• 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.

  • Symphonie Fantastique

    Catalog #: NV5977

    Release Date: October 14, 2014

    Romantic
    Orchestral
    Orchestra

    Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (1830) is regarded as one of the most significant works from the early Romantic period, memorably portraying the introspective and troubled life of an artist. The French composer's use of materials such as the recurring idée fixe to illustrate the protagonist's obsessive mind-state has influenced composers ever since. Conductor John Page calls Symphonie Fantastique "unquestionably the most vividly programmatic symphony in the entire orchestra repertoire."

  • Sound and Fury

    Catalog #: NV5978

    Release Date: November 11, 2014

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano
    Piano Trio

    From the serenity of the Smoky Mountains to the abstraction and boldness of Kandinsky's paintings, composer Paul Osterfield's debut solo Navona Records album SOUND AND FURY pulls inspiration from several experiences which the composer translates into refined, stimulating, and expressive chamber pieces.

  • Sea of Reeds

    Catalog #: NV5979

    Release Date: November 11, 2014

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Clarinet
    Piano
    Viola

    The clarinet is an essential voice in many genres, from classical and jazz to klezmer and world music, and composer Gerald Cohen calls it one of his favorite instruments: "I love the clarinet for its wide variety of character and dynamics, and its ability to either blend beautifully with other instruments or to stand out in a crowd." Through this affinity, the composer offers new compositions featuring the clarinet in various trio settings on his debut Navona Records release, SEA OF REEDS.

  • Letters To a Young Poet

    Catalog #: NV5980

    Release Date: November 11, 2014

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Guitar
    String Orchestra
    String Quartet

    On his debut Navona Records release, LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET, composer Mark Zanter presents recently commissioned chamber works for strings. The inspiration for the title track comes from Rainer Maria Rilke's letters to Franz Xaver Kappus, a correspondence in which his encouragement to a young poet becomes a vehicle for expressing his thoughts on the creative process and the transcendent qualities of art.

  • Haydn and the English Lady

    Catalog #: NV5981

    Release Date: November 11, 2014

    Classical
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano

    When listening to keyboardist Patrick Hawkins playing an 1831 William Geib square piano on his debut Navona Records release, HAYDN AND THE ENGLISH LADY, one can imagine men and women in elegant silk gowns and suits gathered in an opulently decorated drawing room of an 18th-century English estate. This collection of piano works by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Maria Hester Park (1760-1813) illustrate the diversity and refinement of Classical repertoire.

  • Paragonia

    Catalog #: NV5982

    Release Date: November 11, 2014

    21st Century
    Orchestral
    Orchestra
    Piano
    Trumpet

    On his latest Navona Records release, PARAGONIA, composer Michael G. Cunningham explores ways in which the orchestra can interact with itself on several levels. Counter Currents presents contrary phrases and themes simultaneously stated while TransActions portrays dimensions of density, emphasizing orchestral blur and presenting gestures and passages that prompt interplay between the sections of the orchestra.

  • Belle Nuit

    Catalog #: NV5983

    Release Date: November 1, 2014

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Piano
    Saxophone
    Trombone

    A stroll along the Seine - Notre Dame reflected in the waters below - the Eiffel Tower illuminated in evening skies - bistro conversations echoing in the streets of the Left Bank. Parisian scenes such as these come to mind when listening to the nuances of pianist Kathryn Goodson's debut Navona Records release, BELLE NUIT, a collection of works from the La Belle Époque and beyond, with arrangements for piano and wind instruments.

  • John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes/In a Landscape

    Catalog #: NV5984

    Release Date: November 11, 2014

    20th Century
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano

    On her debut Navona Records album, JOHN CAGE: SONATAS AND INTERLUDES / IN A LANDSCAPE, pianist Kate Boyd performs two pieces by John Cage (1912-1992) that exemplify his range of compositional intuition and invention.

  • Beneath Winter Light

    Catalog #: NV5985

    Release Date: January 13, 2015

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Piano
    String Quartet
    Violin

    Common 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.

  • Piano Concerto

    Catalog #: NV5986

    Release Date: February 10, 2015

    21st Century
    Concertos
    Orchestra
    Piano

    Maestro Kirk Trevor praises composer Lee Actor as "one of the refreshing new classical voices ... who can still use a traditional language with a freshness that makes the music alive and interesting." On his latest Navona Records release PIANO CONCERTO, Actor presents three orchestral works, performed by Trevor and the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, that are engaging and tonal yet dramatic and modern.

  • Felt

    Catalog #: NV5987

    Release Date: February 10, 2015

    21st Century
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano

    FELT, a compilation for solo piano offered by Navona Records, presents an array of techniques and themes to illustrate the piano's dexterous capacity for limitless expression and tonal colors.

  • Past Recollections

    Catalog #: NV5988

    Release Date: February 10, 2015

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Clarinet
    Piano

    The stories we tell, stemming from our experiences of people, places, and events, reveal how we understand and express the world around us. Composer Carl Vollrath presents works for clarinet and piano which depict his interpretations of past events and tones of past composers, oftentimes conveying them through ironic and spirited musical themes.

  • Moonstrung Air

    Catalog #: NV5989

    Release Date: February 10, 2015

    21st Century
    Vocal Music
    Choir

    The human voice: A forceful yet delicate instrument. The weight of its expression can be as heavy as a ringing bell or as light as the whisper of an autumn breeze. Composer Gregory W. Brown presents a collection of his vocal and choral works on the Navona Records release MOONSTRUNG AIR, capturing the wonder of the human voice as our rooted connection with nature.

  • Elements Rising

    Catalog #: NV5990

    Release Date: March 10, 2015

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Large Ensemble
    Piano
    String Orchestra

    Navona Records' latest offering of chamber music ELEMENTS RISING highlights contemporary composers who re-imagine the building blocks of music, such as melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, and timbre, in innovative ways, applying them to a number of duo and ensemble settings.

  • They Were Mysterious Guests

    Catalog #: NV5991

    Release Date: March 10, 2015

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Saxophone

    On her debut Navona Records release THEY WERE MYSTERIOUS GUESTS, composer Zae Munn showcases works for alto saxophone in eclectic chamber combinations, featuring internationally-renowned saxophonist Timothy McAllister.

  • All The Way Back

    Catalog #: NV5992

    Release Date: April 14, 2015

    Romantic
    Solo Instrumental
    Piano

    On his debut Navona Records release, ALL THE WAY BACK, pianist and composer Vytautas Smetona presents a collection of keyboard repertoire that highlights his enthralling and committed interpretations of some of the great composers' masterworks as well as an example of his faculty as a cultivated and dynamic composer.

  • Michael Murray: Percipience

    Catalog #: NV5994

    Release Date: April 14, 2015

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Vocal Music
    Voice

    The history of setting literary text in music is a considerable one, from Schubert's Lieder to Benjamin Britten's Serenade to art songs of the 21st century. Composer Michael Murray presents four song cycles on PERCIPIENCE, all of which emphasize the deep connection between poetry and music as varying means of expression that can reveal different facets of the same idea.

  • Orpheus With His Lute Made Trees

    Catalog #: NV5995

    Release Date: April 14, 2015

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Vocal Music
    Voice

    On the fourth offering in Navona Records' The Shakespeare Concerts Series, ORPHEUS WITH HIS LUTE MADE TREES, executive director and composer Joseph Summer presents original works and pieces by composers from the 18th through the 21st centuries that celebrate the myth of Orpheus.

  • Full Fathom Five

    Catalog #: NV5996

    Release Date: April 14, 2015

    21st Century
    Chamber
    Vocal Music
    Voice

    FULL FATHOM FIVE, the fifth offering in Navona Records' The Shakespeare Concerts Series, takes the story of The Tempest, from the shipwrecked crew and magical spirits to the imprisoned servants and their questions of identity, and presents a variety of works from the 18th to the 21st centuries that set texts and depict themes from Shakespeare's play.