Patterns
Catalog #: NV6243
Release Date: August 9, 2019
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalCelloGuitarPercussionPATTERNS, a multi-composer compilation of contemporary chamber music, accentuates the richness, intricacy, and minimal sound that can be found in works written for small ensembles. Included on the album are works by seven composers, each offering a distinct interpretation of what defines the genre.
Prisma Vol. 2
Catalog #: NV6232
Release Date: May 24, 2019
21st CenturyOrchestralFluteGuitarOrchestraNavona Records proudly presents PRISMA VOL. 2, an epic journey into the world of the large ensemble with five of today’s top contemporary composers. This collection demonstrates the diversity of the orchestral and concerto composition, both in instrumentation and emotion.
Yes… It’s A Thing!
Catalog #: NV6225
Release Date: April 26, 2019
20th CenturyChamberFluteGuitarThe long-awaited release from the chamber ensemble Duo Sequenza, YES…IT’S A THING!, includes works by five critically acclaimed contemporary composers. David Noon is one of the most prolific composers in the U.S.; Jerry Owen’s numerous achievements include two Pulitzer Prize nominations; Jorge Muñiz has had his music performed by chamber ensembles, chorales and orchestras throughout the world; Marc Mellits is one of the leading American composers of his generation and one of the most performed and recorded living composers in the United States; and Amin Sharifi’s recent works have been performed in the United States, Europe, and his native Iran.
Between Worlds
Catalog #: NV6224
Release Date: April 26, 2019
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalElectronicFluteGuitarComposed almost entirely in 2018 and performed by composer Giovanni Piacentini, the music on BETWEEN WORLDS serves as a brand-new snapshot of a musician's prowess at the height of his creative capabilities. In an age where the musician-composer is a dying breed in the realm of so-called "serious" music, Piacentini brings a breath of fresh air in a multitude of ways. There is no doubt that his astounding technical skill as a guitarist deeply informs his compositions, and the effect is nothing short of breathtaking. Strikingly, even when employing modern elements – such as adding electronics – Piacentini resolutely resists the temptation of putting trendy, cheap showmanship over the soul of the music. The guitar, the mainspring of musical expression, remains paramount and prominent, always. And, thanks to the composer's talent for lyricism, structure, and depth, this pays off. Immensely.
Beneath the Tide
Catalog #: NV6216
Release Date: March 8, 2019
21st CenturyConcertosOrchestralClarinetGuitarString OrchestraPARMA Recordings, together with the esteemed Croatian Chamber Orchestra, is proud to release BENEATH THE TIDE, a reflection on human emotion and experience through a collection of five concertos. As the title suggests, BENEATH THE TIDE looks under the surface, examining underlying human realities that rise to the surface with the arrival of life’s changes.
Suenos De Espana
Catalog #: NV6211
Release Date: February 8, 2019
RomanticVocal MusicGuitarPianoVoiceSoprano Shudong Braamse blends vocal artistry with technical skill in her recording of SUEÑOS DE ESPAÑA. This treasury of Spanish art song relates stories of passionate love, broken promises, and heartfelt prayers. Braamse's performance demonstrates both an understanding of the rich Spanish culture and its 19th-century romantic poetry.
Exhaling Space
Catalog #: NV6145
Release Date: March 9, 2018
21st CenturyChamberGuitarSaxophoneString QuartetWith EXHALING SPACE, Alejandro Rutty and his cast of remarkable performers create one hour of fresh, captivating music combining Latin and world music styles with the classical tradition. With tracks like the futuristic tango Martian Milonga and the meditative More Music for Examining and Buying Merchandise, Rutty composes the album like a breathing exercise, taking in an anxious pace in one movement, and then in the next, letting the melodies exhale gently through the piece.
The Myth of Tomorrow
Catalog #: NV6136
Release Date: January 12, 2018
21st CenturyChamberElectronicGuitarPianoComposer Eric Klein immediately engages the listener with the mysteriousness of “Nettles,” a quartet for piano, violin, cello, and clarinet. This track’s rhythmic dexterity hints at Klein’s background as a film/media composer, foreshadowing the complexity of the dark, ethnographic “Myth of Tomorrow,” an exploration of the keyboard percussion instruments and the distinctive aspects of the harp.
Chiaroscuro
Catalog #: NV6097
Release Date: May 12, 2017
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalClarinetGuitarViolinGlobal guitarist and composer Giovanni Piacentini’s talents as a dual-threat musician are on full display on CHIAROSCURO, his debut album. He wrote all these works themed around his instrument of choice, and his playing appears on two pieces – Miniatures, for guitar and chamber ensemble, and a solo guitar performance on the title track. Yet, even on the tracks where he does not perform, the composer’s voice remains ever-present, namely in each work’s reverberant use of space.
Butterflies in the Labrynth of Silence
Catalog #: NV6071
Release Date: January 13, 2017
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalGuitarIn his second project with PARMA Recordings, Swiss composer Georges Raillard gifts us with 12 solo classical guitar compositions on BUTTERFLIES IN THE LABYRINTH OF SILENCE, all performed by renowned guitarist David William Ross.
The album follows the Sinking Islands suite, Raillard’s first project with PARMA Recordings, which appeared on BETWEEN THE ECHOES, a Navona Records compilation album featuring chamber works.
Between The Echoes
Catalog #: NV6057
Release Date: September 9, 2016
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalGuitarWind EnsembleNavona’s latest compilation release, BETWEEN THE ECHOES, showcases selected recent chamber works, expressing the common theme of recollections and interpretations of past experiences. Moving across the spectrums of moods and dramatics, each piece brings a harmonic resolution to its soulful journey. This album joins multiple personalities in a collection of propulsive musical expression.
Mi Palpita il Cor
Catalog #: NV6056
Release Date: October 14, 2016
BaroqueChamberGuitarViolinMI PALPITA IL COR: BAROQUE PASSIONS is a compelling journey into the rich corners of the mid- and late-Baroque period. Featuring an array of thrilling instrumental and vocal compositions, the album is driven by the performances of French-Canadian soprano Dominique Labelle and American early music ensemble Musica Pacifica, founded in 1990, based in San Francisco, and whose playing has been called “a small miracle of precision and musical electricity” by the Washington Post.
Spalding’s Bounce
Catalog #: NV6052
Release Date: August 12, 2016
21st CenturyChamberElectronicGuitarPiano TrioComposer Ferdinando DeSena presents a selection of chamber works offering a mixture of musical elements. DeSena’s distinct musical style draws on all his diverse musical influences including jazz, popular, and classical avant garde. The popular and jazz fingerprints on his music are subtle, but can be found in his instrumentation and instrumental writing; on this album his combinations include the flute, guitar, sax and even harp and electronics to express unique sounds.
Voyage
Catalog #: NV6000
Release Date: June 9, 2015
21st CenturyChamberJazzGuitarOn his debut Navona Records release VOYAGE, composer Pierre Schroeder presents a captivating sonic journey that takes listeners on winding highways, through arid and spacious deserts, along the shores of crashing waves, into desolate and snow-covered lands, through episodes of adventures, mishaps, discoveries, and losses.
Letters To a Young Poet
Catalog #: NV5980
Release Date: November 11, 2014
21st CenturyChamberGuitarString OrchestraString QuartetOn 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.
Perceptions
Catalog #: NV5909
Release Date: April 1, 2013
21st CenturyChamberGuitarPianoString QuartetMusic represents a dialogue between composer and listener, channeled through performance and observation. Much like in spoken conversation, the works in PERCEPTIONS present us with the revealing perspectives of their composers as told through small ensembles. The listener is presented with music that entrances, enkindles, jars, lingers, connects, and engrosses–perceptions both highly incisive and deeply personal.