Early Musings
Catalog #: NV6063
Release Date: November 18, 2016
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalViolinEARLY MUSINGS presents a comprehensive collection of new works for solo violin composed by American and American-based composers, almost all of whom were born after 1990. Though young, these composers’ music speaks to the core strengths of solo violin repertoire, a genre that has represented a prominent pillar in the Western chamber music canon since the seventeenth century.
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.
Twentieth Century Duos
Catalog #: NV6046
Release Date: June 10, 2016
20th CenturyChamberPianoViolinYuriy 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.”
Schumann | Dvořák: Concerti For Cello & Orchestra
Catalog #: NV6034
Release Date: June 10, 2016
20th CenturyConcertosCelloOrchestraComposed almost 50 years apart, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor (1895) and Schumann’s Cello Concerto (1850) are closely linked in the pantheon of Romantic concerto literature. Cellists of many generations have long looked at both of these pieces as essential components in their artistic development, and each has been recorded many times over by the titans of the instrument to showcase their technical mastery.
In Times Of Torment
Catalog #: NV6035
Release Date: April 8, 2016
21st CenturyChamberCelloString QuartetViolinIN TIMES OF TORMENT, from the late composer Yves Ramette (1921-2012), displays major themes from almost every single musical era. Composed from 1941-1944 in Paris during the Nazi occupation, the album presents a unique perspective from Ramette, breaking away from the virtuosic piano works found in his previous albums to showcase varying chamber ensembles. Although his sonatas were written for the virtuosic violin and cello, the piano continues to be highlighted throughout his pieces, making it more than an accompaniment, but rather a featured instrument.
Figments
Catalog #: NV6023
Release Date: February 12, 2016
21st CenturyChamberCelloPianoViolinNavona Records presents FIGMENTS, a compilation of eclectic contemporary works for chamber ensemble that highlight the dramatic, the mysterious, and the inventive through diverse instrument combinations and use of extended techniques. The album features music by composers Mark Dal Porto, Richard Campanelli, David Nisbet Stewart, Paula Diehl, Jason R. Lovelace, and Mel Mobley.
Cello Music From Austria-Hungary
Catalog #: NV6024
Release Date: February 12, 2016
ClassicalChamberSolo InstrumentalCelloPianoThe regions of Austria and Hungary have a rich history of music, art, and culture, where composers such as Beethoven, Artur Schnabel, and Emanuel Moór, among many others, developed their craft and influenced the traditions of European art music. On his debut release on Navona Records, CELLO MUSIC FROM AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, cellist Sam Magill presents works by Beethoven, Schnabel, and Moór that not only expand the cello repertoire and illustrate the cellist’s virtuosity, technical aplomb, conviction, and expressiveness, but enrich our understanding of these composers, their music, and their heritage.
Fresh Dimensions
Catalog #: NV6026
Release Date: February 12, 2016
21st CenturyConcertosOrchestralOrchestraViolinThe modern romanticism of composer Craig Morris is one simultaneously deeply personal and broadly meaningful. His albums DREAMS (2011) and CIRCLE OF LOVE (2015), both on the Ravello Records label, in large part deal directly with musical representations of universal emotional states and concepts.
Violin Futura
Catalog #: NV6028
Release Date: February 12, 2016
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalViolinIn 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.
PARMA Music Festival Live 2014
Catalog #: NV6002
Release Date: June 9, 2015
21st CenturyChamberOrchestralCelloOrchestra14 concerts, 12 venues, 4 days. The 2014 PARMA Music Festival featured a diverse range of events, from concert performances of orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and jazz groups, to an outdoor presentation of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and panel discussions about music licensing and multimedia composition, as well as improvised collaborations between indie rockers and classical instrumentalists.
Moto Continuo
Catalog #: NV6003
Release Date: July 10, 2015
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalCelloPiano TrioPraised for his "bold and expressive" playing (Gramophone Magazine), cellist Ovidiu Marinescu and Navona Records present MOTO CONTINUO, a collection of six contemporary solo cello and piano trio works - from the intense, dark, and expressive to the calm, light, and austere - performed by Marinescu and his colleagues from Trio Casals, violinist Sylvia Ahramjian and pianist Anna Kislitsyna.
Transcriptions And Paraphrases For Cello And Piano
Catalog #: NV6007
Release Date: August 14, 2015
RomanticChamberCelloPianoOn their debut Navona Records release, KOSTOV-VALKOV DUO: TRANSCRIPTIONS AND PARAPHRASES FOR CELLO AND PIANO, the Kostov-Valkov Duo - cellist Lachezar Kostov and pianist Viktor Valkov - present a powerful and invigorating program, showcasing their virtuosity and superior technique with commanding performances of works by Franz Liszt, Buxton Orr, Bohuslav Martinů, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
Feral Icons
Catalog #: NV6008
Release Date: September 11, 2015
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalViolaCapturing the viola's rich and haunting quality, composer Peter Vukmirovic Stevens' second release on Navona Records, FERAL ICONS, is a suite of six works for solo viola performed by the extraordinary violist Mara Gearman of Seattle Symphony. The album embodies the raw and expressive energy of Stevens' impassioned compositional style, inviting the listener on an emotional narrative.
Circle of Friends
Catalog #: NV6014
Release Date: November 13, 2015
21st CenturyChamberPiano TrioViolaTrailblazer. Advocate. Innovator. All of these descriptors apply to Grammy Award-winner Libby Larsen, but at the core is the most important title of all: Artist. As the first woman to serve as a resident composer with a major orchestra and one of the most performed and prolific composers of our time (she has over 500 works in her catalog, including 15 operas), Larsen has established a permanent place in the annals of American concert music.
Beneath Winter Light
Catalog #: NV5985
Release Date: January 13, 2015
21st CenturyChamberPianoString QuartetViolinCommon 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.
Piatti 12 Caprices For Solo Cello
Catalog #: NV5972
Release Date: October 14, 2014
RomanticSolo InstrumentalCelloA renowned cellist in his own time, Carlo Alfredo Piatti (1822-1901) is known for composing his 12 Caprices, a set recognized for its technical difficulty and complexity, and widely used as developmental exercises for cellists. On his debut Navona Records release, PIATTI: 12 CAPRICES FOR SOLO CELLO, Venezuelan/American cellist Carmine Miranda interprets Piatti's virtuosic solo cello pieces, masterfully showing them as works that withstand treatment as significant concert repertoire.
The Real Beeler
Catalog #: NV5976
Release Date: October 14, 2014
21st CenturyConcertosOrchestralClarinetOrchestraViolinOn 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.
Sea of Reeds
Catalog #: NV5979
Release Date: November 11, 2014
21st CenturyChamberClarinetPianoViolaThe 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.
PARMA Music Festival Live 2013
Catalog #: NV5950
Release Date: April 1, 2014
21st CenturyJazzOrchestralCelloElectronicOrchestra10 concerts, 7 venues, 3 days. The inaugural PARMA Music Festival in 2013 featured more than 100 composers and performers in works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and jazz groups, as well as improvised collaborations between indie rockers and classical instrumentalists. This release collects some of the finest performances from the Festival, as recorded by the PARMA Recordings production team.
August Ruins Live
Catalog #: NV5967
Release Date: August 1, 2014
21st CenturySolo InstrumentalCelloGavin Borchert of Seattle Weekly applauds Peter Vukmirovic Stevens' AUGUST RUINS (2013), saying, "[Cellist] Paige Stockley plays it stunningly; I would relish the chance to hear her do it live." The opportunity to hear a live performance of Stockley playing Stevens' compelling solo cello work is now available as a digital release through Navona Records, AUGUST RUINS LIVE.