WORKS FOR DANCE
Ted Coffey
Classical | Electronic
In computer music, time, sound, and movement are taken past their natural auditory limits and
expanded in space. Like a dancer whose movements seem to take up more space than is
possible for one body, each note is taken and manipulated until it reaches far beyond its original potential. WORKS FOR DANCE demonstrates the phenomena of both artistic mediums, as computer and mankind interact in a performance that is spellbinding and story-filled.
BOUNDLESS
Minju Choi, Ching-Chu Hu, Gabriela Lena Frank, Philip Lasser
Classical | Piano
Communicating the stories of composers through your own hands, and making these stories your own while also preserving the spirit of the original narrative, is no easy task. Fortunately, pianist Minju Choi is up to the job in BOUNDLESS, a collection of works commissioned by Choi that are as unbridled as the abilities of the pianist herself.
BUTTERFLY EFFECTS
Elizabeth Vercoe
Classical | Contemporary Era
Elizabeth Vercoe’s newest album BUTTERFLY EFFECTS AND OTHER WORKS begins with a
quotation. The Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi asked “Am I a human who dreamt of being a
butterfly or am I now a butterfly who dreams of being a human?” This sense of oneness and the
paradoxical strength of the fragile butterfly permeates through the composer’s album,
establishing themes translated through woodwind instruments, vocals, and piano.
JOHANNES BRAHMS / ELLIOTT CARTER: CLARINET QUINTETS
Phoenix Ensemble, Johannes Brahms, Elliott Carter, Mark Lieb
Classical
The mission of New York City-based Phoenix Ensemble is resolute and clear: to bring diverse
chamber music to diverse audiences. For this new PARMA Recordings release, clarinetist and artistic director Mark Lieb has chosen to contrast late Romanticism with modernity in two clarinet quintets that in some ways could not be more different, yet in other ways are surprisingly similar. Here, the expansive clarity of Johannes Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, op. 115 is set against the angular narratives of Elliott Carter's Clarinet Quintet written more than a century later.
CONCERTANTE
Campbell Ross, Ariel Dirié, Gerardo Dirié
Classical | Guitar
CONCERTANTE, which marks Campbell Ross’ debut on PARMA Recordings, features an array
of modern works for solo guitar and ensemble that highlight both his virtuosity as a guitarist
and his prowess as a composer. Performing his own compositions as well as works by composers as far ranging as Lennon, McCartney, and brothers Gerardo and Ariel Dirié, Ross’ ability to create, interpret and improvise is here on vivid display.
SONGS WITHOUT WORDS
Les Délices
Classical | Baroque Era
As “early” musicians, the members of Les Délices have committed their professional lives to gaining an understanding of old music and instruments that inspire and excite them. However, while reading about or exploring scores from the 17th or 18th centuries may provide insight, it’s inevitable that those can offer only incomplete information. The three musicians who comprise Les Délices believe the space between what is known and what is unknown provides great opportunities for expansion and discovery. They’ve taken just such a creative leap on their newest album, SONGS WITHOUT WORDS.
MANY NEW TRAILS TO BLAZE
The UAB Chamber Trio, James Zingara, Denise Gainey, Chris Steele
Classical | Chamber Music
Three of University of Alabama Birmingham’s finest faculty musicians come together in one
release, bringing the works of six composers to life. With stunning performances by clarinet,
trumpet, and piano, MANY NEW TRAILS TO BLAZE blurs the lines between classical, jazz, and world music. Trumpeter James Zingara, already a member of the PARMA Recordings family, brings two of his most acclaimed colleagues with him to the stage for performances that thrill the mind and the ear.
SPOON HANGING FROM MY NOSE
Dr. J.A. Kawarsky
Classical | Orchestral
Dr. J.A. Kawarsky has been bringing his work to the PARMA Recordings playing field for years;
however, this month marks a momentous occasion for both PARMA and this prolific composer, who up to this point has had his work performed on compilation albums with other composers. Years have led to this moment: Navona Records proudly presents SPOON HANGING FROM MY NOSE, the first full album of music by Kawarsky which tells stories, reimagines pieces of old, and offers compelling challenges.
GENTLE WINDS
Samuel A. Livingston, Arcadian Winds, Pedroia String Quartet, Yhasmin Valenzuela
Classical | Contemporary Era
When composing the music for GENTLE WINDS, Skip Livingston had one overarching goal in
mind: write music that people will enjoy playing and listening to. In GENTLE WINDS you’ll hear
the rich effects that come with doing what one truly finds joy in.
Whispers of heavenly death
Scott Perkins
Vocal
Contemporary song cycles generally lead a marginal existence in the shadow of Schubert's perennial, towering example. Connecticut-native composer Scott Perkins nevertheless audaciously marches to the beat of his own drum on WHISPERS OF HEAVENLY DEATH, setting to music an awe-inducingly broad variety of poems across all ages and cultures.
ALL ALBUMS PRODUCED BY PARMA RECORDINGS
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