• The Composers

    Catalog #: NV6489

    Release Date: January 13, 2023

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano
    Violin

    Navona Records and pianist Gerry Bryant are proud to present THE COMPOSERS, an album consisting solely of music by exceptionally talented and prolific Black classical music composers who have been overlooked throughout history. Featured within are the works of Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins, a slave who was perhaps the first Black American classical music composer, and Florence Price, whose music has so moved Bryant that he has included her in his list of favorite composers. Violinist Mark Cargill joins Bryant on select works throughout the album, a perfect addition to Bryant’s passionate approach to the keys.

  • The Gorgeous Nothings

    Catalog #: NV6169

    Release Date: July 13, 2018

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Piano
    Piano Trio
    Violin

    THE GORGEOUS NOTHINGS is composer Ingrid Stölzel’s first full album on Navona Records, although she has also been featured on three compilation albums released by the label. Haunting and lyrical throughout, the album explores themes of beauty, being, journey and transformation. The album’s eleven tracks, some inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman and some created by Stölzel’s own native curiosity, engage the listener intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.

  • The New Epoch

    Catalog #: NV6463

    Release Date: September 9, 2022

    20th Century
    Chamber
    Cello
    Piano
    Violin

    Artists are liminal figures — they cross thresholds and collapse boundaries between past, present, and future.  In THE NEW EPOCH, three musicians from the Boston Artists Ensemble interpret works by French composers Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, and Lili Boulanger, infusing these pieces with unprecedented freshness and clarity. Each celebrated in their own right, cellist Jonathan Miller, violinist Lucia Lin, and pianist Diane Walsh join forces in every duo setting possible from this assortment of instruments. Exploring works written at the threshold of the First World War — with the world crossing into the violent twentieth century and composers reacting with music that looked both nostalgically back and innovatively forward — they underline the commonalities between each composer’s unique voice and reinterpret this music for our turbulent present. Each celebrated in their own right, cellist Jonathan Miller, violinist Lucia Lin, and pianist Diane Walsh join forces in every duo setting possible from this assortment of instruments. Exploring works written at the threshold of the First World War –– with the world crossing into the violent twentieth century and composers reacting with music that looked both nostalgically back and innovatively forward –– they underline the commonalities between each composer’s unique voice and reinterpret this music for our turbulent present.

  • The PARMA Sessions: Vít Mužík

    Catalog #: NV5920

    Release Date: June 1, 2013

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Clarinet
    String Quartet
    Violin

    THE PARMA SESSIONS: Vít Mužík presents a series of recordings by longtime PARMA collaborator and violinist Vít Mužík. Showcasing the artists skill, adaptability, and dedication, this digital compilation features Vít Mužík performing works by a diverse set of composers with myriad influences and styles.

  • The Passing Sound of Forever

    Catalog #: NV6068

    Release Date: January 13, 2017

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Flute
    String Quartet
    Violin

    Sound and space are two elements that emerge at the heart of Jane O’Leary’s THE PASSING SOUND OF FOREVER. The collection showcases O’Leary’s compositional gifts through a variety of her chamber compositions. O’Leary’s string writing soars in THE PASSING SOUND OF FOREVER, and demonstrates her remarkable sensitivity to the instruments’ sonic palette and expressive potential. Every color, from ethereal natural harmonics to frenetic bowing, is at O’Leary’s disposal, and is exploited beautifully to produce evocative and compelling soundscapes.

  • The Priestess of Morphine

    Catalog #: NV6343

    Release Date: March 12, 2021

    21st Century
    Opera
    Cello
    Violin
    Voice

    On THE PRIESTESS OF MORPHINE, composer Rosśa Crean and librettist Aiden K. Feltkamp create a beautifully haunting portrait of a Gertrud Günther, a young Jewish lesbian caught between her two selves during the Third Reich, who bravely sought her inner truth and passions while forced to live in the shadows.

  • The Real Beeler

    Catalog #: NV5976

    Release Date: October 14, 2014

    21st Century
    Concertos
    Orchestral
    Clarinet
    Orchestra
    Violin

    On his debut solo Navona Records release, THE REAL BEELER, composer Alan Beeler presents his refined and distinguishable orchestral voice, exploring various harmonic and melodic forms and structures as well as the serial techniques of the Second Viennese School. In Symphony No. 1 and No. 4, the composer creates intricate atmospheres and moving textural soundscapes, generally derived from the composer's preset tone rows.

  • The Sea Knows

    Catalog #: NV6111

    Release Date: July 14, 2017

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Cello
    Viola
    Violin

    Michael Kurek’s PARMA Recordings debut, THE SEA KNOWS, is a charming collection of works written with an emphasis on that which is beautiful and emotive. Composing in a tonal idiom reminiscent of the great melodists of the early 20th century, Kurek creates music that tugs at the heartstrings without ever pandering, that is rich in emotive content without feeling sugary. The works on THE SEA KNOWS plumb the depths of musical sensitivity and will appeal to anyone who listens to music seeking intimacy and an emotionally-grounded experience.

  • The Ties That Bind

    Catalog #: NV6453

    Release Date: August 26, 2022

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Viola
    Violin

    Navona Records and Australian composer Lee Bradshaw present THE TIES THAT BIND, a collection of chamber music for strings that reveal an explicit and emotionally-charged truth. Brought to life by Baiba Skide (violin), Ivan Vukčević (viola), and Harriet Krijgh (violoncello), the album features works that redefine the expressive possibilities of contemporary string playing; and in which the performers are compelled to delve deeply into their own artistry. Bradshaw’s sensuous and yet muscular compositional style displays a profound intimacy for his craft, which ultimately renders music of a rare and arresting beauty.

  • Things In Pairs

    Catalog #: NV6392

    Release Date: February 11, 2022

    21st Century
    Classical
    Chamber
    Piano
    Violin

    Concept albums are few and far between, and rarer yet in classical music. THINGS IN PAIRS, a conceptual as well as a musical beacon by violin/piano duo Audrey Wright and Yundu Wang, fills this gap. The tracks on THINGS IN PAIRS were not just carefully curated – rather, they were selected and sorted with the precision of a steady-handed artist stacking a formidable house of cards. Spanning five centuries, these pieces contrast the classical Joseph Bologne with modern minimalist Arvo Pärt, Baroque virtuoso Biber with the contemporary Rain Worthington, all under the watchful eye of Viennese Classical Beethoven.

  • Toccata Miami

    Catalog #: NV6433

    Release Date: June 10, 2022

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Guitar
    Piano
    Violin

    Composer Ferdinando DeSena is no stranger to variation; from his previous electro-acoustic concoctions to this dynamic blend of chamber orchestrations in TOCCATA MIAMI, a world of enticing conversation between tonal opposites begs to be uncovered in these expressive compositions. Oboe and piano dance in an ominous sonata soundscape, harps and flutes seek to sooth in Three Attitudes, and solo piano works shine with a latin flair in the album’s titular track.

  • Twentieth Century Duos

    Catalog #: NV6046

    Release Date: June 10, 2016

    20th Century
    Chamber
    Piano
    Violin

    Yuriy Bekker, violinist on Navona Records release TWENTIETH CENTURY DUOS, is joined by renowned pianist Andrew Armstrong in some of the most beautiful and rarely-performed works of the twentieth century by Jewish composers Erich Korngold and Aaron Copland. Bekker says of the album, “The idea for this project finally came to fruition with the help of the rare 1686 Ex-Nachez Stradivarius violin.  This is the first sound recording of this violin and I believe these particular selections by Korngold and Copland highlight its most magical qualities.”

  • Unbridled

    Catalog #: NV5958

    Release Date: June 1, 2014

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Large Ensemble
    String Quartet
    Violin

    Wall Street. Salvador Dali. Gustav Mahler. Some of the sources of inspiration for composer Sergio Cervetti on his fourth solo Navona release, UNBRIDLED. Spanning over forty years of his career, the works represent Cervetti's continued aesthetic of combining traditional and postmodern techniques and instrumentation.

  • Veil

    Catalog #: NV6181

    Release Date: September 14, 2018

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Percussion
    Piano
    Violin

    Greg d'Alessio's VEIL offers a cross-section through all the facets encompassing modern classical composition as well as an impressive portrait of the composer's unique voice and development over two decades. VEIL's chronological track order allows the listener to follow the progression of both the music and the man behind it. Veil and Thread are D'Alessio's early chamber works, very much reflective of the conviction and clarity characteristic of the young composer, built on a thoughtful yet passionate blend of traditional structure and instrumentation with experimental effects.

  • Violin Concerto

    Catalog #: NV6277

    Release Date: April 10, 2020

    21st Century
    Concertos
    Orchestra
    String Orchestra
    Violin

    The creation of VIOLIN CONCERTO by Alicia Terzian marked the beginning of her 65-year (and counting) compositional career. Originally composed in 1954/55, this important piece of her repertoire was brought to life thanks to a collaboration between Navona Records and the Siberian State Symphony Orchestra. This album also features Terzian's Three Pieces, which listeners can remember from their previous Navona release, OFF THE EDGE.

  • Violin Futura

    Catalog #: NV6028

    Release Date: February 12, 2016

    21st Century
    Solo Instrumental
    Violin

    In 2005, violinist and composer Piotr Szewczyk developed the Violin Futura Project, a collection of commissioned miniatures for solo violin that highlights over thirty international contemporary composers and how they are re-imagining the solo violin. “The purpose of the Violin Futura Project,” says Szewczyk, “is to sample the creative environment of our times by showcasing the wide variety of styles present in the 21st century, and to create a body of new solo violin repertoire.” Navona Records presents the album release of Szewczyk’s project, VIOLIN FUTURA.

  • Walton & Barber album cover

    Walton & Barber

    Catalog #: NV6530

    Release Date: July 14, 2023

    20th Century
    Concertos
    Orchestral
    Orchestra
    Violin

    WALTON & BARBER from famed British violinist Thomas Bowes celebrates the works of two early 20th century composers, William Walton and Samuel Barber. The album includes Walton’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and Two Pieces for Strings from Henry V, as well as Barber’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra op. 14 and the touchstone Adagio for Strings op. 11. Throughout the album, Bowes’ breathtaking virtuosity is on full display. His playing, which has been characterized by Gramophone Magazine as “deeply human” and “unusually communicative,” teases out subtleties and rises to the challenge of the most technically-demanding passages. With the violin at centerstage, WALTON & BARBER brings the full power of the orchestra to bear.

  • Whispering Fragrance

    Catalog #: NV6175

    Release Date: August 10, 2018

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    East Asian
    Piano Trio
    Violin

    On WHISPERING FRAGRANCE, his first solo album with Navona Records, composer Stephen Yip merges serenity with agitation, earthiness with sophistication and the mundane with the sublime. The result is an original creation that is unapologetically post-modern, yet deeply rooted in Chinese traditionalism.

  • Wild Blue Yonder

    Catalog #: NV6346

    Release Date: April 23, 2021

    20th Century
    21st Century
    Chamber
    Cello
    Oboe
    Violin

    Eleanor Alberga explores the whole gamut of the human experience in  WILD BLUE YONDER, an equally diverse and coherent set of four contemporary chamber music pieces. While written over the course of twenty-two years, these pieces burst the limits of both space and time. No-Man’s-Land Lullaby reaches back over a century to World War I; Shining Gate of Morpheus enters the realm of the mystical; Succubus Moon explores the dark sides of the  human psyche; and The Wild Blue Yonder offers a glimpse into a world that is at once alien and  wonderful. Undauntedly, positively unsettling album; perfect listening for these unsettling times and a worthy addition to the much hailed album of Alberga's three string quartets from 2019.

  • Works for String Quartet and Other Small Ensemble

    Catalog #: NV5885

    Release Date: October 1, 2012

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano Trio
    String Quartet
    Violin

    WORKS FOR STRING QUARTET AND OTHER SMALL ENSEMBLES is a digital re-release of three albums from acclaimed composer Samuel Adler. The three albums, a collection of works for string quartet, violin, cello, and piano originally released in the mid-1990s, serves as a sampling of the historic and respected composer's compositional output for small ensemble.