records release, BENEATH WINTER LIGHT, composer Heidi Jacob finds inspiration in film and poetry, as well as in music from past centuries, illustrating her faculty of expanding on timeless themes within modern compositional settings.