A compilation of contemporary chamber works by composers Daniel Perttu, Hans Bakker, Steven Block, Peter Greve, and Kevin M. Walczyk that highlight the melodic, emotive, and dramatic styles offered by some of today's chamber music. Daniel Perttu's work The Storr of Trotternish is a musical reaction inspired by the dramatic scenery of the rocky peaks on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Hans Bakker offers three works: Brenne for piano and violin introduces a musical mantra in a repeated hymn-like melody, while Leys III for flute, violin and guitar also uses a short hymn-like melody yet in a different setting and style than the former work. Hortus Conclusus, meaning "enclosed garden," is, as the composer states, a "metaphor for the innermost self of every human being" in which a key to the enclosure is hidden inside. Steven Block's 5 Plainchants for Clarinet delivers meditative pieces that are freely derived from Byzantine Rite tradition of the late 19th century, allowing the passages to flow in a manner that emulates the cantorial practice in which chanting imitates speech and song rhythms. Peter Greve's Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano is written in memoriam of a friend and illustrates the different aspects of her outgoing personality, celebrating her love for nature, philosophy, and altruism. A Goodbye Too Soon by Kevin M. Walczyk takes it's name and inspiration from a poem written by Dr. Paul Baxter that laments the death of a friend, and whose formal structure, expression, and empathetic meaning guides the composer's iteration. Daniel Perttu's music has been performed in Europe, Asia, South America, and throughout the United States.

On his latest release on Navona Records, WISDOM-LOVE-ETERNITY, composer Michael G. Cunningham presents a collection of his choral works, performed by the K�hn Choir of Prague conducted by Marek Vorl�cek, which explore the spiritual element of the human condition, addressing the uncertainty of death, the inexpressible emotion of love, and humans' search for an understanding of God. Poetry plays a significant role in many of the works in the album. Poetry from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Shakespeare, C. P. Cranch, Francesco Petrarch, Robert Herrick, Robert Burns, P. B. Shelley, and others is introduced, inspiring contemplative, dramatic, and elaborate vocal harmonies, instrumental accompaniment, and musical imagery. Some of Cunningham's more austere writing is found in his setting of text from the Christian liturgy in works such as Come, Holy Spirit (1975) and The West Wind (1961). Audiophile Audition praises Michael G. Cunningham as "a gifted and interesting composer" Cunningham has written over 200 compositions, spanning virtually every medium. He is a respected educator and author, with more than ten books published focusing on the subjects of composition and music theory His works have been performed in Europe, Japan, Australia, and throughout the United States Cunningham's other albums - PARAGONIA, SONIC FLIGHT, GALLERY, and COLONNADE - are available through Navona Records His works are featured on the Navona compilations VOICES OF EARTH & AIR, QUADRANTS, and CONTINUUM

Figments is a compilation of eclectic and unique contemporary works for chamber ensemble. The theme throughout the works is the dramatic, mysterious, and inventive through use of extended techniques and diverse instrument combinations. Featuring works by award winning composers Richard Campanelli, Mark Dal Porto, Paula Diehl, Jason Lovelace, Mel Mobley, and David Nisbet Stewart, listeners of this album are in the company of some of our generation's great artists. Whether it be Campanelli's nod to Bart�k in the second movement of his piece, or Paula Diehl's example of her own system of composition which she developed, the creativity and masterful artistry of these composers shine through in this recording.

Violist Jutta Puchhammer's album Pieces de concours pour is a treasure trove of late romantic French viola music. Originating as exam compositions for students enrolled at the Conservatoire Superieur de Paris from 1896-1938, this album demonstrates Puchhammer's peerless virtuosity as a performer, as well as the expressive range of her instrument, which was largely dismissed by the mainstream of eighteenth and nineteenth century composers. Many of the compositions on Pieces de concours pour share the Classical form of Sitt's concerto, such as Henri Marteau's Chaconne in ut majeur, or the French romantic aesthetic of Busser's Appassionato, such as Paul Rougnon's Concertino Romantique. Romanian-born composer Stan Golestan's Arioso et Allegro marks an interesting departure from these other works, as it reflects the new aesthetics of the twentieth century. Arioso et Allegro is dominated by pentatonic scales, which may suggest the influence of indigenous Asian musics - as they do in Debussy's piano piece Pagodes - Eastern European folk music, or American jazz, which took France by storm in the 1920s and 30s.

This debut release from concert pianist and composer Robert DeGaetano is a lush cross-section of virtuosic piano music which pairs Chopin's Piano Concerto No.1 in E Minor and DeGaetano's own Piano Concerto No.1 in a heart-stopping exhibition of balance and brilliance. Enhanced material includes a bonus documentary DVD.

GUERNICA, 3 of Kaufman's orchestral works: The "Guernica" Piano Concerto, an anti-war piece; Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, "Kaddish," a work written in memory of the composer's parents; and "Seascape", which illustrates the calmness and turbulence of the sea.

Capturing 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 Mara Gearman of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The album embodies the raw and expressive energy of Stevens’ impassioned compositional style, inviting the listener on an emotional narrative. Mr. Stevens is co-founder and serving Artistic Director of the Seattle Pianist Collective. Ms. Gearman is a Seattle native currently performing with the Seattle Symphony. She has also been Principal Viola for the Kansas City Symphony and Los Angeles Opera.

On their debut Navona Records release 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 through performances of works by Franz Liszt, Buxton Orr, Bohuslav Martinů, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Exemplifying the Duo’s ground-breaking, limit-pushing and virtuosic arrangements are the three works by Franz Liszt, while the Orr, Martinů, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco pieces paraphrase and reference earlier works by Bizet and Rossini.

Arthur Gottschalk is recipient of a number of accolades, including the Charles Ives Prize of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Special Distinction by the ASCAP Rudolph Nissim Award in 2009 for Requiem: For the Living, Gold and Silver Medals from the Global Music Awards, The American Prize in Composition in 2013 and 2014, annual awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers since 1980, and Arthur Gottschalk Day (October 16) from the City of Houston TX. Mr. Gottschalk has worked in diverse areas of music, including composing and arranging music for feature films, television scores, numerous industrial films and commercials, music publishing, and artist management. He continues to work as an expert in music copyright cases and as a forensic musicologist. Featured soloists on Requiem for the Living include tenor Alberto Mizrahi and Grammy-nominated soprano Lauren Snouffer. Vladimir Lande conducts the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Chamber Choir.

An eclectic collection of works composed by the Pulitzer Prize nominated Fredrick Kaufman that through the choral pieces and orchestral works displays the themes of his influences namely the exploration of the unknown, the natural order, and universal human experience. Performed by an assortment of ensembles including the Czech Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw National Philharmonic and the Florida Grand Opera.

Praised for his “bold and expressive” playing (Gramophone), 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 Mr. Marinescu and his colleagues from Trio Casals, violinist Sylvia Ahramjian and pianist Anna Kislitsyna. This album is a follow-up to 2013s highly-acclaimed Moto Perpetuo, applauded for its “moments of rumination and brooding personality…” by Gramophone Magazine.

Composer Ferdinando DeSena presents a selection of chamber works offering a mixture of musical elements. DeSena's distinct musical style draws on all his diverse musical influences including jazz, popular, and classical avant garde. The popular and jazz fingerprints on DeSena's music are subtle, but can be found in his instrumentation and instrumental writing; on this album his combinations include the flute, guitar, sax and even harp and electronics to express unique sounds.

Crimson & Lace compiles modern works for voice and chamber ensemble by composers John G. Bilotta, David DeVasto, and Paula Diehl depicting the struggles as well as the rewards of human experience. John G. Bilotta’s The Song of the Hermit Thrush is a celebration, welcoming “the sure-enwinding arms of cool-enfolding Death.” Winter Seven by David DeVasto presents seven images of winter and the “wintry”, cold, even brutal aspects of human experience. Paula Diehl’s Anyone, reflective of the uncertainty and obscurity of life, and Wedding Day use the composer’s system of composition called Separation.

Cycles of the Moon, the world premiere recording from composer Ayala Asherov, is a colorful and poignant cross-section of works from various cycles of the composer's life.

Transits: Minimal to Mayhem, his fifth full Navona Records release, is an abridged sequence of five works from a set time and concrete place that maps composer Sergio Cervetti's creative progression over four decades of composing. The Concertino for piano, woodwinds and timpani (2013) is a rowdy and raucous array of South American rhythms tempered by a tender quote from Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder. One of Cervetti's last minimalist works, Exiles (1980) begins with a slow piano rendition of a melodic theme from the Uruguayan patriotic song Mi Bandera, which is soon overwhelmed by electronic textures. In contrast, 1975's Guitar Music, (the bottom of the iceberg) is an early minimalist work for solo guitar that experiments with "restricted pitch-classes". The two works completing the album are based on the history and culture of the R�o de la Plata where Cervetti was born and raised. El R�o de los P�jaros Pintados (1979) seamlessly integrates the bandone�n with electronics. Candombe for Orchestra is the 1996 orchestration of Candombe for Harpsichord (1984), both works indebted to a Uruguayan national dance of African origin.