This New Music Friday, Navona and Ravello Records present albums that blend traditional and contemporary influences, exploring uncommon elements of classical music and the complexities of our shared humanity.
Dive in and discover new music from Carol Barnett, Leanna Kirchoff, Christopher Jessup, Karen Siegel, Deborah Kavasch, Anne Kilstofte, The Crossing, Donald Nally, Reza Vali, Lindsay Flowers, Andrew Parker, Dalibor Bukvić, Gustav Hoyer, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Paul Cohen, and Allison Brewster Franzetti.
MECIENDO
The Crossing, Donald Nally, Christopher Jessup, Anne Kilstofte, Carol Barnett, Deborah Kavasch, Karen Siegel, Leanna Kirchoff
The multi-GRAMMY® award winning ensemble The Crossing, led by Donald Nally, delivers an enthralling program of contemporary choral compositions with MECIENDO from Navona Records. New works from six composers unknown to one another and yet wondrously aligned; their music weaves together seamlessly, even mystically, into a meaningful story of spirituality and interconnectedness.
ESFAHÂN
Reza Vali
ESFAHÂN features eight cross-cultural compositions by Reza Vali. Blending Persian and Western classical traditions, the album is the first commercial recording of these works. Despite eschewing Western approaches to counterpoint and musical form, Vali’s music is polyphonic and highly structured. The result is a compelling marriage of East and West, old and new.
FROM THE SEA TO THE STARS
Lindsay Flowers, Andrew Parker
Outside of Russian ballets and Mozart symphonies, the oboe is an instrument that generally does not get a lot of credit. But on FROM THE SEA TO THE STARS, the instrument is thrust into the spotlight it deserves. The driving force? Accomplished American oboists Lindsay Flowers and Andrew Parker, who have curated a moody selection of beautiful, minimalist pieces that allow the respective instruments to shine on their own.
HORIZON
Dalibor Bukvić
If one could have recorded an ancient culture, how would it have sounded? Croatian conductor Antoaneta Radočaj-Jerković and two all-female choirs under her lead pursue this question. The result is HORIZON, a haunting performance of the eponymous work by contemporary composer Dalibor Bukvić.
GUSTAV HOYER: SYMPHONY NO. 1
Gustav Hoyer
Emerging from Gustav Hoyer’s innate desire to push the boundaries of his personal musicality, SYMPHONY NO. 1 is the cumulation of a lifetime of affectionate study of orchestral craft. Mirroring Hoyer’s own musical passage from then to now, and commenting on the strange, uncertain state of our world following a pandemic, Symphony No. 1 dances a path of regaining hope in the face of anxiety and strife.
COMMON GROUND
Paul Cohen
On saxophonist Paul Cohen’s COMMON GROUND, one can embrace the unbroken musical traditions that have defined our musical selves, and in doing so, find a contemporary relevance that is both compelling and insightful. These are magnificent compositions, yet they are rarely heard. The range of expression and emotional direction is astonishing and almost visceral.
