Composer and pianist Don Freund takes Book 1 of Bach's masterpiece and offers analysis from a composer's approach: A unique, critical eye for a series of miniatures that are typically viewed through the lens of a performer. Freund's composer-centric interpretations are presented on this 3 Disc set, and include a series of lessons that provide deeper insight into the master's works and his process of composition.

Cadence, the new vocal music compilation from Navona Records, offers a set of inspired, emotive premiere recordings by composers Christopher J. Hoh, David Kirtley, Joanne D. Carey and Timothy Kramer in works juxtaposing the etheral and the earthy, the diaphanous and the muscular, and the serene and the agile.

Allusions, an album of evocative chamber works, showcases the expressive and interpretive abilities of contemporary composition and features works by five composers: Christopher Dietz's La fleur du ciel, Kjell Magne Andersen's Suite for Oboe and Piano, Sarah Wallin Huff's Anima Mechanicae: Soul of the Machine, Timothy Edwards' the Conjecture, and Vera Ivonova's Three Studies in Uneven Meters. Enhanced content includes liner notes and study scores.

Early Musings presents a comprehensive collection of new works for solo violin composed by American and American-based composers, almost all of whom were born after 1990. Though young, these composers' music speaks to the core strengths of solo violin repertoire, a genre that has represented a prominent pillar in the Western chambe rmusic canon since the seventeenth century. Across it's ten composers, Early Musings remains impressive in it's variety and range of musical expression. In addition to each pieces's strengths, violinist Davis Brooks also succeeds beautifully at embodying the musical landscape of a given composition. To this end, nearly all the album's pieces feature a traditional instrumentation, in so far as they used an unmodified violin, except for one notable outlier. Early Musings is the culmination of a four-month teaching and recording project between violinist Davis Brooks and ten youn gcomposers from Alabama. The compositions achieve a marked variety of styles while all highlighting the same instrumentation and to make it even more special, all composers on this release are students or recent graduates of teh University of Alabama.

As composer and pianist Mitch Hampton admits, Hard Listening, his debut solo album on Navona Records, “aims to dissolve all boundaries of style or taste,” while providing an earnest yet sometimes humorous reflection on the questions of society and musical aesthetics. Hampton explains the focus of his compositions is on the building blocks of music – rhythm, harmony, and melody – and their innate value regardless of “extramusical” or sociological meanings. Mr. Hampton has commissioned work for clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, flutist Mike Feingold and the Ciompi Quartet, among others.

With his new album Sursum, composer Michael Slayton presents six compelling compositions, each performed by a different ensemble or solo performer. Despite the album's varied and esteemed assemblage of performers, there lies a common thread throughout in both the form of Slayton's distinguished composting style - dreamy but focused, and equal parts smooth and dissonant - as well as the imagery that the music conjures. The diverse performers and instruments only add to the character of Slayton's distinct writing approach. Each piece is particularly rich with vivid imagery - another key element that defines the album. Slayton makes a point of highlighting this, as the album's liner notes are sprinkled with tidbits about particular places each piece was composed - for example, Sonate "Droyßig" bears the name of the small village in which the composition was born, while Dreamers Meadows invokes the spirit of a series of bucolic hiking trails in the mountains of West Virginia. Each listener is sure to create his or her own individual array of imagery when immersing one's self into the quixotic world of Michael Slayton's Sursum.

On his debut Navona Records release "Voyage", composer Pierre Schroeder presents a captivating sonic journey that takes listeners on winding highways, through arid and spacious deserts, along the shores of crashing waves, into desolate and snow-covered lands, through episodes of adventures, mishaps, discoveries, and losses. The 11-piece adventure uses a variety of musical styles, including jazz, blues, and folk idioms, while still grounded in classical form. Pierre, a French native, came to music as a child, transcribing themes from Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota and other movie composers on the family's piano. Emotions are in the center of his work, and reviewers have often noted cinematic elements in his music.

A collection of contemporary works for orchestra composed by Americans Fred Broer, William Coble and Stephen Yip with the Moravian Philharmonic conducted by Petr Vronsk�.

Let Me Fly showcases the extraordinary talents of the University of South Dakota Chamber Singers in a compilation of America choral music under the direction of Dr. David HOldhusen. The album, recorded from 2014 to 2016, primarily draws on two mainstays of contemporary American choral repertoire - traditional folk song and spiritual arrangements and new works featuring a lyrical, lush harmonic language. It is the traditional works which form the true heart of the collection. Beloved favorites like Elijah Rock, Shenandoah, Dixie, Windham and Go, Tell it on the Mountain are given fresh interpretations through expert arrangements.

Dedication, a compilation of newly recorded works by composer Howard Quilling, features two sonatas for violin and piano, a suite for saxophone and wind orchestra, and a trio for violin, cello, and piano.

The Spanish tradition of flamenco music, by way of Paco Pe�a and Paco de Lucia, has significantly influenced the classical music world. Composer and pianist Lionel Sainsbury explores the fiery passion and harmonic tension of flamenco on his latest Navona Records release, Andalusian Fantasy. "It has been described as containing 'the brilliance of the guitar playing, the haunting laments of the singers, and the electrifying rhythms of the dancers.' It's that triumvirate, and it's incredible complexity that appeals to me - that dark passion, almost a blackness, or duende, a wonderful, untranslatable Spanish word that combines nostalgia and suffering." (Lionel Sainsbury) The album also includes Nocturne, South American Suite, and Twelve Preludes, elaborately reflecting his classical, jazz and blues influences, honoring the styles and works of Chopin, Rachmaninov, Gershwin, Ravel, Scriabin, and more.

AKANOS features six works by Irish composer Grainne Mulvey. Ms. Mulvey's music explores the juxtaposition of polar opposites, pitting the real against the synthetic in finely crafted and thought provoking works. Features performances by soprano Elizabeth Hillard, pianist Matthew Schellhorn, cellist Annette Cleary, flutist Joe O'Farrell, and the Lithuanian National Symphony.

Applauded By Aaron Copland, Inspired By Desmond Tutu, and Mentored By Hugo Friedhofer and Earle Hagen, Babcock Has Spent His Working Life Composing Music for the Musicians of los Angeles. Successful in Both Film and Television, and the Concert Hall, He Is Known for Vibrant, Sonorous, Expressive Pieces That Immerse Audience and Performers Alike in An Inclusive and Exuberant Celebration of the Musical Art. Eleven of These Musicians Are Featured in This Collection of Chamber, Vocal and Choral Music. Five of the Pieces on This Album Were Commissions and Two Were Winners in International Competitions.

The stories we tell, stemming from our experiences of people, places, and events, reveal how we understand and express the world around us. Composer Carl Vollrath presents works for clarinet and piano that depict his interpretations of past events and tones of past composers, oftentimes conveying them through ironic and spirited musical themes. Several of the works allude to the genius and techniques of 20th c. composers, including Copland, Delius and Prokofiev. NYC-born Carl Vollrath's major works include 6 symphonies for band, an opera - the Quest - and a large collection of chamber music.

Composer Zae Munn showcases works for alto saxophone in eclectic chamber combinations on her debut Navona Records release They Were Mysterious Guests. Ms. Munn has an ongoing interest in writing music for instruments in unusual combinations, and in texted pieces using words that are newly created, direct and, often, quite witty. Hailed by the New York Times as a "virtuoso... one of the foremost saxophonists of his generation," saxophonist Timothy McAllister, a member of the PRISM Quartet who has premiered over 150 new compositions. He is Professor of Saxophone at the University of Michigan.