Period: 21st Century

Matthew Evan Taylor’s LIFE RETURNS seamlessly weaves together African-American, South Asian, and Western European musical traditions. Performed by the chamber orchestra Metropolis Ensemble alongside the South Asian jazz collective RAJAS, the piece unfolds as a series of intimate musical exchanges, blending composition with improvisation in a fluid and organic dialogue. A co-commission by MET Live Arts and Metropolis Ensemble, LIFE RETURNS was composed during the pandemic lockdowns, emerging as a powerful testament to resilience and unity in the face of global adversity. The album captures the energy of its live premiere, recorded in March 2022 at The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium within New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As the third single for composer Michael K. Slayton’s upcoming Navona Records release, SAGE BRUSHES, UNITITLED (Rothko Set) features a reimagining of Slayton’s older piano works, a “transmigration” of their varied essences into an alternative medium. The dark and muted tones of these four “untitled” paintings of Mark Rothko (1903–1970) afforded just the right construct for such an endeavor, allowing each movement to echo with old and new, remembered and forgotten.

New symphonic music is thriving in 2025, and the wellspring of orchestral expression (no S) is continuously tapped by today's leading composers. SYMPHONIC CHRONICLES VOLUME IV introduces listeners to six of these compositional voices, each of whom offer vivid, cinematic music in a spirit of innovation and artistic exploration. From the steadfast solar beauty evoked in Christopher Jessup’s Svítání and Tom Myron’s Monhegan Sunrise to the serene, pastoral reflections of Idyll for Violin and Orchestra, these works evoke vivid imagery and emotion. Patrick Brill’s Scherzo for Orchestra, Op. 37 offers a study in absolute music, blending historical styles with original themes, while Richard E Brown’s 2 sets of Korean Dances reimagine traditional melodies with orchestral depth, and Peter Dickson Lopez’s Song of Thirteen Moons (Adagio) offers an intimate reflection on family and memory.

Woodwind Quintet music offers a treasure trove of nuance and emotional depth, with a bright and warm essence that's playful, inviting, and in some instances, exhilarating. Navona Records’ WINDSWEPT series continues its presentation of such works in its third volume. With a fresh line-up of contemporary composers and a decorated modern chamber ensemble, WINDSWEPT VOL III blends abstract musicality with vivid imagery. Stephen Gryč’s Five American Portraits characterizes historical figures through quirky instrumental solos, while John Bilotta’s Brain Freeze, John Carbon’s Woodwind Quintet, and Ferdinando DeSena’s Rebound explore lyrical, whimsical, and modern tonalities. Marilyn Bliss’ The Discovery of Honey celebrates mythic joy and discovery, capturing Bacchus’s exuberance in a lush, dynamic soundscape. Available in Dolby Atmos and as a visual album, these works are brought to life by the celebrated Belfiato Quintet, a beacon of excellence in the world of chamber music.

The Winona Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Erik Rohde, presents HERE AT THE RIVER, a celebration of the natural splendor of Minnesota. The album begins with Reinaldo Moya’s Minnesota Suite, an ode to The North Star State, with each movement portraying an aspect of the region’s landscape. The collection also features a new work by Libby Larsen, Emergency Haying, a poignant reflection on labor and the land. Katherine Bergman’s Superior is a short tone poem inspired by the vast and beautiful Great Lake. These works and more invite listeners to appreciate Minnesota’s breathtaking landscapes and reflect on the intrinsic beauty wherever they call home.

Experience the humanity and splendor of outer space with DEEP-SKY OBJECTS/STARS, an album of two works for soprano and ensemble by Musiqa. Sebastian Currier’s Deep-Sky Objects, with lyrics from Sarah Manguso’s poetry, reimagines the great Romantic song cycles with electronic sounds and a tale of intergalactic longing. Trevor Weston’s Stars, with lyrics from Robert Hayden’s poetry, ponders the night sky and its profound impact on thought through the ages. Each piece was commissioned by Musiqa, a cutting-edge chamber ensemble at the forefront of contemporary music. The Houston-based group provides a melting pot for artistic collaboration, with a focus on community-oriented productions that highlight our shared experiences as humans.

Mona Lyn Reese composes with a mission: to confront human experiences, both harrowing and hallowing, with unflinching artistry. Her dramatic oratorio CHOOSE LIFE melds Jewish and Christian musical traditions, Holocaust survivor accounts, and scripture into a powerful interfaith memorial. An immediate success, this work filled 1500-seat auditoriums and received spontaneous standing ovations at every concert during its initial season; and it's easy to see why. Reese possesses a rare talent for marrying intricate rhythms and stylistic diversity — klezmer, Gregorian chant, and Anglican anthems — to soaring melodies and emotional depth. Acclaimed nationally and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, this powerhouse of a work moves listeners to reflect, remember, and ultimately — to CHOOSE LIFE.

Ovidiu Marinescu, cellist and founding member of the acclaimed Trio Casals, shows great, eclectic range as a composer on his release of SUSPENDED BETWEEN THE WORLDS. Mysticism and introspection reign supreme, but are peppered with the energy of various folk traditions such as flamenco, Romani music, and fiddling. Bach, Haydn, and Elgar subtly echo in the distance. Most of these works were commissioned pieces, which partially explains their diversity; Marinescu's voice, however, is so distinct and recognizable that one could easily believe these chamber works to be part of a single, overarching oeuvre. There's a sense of stirring urgency, an unignorable restlessness, similar to the spirit that animated great pioneers.

Award-winning choral ensemble Cantori New York presents FOUND AGAIN, a poignant exploration of human connection, self-growth, and collective pursuit of a better world. At once forward-looking and deeply introspective, this collection features three works espousing the power of transformative renewal. Each presents a revised version of an earlier work, offering an opportunity for rediscovery, recentering, and new understanding. The New Amorous World, by Lembit Beecher, reflects on the limitations and possibilities of humankind in a spirited setting of texts by French utopian philosopher Charles Fourier. Beauty by Beauty, by John Rommereim, contrasts with a gentle, inward-looking setting of texts by three-time U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo on themes of courage, spiritual transformation, and of human connection to the earth and to one another. The title track – Found Again, by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate – presents a second setting of Joy Harjo poems exploring cultural connection, reconciliation, and renewal.

It is no secret that John Rommereim harbors an immense love for vocal music. Known for his choral compositions as well as his conducting of choirs, it would be easy to pigeonhole the man — were it not for the existence of his instrumental works. INTO THE STILL HOLLOW juxtaposes both talents, and offers a glimpse at Rommereim's multifarious accomplishments. The variety is astounding. There are intimate lieder, accompanied by piano or an evocative string quartet; a three-part suite for solo guitar; and unconventional duos, one for organ and saxophone, the other for organ and oboe. Stylistically, the pieces walk the fine line between Western tradition and its ritual annihilation. Cerebral, yes, but also impassioned.

Not long ago, the West developed an overwhelming love for all things Korean: cuisine, romance dramas, pop groups. Much less notorious is the emerging Korean scene of serious music composers. Internationally-acclaimed pianist Eun-Hee Park aims to shed light on its abundance with her new release, KOREAN SOUNDSCAPES.

Stephen Page saxophone Alexandre Maynegre-Torra piano Saxophonist Stephen Page returns to Navona Records with EARTHLY ROUND, a selection of chamber works that showcase the saxophone's capacity to traverse diverse styles, emotions, and cultural influences. The title piece from composer Miriama Young serves as a poignant musical meditation on [...]

Estonian composer Toivo Tulev is an idiosyncratic visionary in contemporary composition, and this Navona Records disc, DAWN, ALMOST DAWN, delves into themes of imagination and transcendence. The album could be considered an immersive journey through Tulev's oeuvre, one not least afforded by its heterodox instrumentation, including solo violin with scordatura, ney, kaval, a symphonic orchestra, and the bare human voice. The strings featured in this album lend an ethereal dissonance to the program, while the breathy tones of the ney and kaval add a strange, almost mythical warmth. Both the orchestra and the human voice seem paradoxically otherworldly in comparison. The elusive light of consciousness unfolds, wavers, then disappears; when the music stops, one is left with the feeling that nothing is as it was.

The name for Bruce Stark's album VIBRANT could not be more aptly chosen: if ever there was the acoustic equivalent of fireworks in solo piano music, this would be it. Interpreted to perfection by Indonesian pianist Isabella Jie, virtuosic sparks fly and rich colors blossom. The apparent formality of Stark's compositions — a sonata, a kind of suite, a set of dances, a toccata — betrays the innovation that lives and breathes within these pieces: there's a similar spirit at play here as in the works of Prokofiev or Takemitsu. The language is tonal, yet never commonplace; but most striking is the level of energy, with a firepower that is off the charts. An exhilarating experience.

Few things are as shrouded in mystery as the process behind the conception of an idea — partially because verbal explorations of cognition are seldom fruitful. But where words fail, music steps in to enlighten: and this is the aim of Kevin Bobo's ORIGINS & EXPANSIONS, a philosophical reflection scored for wind ensemble and steelpan. Bobo musically examines the turbulent process of creation, from uncertain beginnings to victorious transformations. ORIGINS & EXPANSIONS evokes the tentative emergence of an idea, winding through obstacles and moments of introspection, and eventually captures the fragile resilience of inspiration forming. It's a cerebral, immersive exploration of existence itself; metaphysical, yes, but also richly narrative.

SYMPHONY NO. 3 from composer Michael Kurek is a tribute to the history and natural beauty of England. The work is fundamentally Romantic, but is also influenced by Edwardian English music. The composer draws inspiration from personal memories, nature, poetry, and art; “Upon a Walk in the English Countryside,” recalls the composer's emotional reaction to the lush, pastoral beauty of the English countryside. "Stonehenge" reflects the austerity and timelessness of that ancient monument,  while “The Lady of Shalott” nods to Waterhouse’s colorful, pre-Raphaelite depiction of Tennyson’s famous poem. The symphony’s conclusion, “The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest,” celebrates the roughly 1000-year-old tree in Nottinghamshire and is perhaps the most climactic of Kurek’s works.

Composer Kevin Wilt’s TAVERN MUSIC is an evocative collection of chamber works performed by pianist Irena Kofman and the Amernet String Quartet. Wilt’s compositions employ vivid musical color and texture across a variety of styles. The title piece draws on Celtic and Gaelic traditions, blending classical technique with folk-inspired melodies; it emulates the sounds of a jam session in a local pub, with friends and their fiddles gathered around a table sharing a pint. Out in the Storm captures the drama of a South Florida thunderstorm, while Silver Nitrate Reverie is a nostalgic reflection on classic cinema. TAVERN MUSIC is an uniquely inviting collection of chamber works.

BALTIC SKETCHES by composer Scott Brickman is a collection of symphonic works inspired by Brickman’s Baltic and Slavic ancestry. The album features his Symphony No. 5, which draws on Latvian folk traditions, including folk dances, songs, and Lutheran liturgical music. It also includes Symphony No. 1, an exploration of neoclassical form influenced by contemporary socio-political events, including military conflict in the Middle East and the climate crisis. Symphony No. 6 for wind ensemble explores textural and timbral color and nods to the Lutheran chorale, In Dulci Jubilo. Blending classical forms with asymmetrical dance meters and folk melodies, Brickman’s BALTIC SKETCHES finds unexpected connections between time-honored traditions.

Saxophonist Adam Estes and pianist Adrienne Park share transcriptions of master works by Beethoven, Chaminade, Burhans, and Saint-Saëns on their LYRICAL BARITONE, VOL. 1. Borrowed from the flute, bassoon, and cello repertoires, this album celebrates this captivating music reimagined for baritone saxophone and piano duo. While the lowest note of the cello and the baritone saxophone is the same, the common playing range isn’t: the cello’s stretches an entire octave further, rendering literal transcriptions fiendishly difficult to play. This considerable challenge seems to pose no difficulty to Estes and Park at all: with great lightness and delicacy, they navigate calmly and confidently through even the most treacherous musical waters. A virtuosic feat and feast.

MIDDLE CHILD from multi-instrumentalist Teagan Faran confronts concepts of culture and identity through the music of Johannes Brahms’ Intermezzo Op. 118, no. 2, from 6 Klavierstücke along with the works of contemporary composers. Faran employs the Brahms intermezzo (rearranged for multi tracked violin choir) as a recurring motif; it reappears throughout the album, each time reimagined by a different artist in a different style. The album also features contributions from artists like Leilehua Lanzilotti and Jens Ibsen. Reflecting on her Cantonese-Irish heritage, as well as her own “middle child” status and her family’s connection to Hawai’i, Faran seeks a sense of belonging through the blending of past and present through this Navona Records release.