Craig Madden Morris  |  Paul John Stanbery |  MEDIA  |  Track listing & Credits  |  ABOUT NAVONA  |  PURCHASE

From the passion of a new romance to the devotion and deep affection of parents for their children, love can take many forms. On his Ravello Records release CIRCLE OF LOVE AND OTHER CHORAL OFFERINGS, composer Craig Madden Morris presents a song cycle for chorus and piano set to traditional texts from The Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, The Book of Ruth, Malachi, and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, as well as original verse by the composer. This CIRCLE OF LOVE portrays the blossoming and growth of love, from the initial passion to the poignancy of later years.

Works such as Arise My Love, The Rubaiyat, and How Sweet My Love are a testament to the intimacy and ardor of falling in love, often comparing the beloved to the beauty of nature. Wherever You Go and The Touch of Memory depict the devotion of beloved companions, their lives and family connected by an unbreakable bond. Two Are Better Than One speaks of the later years of love, when the tenderness and experience of a shared life soften the passage of time and the tribulations of aging.

Morris offers two other works - The Tiger, set to the poem by William Blake, and And Abraham Remained Standing Before the Lord - both of which challenge our understanding of the paradoxes and actions of a just G-d.

Click HERE to view Circle of Love

Throughout an individual's life, certain experiences, places, and people remain fundamental to his or her identity. As in a memoir, composer and conductor Paul John Stanbery depicts some of the experiences that have substantially influenced his character in SYMPHONY NO. 2, FOUNDATIONS, his digital-only release on Navona Records.

The first movement, described by Stanbery as a "Coplandesque-capade," presents a theme from the tune "Shortnin' Bread," a piece the composer's mother would sing to him. "In the Cathedral," the second movement, is inspired by Rosary Cathedral in Stanbery's hometown of Toledo OH, illustrating a walk through the elaborately painted and immense nave. Movement III, "Elegy and Cortege," is a lament and dedication to one of Stanbery's close friends, representing a funeral procession and honoring the deceased with a dirge-like rendition of "Taps." The final movement, "Epilogue," introduces an original lullaby and brings symmetry to the whole piece, recalling themes from earlier movements now with resolution, fulfillment, and triumph.

Paul John Stanbery is the current Music Director of the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony, Ohio Mozart Festival, and Hamilton's Great Miami Youth Symphony. He is founder and conductor of the Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony and the Clermont Philharmonic Symphony.

Click HERE to view Symphone No. 2: Foundations