A new year has begun at last, and with it we bring new music. This week, we’re proud to introduce the latest chamber music, orchestral fanfare, and cross-genre works from Navona and Ravello Records.
Dive in and discover music from: Herb Deutsch, Mark John McEncroe, Pangaea Chamber Players, and the Lowell Chamber Orchestra with Orlando Cela.
ENCOUNTERS
Herb Deutsch
Legendary composer, author, and educator Herbert Deutsch presents his newest album, ENCOUNTERS: JAZZ, SONGS & CHAMBER MUSIC, on Ravello Records. The music, performed by the American Chamber Ensemble, is unflaggingly groundbreaking; Deutsch, who in 1964 collaborated on the development of the Moog Synthesizer and composed music for its first live performance, deepens his legacy of innovation with this latest collection.
Fanfare Suite
Mark John McEncroe
FANFARE SUITE, the latest from composer Mark John McEncroe and Navona Records, features six pieces originally scored for full orchestra on McEncroe’s 2015 album Affirmations & Aspirations. Now, with the help of the Sydney Scoring Orchestra, these sweeping and provocative pieces have been reimagined and rearranged for concert band. Evoking the promise of big horizons and wide open spaces, McEncroe’s compositions are reminiscent of Aaron Copland and Western films from the golden age of Hollywood. Still, the music of FANFARE SUITE is not rooted in a single geographic location; rather, the hopeful vitality of this music universally appeals to the human spirit.
Three Perspectives
Pangaea Chamber Players
The piano trio Pangaea Chamber Players explores the fickle nexus between music and visual art in their Navona release THREE PERSPECTIVES. While the ensemble’s flute-cello-piano setup might evoke ideas of Baroque music, there are no such reminiscences to be found. Instead, the young trio presents three new compositions by contemporary composers. Although recent works, all pieces on THREE PERSPECTIVES are tonal – perhaps owing to their descriptive, illustrative purpose. The album’s title, after all, hints at the connections between musical and visual artistic expressions: music inspired by art, music inspired by artists, and art inspired by music.
The Suite
The Lowell Chamber Orchestra | Orlando Cela, conductor
Though there are thousands of languages and countless political differences across the world, people tend to come together through equally endless forms of music and dance. On THE SUITE, the Lowell Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Orlando Cela, focuses the lens on the Baroque dance suite as a method of expression that’s ripe for international flavor, artistic individualism, and human storytelling.
