Shadow Dancer
Catalog #: NV6264
Release Date: December 13, 2019
21st CenturyChamberPianoPiano TrioString QuartetElliott Miles McKinley has long been an influential figure in the American contemporary music scene. The award-winning music professor's new album THE SHADOW DANCER presents several recent chamber works, all centered on a common theme: memories of love.
Six Seasons
Catalog #: NV6595
Release Date: January 5, 2024
21st CenturyChamberClarinetString QuartetComposer and clarinetist Angelique Poteat demonstrates the dynamic emotive range of her instrument through original chamber music on SIX SEASONS. The work is inspired by the six “growing seasons” described in Joshua McFadden’s cookbook of the same title. As the name suggests, the music also nods to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons by beginning with early spring and journeying toward winter, symbolizing the arc of human life. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Poteat’s music reflects the natural beauty of her home and has been described as “engaging, restless” by The New York Times and “extremely accomplished and vividly picturesque” by The Seattle Times.
Skyborn
Catalog #: NV6128
Release Date: November 10, 2017
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalChoirPianoString QuartetShocking, gripping, and thought-provoking, Mara Gibson's new album SKY-BORN conjures a flurry of emotions through its moody music. In one moment, the busy strings create a fury of anxious, energetic sounds; the next, the strike of a lone piano chord paints a brooding soundscape.
Sonix and other Tonix
Catalog #: NV6603
Release Date: March 15, 2024
21st CenturyChamberFlutePercussionString QuartetSONIX AND OTHER TONIX is a collection of innovative chamber works from composer Jan Järvlepp. The title refers to his piece Sonix for Ónix, composed for the Ónix Ensamble of Mexico. It combines elements from his most popular chamber and orchestral works, Pierrot Solaire and Garbage Concerto, respectively. The album also features Trio No. 3, a three-movement work for violin, cello, and piano which protests the rise of the surveillance state. SONIX AND OTHER TONIX also includes Shinkansen, which takes listeners for a ride on a Japanese bullet train, and In Memoriam, written for the composer’s late brother. Spanning a diverse range of topics and influences, SONIX AND OTHER TONIX exemplifies the iconoclastic creativity for which Järvlepp is known.
Soul Of The Machine
Catalog #: NV5965
Release Date: August 1, 2014
21st CenturyChamberPianoString QuartetAs in a Philip K. Dick or Isaac Asimov novel, composer Sarah Wallin Huff's music on SOUL OF THE MACHINE, her debut solo release on Navona Records, explores the relationships between mechanical structures, organic beauty, and identity.
Soundscapes
Catalog #: NV6412
Release Date: July 8, 2022
21st CenturyChamberVocal MusicString QuartetViolinVoiceAward winning composer Peter Knell offers a deep dive into a number of his inspirations and formative experiences through a variety of orchestrations in SOUNDSCAPES from Navona Records. Expressed through solo violin, violin and vocal duo, and string quartet, Knell’s work encompasses the poetry of Pablo Neruda, the art of Rolf Stein, landscapes of his youth, and more. Dive in and become immersed in the natural imagery and sensations both Knell and these performers bring forth.
Spells
Catalog #: NV6096
Release Date: May 12, 2017
21st CenturyChamberOrchestralChoirOrchestraString QuartetSPELLS, a new retrospective collection highlighting the music of poet and composer Juli Nunlist, marks a touching journey through the earnest, romantic, and dramatic sounds of the late artist’s compositional language. The album’s works demonstrate Nunlist’s appreciation for tradition and grandeur, and are driven by her remarkable gift for melody and clear fascination with instrumental texture.
Splash of Indigo
Catalog #: NV6064
Release Date: November 18, 2016
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalPianoPiano TrioString QuartetAmerican composer Marty Regan specializes in composing music for traditional Japanese instruments, a fascination he has developed since 2000. Regan describes his Japanese-style compositions as, “hybrid musical soundscapes that reflect the age in which we live, an era based not necessarily on globalization, but of partnership based on global cultural interaction.” In contrast, SPLASH OF INDIGO features a complementary side of Regan’s output, containing only works for Western orchestral instruments and voice.
String Quartet No. 1 The Music of Erich Zann
Catalog #: NV6083
Release Date: February 10, 2017
21st CenturyChamberString QuartetComposer Michael J. Evans’ THE MUSIC OF ERICH ZANN is a startling and surreal musical interpretation of H.P. Lovecraft’s 1922 tale of the eponymous violist – a mysterious old man who seemingly protects himself from dark, magical forces by playing the viol. Evans is a gifted melodist, and his other PARMA Recordings and Navona albums showcase his predilections for the rich textures and harmonic language of late European Romanticism.
String Quartets
Catalog #: NV5855
Release Date: July 1, 2011
21st CenturyChamberString QuartetViolaViolinRichmond-based composer Elliott Miles McKinley's STRING QUARTETS features three of the composer's string quartets, commissioned by the Martinu String Quartet from Prague. These works span the first decade of the 21st century and show a progression of McKinley's compositional skill, marking him as an innovative composer early in the new millennium.
String Quartets 1, 2, & 3
Catalog #: NV6234
Release Date: June 14, 2019
20th Century21st CenturyChamberString QuartetWith her richly diverse background and commissions from the BBC Proms and The Royal Opera, one would expect that composer Eleanor Alberga’s Navona Records release would be nothing short of a showstopper. It is just that and more. The three pieces on her STRING QUARTETS 1, 2 & 3 offer a penetrating view into Alberga’s creative genius. The album pulls the absolute best from the gifted Ensemble Arcadiana.
Summer Circle
Catalog #: NV5873
Release Date: May 1, 2012
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalPianoPiano TrioString QuartetSwiss composer Martin Schlumpf is a man of many talents. From his early practice of jazz bass and classical cello to academic writings on composition to formal education on clarinet, piano, conducting, theory, and composition-not to mention the decades of experience as a perform across a variety of genre - Schlumpf proves that the jack of all trades can be the master, as well. With SUMMER CIRCLE, Schlumpf combines his myriad influences to craft expressive, complex chamber pieces that marry the sophisticated intricacies of jazz with the studied nuance of modern classical.
Sursum
Catalog #: NV6062
Release Date: November 18, 2016
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalPianoString QuartetWith his new album SURSUM, composer Michael Slayton presents six compelling compositions, each performed by a different ensemble or solo performer. Despite the album’s varied & esteemed assemblage of performers, there lies a common thread throughout in both the form of Slayton’s distinguished composing style – dreamy but focused, and equal parts smooth and dissonant – as well as the imagery that the music conjures.
Sydney Hodkinson: Chamber Works
Catalog #: NV6498
Release Date: February 10, 2023
21st CenturyChamberString QuartetThroughout his lifetime, composer Sydney Hodkinson wrote over 250 works, covering a wide array of genres including educational literature, chamber arrangements, and large-scale orchestral pieces. SYDNEY HODKINSON: CHAMBER WORKS from Navona Records brings four live recordings of the late composer’s string quartets and a trio, Rogatio Gravis, to life with performances from the Benda Quartet and the Jupiter Quartet. With works written in dedication to family members, loved ones, and friends, this posthumous release serves as a perfect parting gift from Hodkinson — a musical display of his compositional prowess and kindness.
The Crossroads Project
Catalog #: NV6054
Release Date: September 9, 2016
21st CenturyChamberString QuartetThroughout history, musicians and activists have enlisted the power of music to connect us to the pressing issues of our times. The brainchild of physicist Robert Davies, THE CROSSROADS PROJECT comprises two performances, Rising Tide and Emergence, performed by the Fry Street Quartet in multi-disciplinary collaboration.
The Palace of the Dreamking
Catalog #: NV6257
Release Date: November 15, 2019
21st CenturyChamberOrchestralBrass EnsembleOrchestraString QuartetPeter Greve may be seen as a prime example for music as a late vocation – though it's hard to believe when one hears how deeply his creations root in the bon ton of contemporary musical academia. THE PALACE OF THE DREAMKING offers a cross-section through Greve's eclectic and wildly experimental body of compositional work.
The PARMA Sessions: Vít Mužík
Catalog #: NV5920
Release Date: June 1, 2013
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalClarinetString QuartetViolinTHE 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 CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalFluteString QuartetViolinSound 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.
Three String Quartets
Catalog #: NV6048
Release Date: July 8, 2016
21st CenturyChamberString QuartetComposer Jeffrey Stadelman presents three string quartets on Navona Records, each offering distinct perspectives on his career and versatile style of composition. Performed by the New England String Quartet, these works illustrate the composer’s intense, lyrical, and sensuous modes of expression.
Time is the Sea We Swim In
Catalog #: NV6604
Release Date: March 1, 2024
21st CenturyChamberJazzPianoSaxophoneString QuartetFollowing her first Navona Records release, IKARUS AMONG THE STARS, New York-based composer Debra Kaye has curated an ever-varying mix of chamber and solo pieces with TIME IS THE SEA WE SWIM IN. Kaye’s inspirations are seemingly endless, from the improvisatory piano solo At Liberty (1988) where Kaye returns to her roots as a performer, to the jazzy Colossus 1067 (2021) written to accompany Gus Foster’s time-distorting panoramic photograph taken on a roller coaster with a rotary camera; from current events to the poetry of Zen monks, European Romanticism to a philosophical, even metaphysical meditation on time and the creative process. Kaye’s eclectic collection showcases and reconciles heterogeneous influences by way of a sonic language that is wholly, uncompromisingly her own. Her confident embrace of diverse sounds and styles invite and challenge listeners to join her on this voyage of discovery and dip a toe into this sea that we all swim in.