RenMen Laments
Catalog #: NV6210
Release Date: February 8, 2019
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirDespite the frequent crescendos to the sonic peaks of each composition, RENMEN LAMENTS is an exploration into the valleys of the soul. For most, creating art in the realm of somber moods poses challenges. For the Renaissance Men, the melancholic nature of their musical exploration is not only achieved individually but shared amongst the talents of the vocalists.
When The Soul Speaks
Catalog #: NV6205
Release Date: January 25, 2019
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirThe Bonifantes Boys Choir showcases the best of the best of the Czech boy singers and composer Jan Jirásek over the past 20 years. WHEN THE SOUL SPEAKS demonstrates the abilities of both the ensemble and its leaders through the performance of Latin Christian masses, Buddhist mantras and Quran excerpts, and traditional Czech hymns -- together presenting the idea that different religions and cultural customs can stand together side by side.
I Carry Your Heart
Catalog #: NV6203
Release Date: January 25, 2019
Folk MusicVocal MusicChoirThe album commences with the Rhodesian miners' song Tshotsholoza, an upbeat encouragement to carry on despite challenges. Similar in tone and spirit is Muie Rendera, a vibrant folksong from Northeastern Brazil. Traditional Swedish dancing song Och jungfrun hon går i ringen is just as cheerful and even festive.
Birds of the Psalms
Catalog #: NV6176
Release Date: July 1, 2018
21st CenturyRomanticLiturgicalVocal MusicChoirGerman philosopher Immanuel Kant defined the Sublime as "beauty accompanied by awe" – a thought which perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Cappella Clausura's second PARMA release, BIRDS OF THE PSALMS. Evocatively conducted by Amelia LeClair, the ensemble interprets a magnificent choral repertoire spanning six centuries.
Hymnus
Catalog #: NV6168
Release Date: July 13, 2018
Folk MusicVocal MusicChoirOn HYMNUS, the world renowned Jitro Czech Girls Choir under the direction of Jiří Skopal once again delivers refined, dazzling interpretations of the music that is so much a part of Czech culture. The album, which is the Choir’s third release on Navona Records, includes 24 selections that range from Moravian and Silesian folk songs on which the Choir interprets the subtle call and response between bucolic lovers, to a series of compositions inspired by Latin proverbs on which intricate, multidimensional vocals underscore the significance of a simple word or phrase.
Cosmic Wheel of the Zodiac
Catalog #: NV6160
Release Date: May 11, 2018
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirPianoVoiceSo many of us wonder about the big picture questions in life. Why are we here? What is the best I can do in my lifetime? COSMIC WHEEL OF THE ZODIAC, with lyrics by astrologer Benita Rainer, presents a cosmic rumination for meditation upon these great questions. These songs guide you through the labyrinth of the Cosmos, which, as perfectly attested to in “As above, so below,” is also the labyrinth of your mind; as what is without has its genesis in what is within.
Music in the Listening Place
Catalog #: NV6142
Release Date: February 9, 2018
21st CenturyLiturgicalVocal MusicChoirWe welcome Tucker Biddlecombe to the PARMA Recordings family with the debut of Music In The Listening Place, a collection of choral works performed by the Vanderbilt University Chorale and conducted by Biddlecombe. Biddlecombe demonstrates masterful programming in his ability to curate a modern listening experience based on mostly classical texts. Of particular note is Three Songs of Faith, an elegant collection of settings of e.e. cummings texts by Eric Whitacre.
Missa Charles Darwin
Catalog #: NV6126
Release Date: October 13, 2017
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirAround the world, millions of readers eagerly await the impending release of the new thriller ‘Origin’ by Dan Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ‘The Da Vinci Code.’ According to Brown, the initial spark of inspiration for his highly anticipated novel struck him when he first heard a provocative piece of classical music entitled Missa Charles Darwin — a piece composed by award-winning composer Gregory W. Brown, who also happens to be the author’s brother. The composition is featured at a crucial moment in the ‘Origin’ narrative.
Woefully Arrayed
Catalog #: NV6113
Release Date: July 14, 2017
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirNavona Records showcases sacred and secular choral works by composer Jonathan Little on its latest release, WOEFULLY ARRAYED. Jonathan Little’s work has been described as “a music redolent of the past and the future.” His modern interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque techniques of composition—such as modal harmonies and isorhythm—form the basis of his musical voice. The sound is strikingly contemporary, yet also intertwined with choral traditions of the past. Several of these beautiful and moving settings of profound and poignant texts feature intricate “polychoral” techniques: multi-part, multi-divisi, solo, echo and spatial effects.
Capstone Re-release: Music for Voices
Catalog #: NV6103
Release Date: June 9, 2017
20th CenturyLiturgicalVocal MusicChoirOrchestraIn 2008, PARMA Recordings acquired Capstone Records, the highly respected New York-based classical label founded by composer Richard Brooks in 1986, with the intent of shepherding the company and its music into the digital era. This album was originally released on Capstone and is being re-released by PARMA Recording's Navona Records.
Parallel Worlds
Catalog #: NV6101
Release Date: June 9, 2017
21st CenturyLiturgicalVocal MusicChoirWith PARALLEL WORLDS, Czech composer Jan Jirásek provides a portal into his intricately textured and resonant choral music. These works are enhanced by Czech children’s choir JITRO, whose singers imbibe Jirásek’s delicate and earnest compositions with authority, maturity, and captivating grace.
There Are Many Other Legends
Catalog #: NV6086
Release Date: March 10, 2017
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirOrchestraBoth the New Hampshire Master Chorale and the Manchester Choral Society elevate the works of composer-in-residence Jonathan Santore on THERE ARE MANY OTHER LEGENDS, an expansive collection of works from Santore’s choral catalog. Each piece highlights the composer’s impressive command of choral writing and the ensemble’s traditions.
The Spectra Series
Catalog #: NV6077
Release Date: January 13, 2017
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalVocal MusicChoirOrchestraPianoIn 2008, PARMA Recordings acquired Capstone Records, the highly respected New York-based classical label founded by composer Richard Brooks in 1986, with the intent of shepherding the company and its music into the digital era. This album was originally released on Capstone and is being re-released by PARMA Recording's Navona Records.
Clay Jug
Catalog #: NV6073
Release Date: February 10, 2017
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirThe choral music of Minnesota-based composer Edie Hill shines on CLAY JUG, a compendium of large and small works for a cappella choir and choir accompanied by chamber ensemble. Though the works featured on CLAY JUG vary in scope, they all demonstrate Hill’s keen sensitivity to ensemble texture and harmonic density, as well as the incorporation of text across four languages.
Sunset at Noon
Catalog #: NV6072
Release Date: February 10, 2017
21st CenturyChamberVocal MusicChoirClarinetPianoSergio Cervetti returns with an exciting collection of works on his sixth Navona Records release, SUNSET AT NOON. A diverse composer, his works range from instrumental and vocal music to electronic compositions, often reflecting his South American, French and Italian heritage. His vocabulary draws from an early interest in twelve-tone and minimalism, and his current approach is flexible and free of constraint. With SUNSET AT NOON, Cervetti focuses on keyboard-based compositions for half of the album, with a foray into chamber music on the other half.
Exultet Terra
Catalog #: NV6069
Release Date: January 13, 2017
21st CenturyLiturgicalVocal MusicChoirNavona Records welcomes Cappella Clausura, directed by Amelia LeClair, to the family with their new release of the choral works of Hilary Tann, entitled EXULTET TERRA. For the first half of the album, LeClair and Tann juxtapose Tann’s works for women’s voices, a cappella, with pieces by Hildegard von Bingen, in soaring arrangements by LeClair.
The Stolen Child
Catalog #: NV6067
Release Date: January 13, 2017
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirIn THE STOLEN CHILD, Scott Perkins builds vast and stunning worlds out of a handful of voices. Vibrant, facile, and confident, Perkins’ choir writing is state-of-the-art and makes a modern musical statement while retaining a clear attachment to choral music’s longstanding tradition. To this end, Perkins’ compositions seem to balance the fluid and direct expression of late Renaissance a cappella masterpieces, while also possessing a decidedly contemporary approach to timbre and texture.
Let Me Fly
Catalog #: NV6060
Release Date: October 14, 2016
21st CenturyVocal MusicChoirLET ME FLY showcases the extraordinary talents of the University of South Dakota Chamber Singers in a compilation of American choral music under the direction of Dr. David Holdhusen. The album, recorded from 2014 to 2016, primarily draws on two mainstays of contemporary American choral repertoire – traditional folk song and spiritual arrangements and new works featuring a lyrical, lush harmonic language.
The Vocal Music Of Alan Beeler
Catalog #: NV6049
Release Date: July 8, 2016
21st CenturyLiturgicalVocal MusicChoirVoiceThe music of Alan Beeler (1939-2016) is frequently a compact, tightly focused one, presenting sharp contrasts of color and mood in the context of clear, direct compositional structures. Although noticeably influenced by artistic movements in Europe and America during the first half of the 20th century, Beeler’s musical voice is an identifiable one – crisp, bold, and pointedly quirky.
Separation
Catalog #: NV6044
Release Date: June 10, 2016
21st CenturyOrchestralVocal MusicChoirOrchestraThe clichéd trope of the isolated artist toiling over their work in a virtual vacuum, alone and against the trends of the day, is not a new one. But in the case of Paula Diehl, it is as true as it comes. It isn’t an easy task to be a composer, a job which (to paraphrase Aaron Copland) holds few material rewards, and often even fewer good notices in the paper the next morning – it requires an inner strength and conviction in order to persevere through the challenges, be they artistic, financial, or social.