Joseph Summer's WHO IS SYLVIA, is a collection of Shakespeare's works set to music that will make you question everything you thought you learned in high school English. Summer believes that the famous playwright's true identity is not William Shakespeare but rather Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford. Many of the songs found on WHO IS SYLVIA come from Summer's aptly-named The Oxford Songs, a collection of scenes, sonnets, songs, and Summer's original opera version of Hamlet. These are paired with music from the likes of Schubert and Schumann to create a dynamic and colorful musical experience worthy of the Bard himself. The sharp, aggressive cello attacks of "Sycorax" opens the album, peppered with edgy dissonances. This piece by Summer is one of many world premieres on this record, recorded at Worcester's legendary Mechanics Hall. Next comes three settings of Shakespeare's song "Who is Silvia?" from The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Each one extracts a new layer of meaning from the tender, heartsick lyrics, the first employing mezzo-soprano and harp, the second featuring a downright bluesy violin and sung in German as composed by Adolphus Hailstork, and a third with music by Gerald Finzi. Just as Shakespeare was known for addressing the social and political situations of his day, Summer's world premier piece "Come Thou Monarch of the Vine and Hearing Transcript" pairs Schubert's setting from Antony and Cleopatra with words taken from the 2019 Brett Kavanaugh hearings. After a song cycle by Schumann and several other pieces from other composers, the album concludes with three Shakespeare settings by Summer. This release features the award-winning Ulysses Quartet, in residence at the Juilliard School of Music.

While speaking on Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, Op.21, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky posited that his colleague “does not strive after profundity, but carefully avoids routine, seeks out new forms, and thinks about musical beauty more than observing established traditions.” Acclaimed violinist Moonkyung Lee endeavors to emulate this approach on her Navona debut Tchaikovsky – Works for Violin and Orchestra, in which she presents several performances of beloved Tchaikovsky alongside the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Miran Vaupotić. Lee finds particular success in this regard with her performance of Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.35, elevating several of the work’s unorthodoxies to the foreground. Her bow breathes new life into the unusual cadential sections in the first movement, its song-like Canzonetta second movement, and the Russian folk-infused finale. The album also includes a performance of the Méditation, a piece originally written as a middle movement for the violin concerto before its inclusion as the first movement of the Souvenir d’un lieu cher (Memory of a dear place), Op.42. Its nostalgic emotions are quintessential Tchaikovsky, and its subsequent popularity has led to presentations as a standalone piece. Lee chooses to perform an arrangement for violin and orchestra made by Glazunov in 1896. Finally, the violinist seizes the Sérénade mélancolique in B-flat minor, Op.26, Tchaikovsky’s first work for violin and orchestra. Like the Méditation and the violin concerto, it is filled with the intense emotion intrinsic to so much of his music. Lee singles out the end of the piece as particularly magical, lauding the moment “when the fragmented theme is reiterated by the clarinet and the solo violin in absolute stillness.”

Throughout WINDSWEPT, the Boston-based Arcadian Winds project a storytelling experience that is joyful, moving, and meaningful to hear. The three-movement Woodwind Quintet by Canadian composer Jan J�rvlepp starts off WINDSWEPt. The first movement, "Rollercoaster," invokes a childlike whimsy with a noticeable pop influence. This is followed by "Solitude," a more mature and romantic movement of music. Woodwind Quintet concludes with "Pyrotechnics," a piece rooted in texture. Sonorous Earth, written by Miami composer Ferdinando DeSena, offers a down-to-earth, stable tone. While offering no less lyricism in his compositions, DeSena's storytelling is built from his ability to interweave these instruments in the lower tonal register. Stumpery, the third piece, is also based on this very concept of interwoven melodies. Composed by David MacDonald, the inspiration behind the piece is the complex network of a stumpery, or a type of garden in which the roots of trees tangle around one another. While the roots are represented by the linear melodies of the instruments, MacDonald establishes a unique ambient sound incorporating reverberations of the instruments, emphasizing the space left by the tendrils of the roots. Dirge & Second Line by Craig Peaslee experiments with the dictation of the New Orleans jazz style. Using a classical chamber ensemble, he juxtaposes some of the intricacies of classical notation with the loose, laid-back energies of the jazz music he works with. Concluding the album, Kenneth Kuhn's Variations on a Commoner Theme, No. 1 builds a musical story of the quest of a theme in the lowest class of musical hierarchy seeking to become noble. The wind quintet chronicles the various attempts via varying personalities of tempo, key change, and tone. The mood and melody start from the lowest class, build themselves up with grandiose ambitions, and after a fall into despair, level out in the final measures in a noble atmosphere of bright, optimistic acceptance.

When Mark John McEncroe is asked what kind of music he composes, his reply invariably is "I don't know, I just write it." It's a clever answer: at first glance it is humble and modest, but it also reveals a considerable degree of naturalness, authenticity, and intuition. The same can be said for McEncroe's music, which is unapologetically evocative and driven by sentiment, with long lyrical lines and pleasant harmonies. The neo-Romantic style of orchestration which McEncroe intuitively employs fits his ideas perfectly. The album, which consists of orchestral arrangements of piano works, is characterized by a great consistency of both musical language and quality; despite the individual pieces' fancifully varied titles, the common theme is McEncroe's ability to generate, hold, and sustain interest in his compositions. This is no wonder, considering how personal the pieces are to their maker: they are the musical result of McEncroe looking back at a life well-lived, with a mixture of wistful nostalgia and content, clear-headed reflection. But at the same time, these works are far more than chronicles of one individual's subjective experience. Thanks to their clear form and tonal language, they not only grant access to even the casual listener, but they even seem to apply to that listener as well. ORCHESTRATED PIANO WORKS VOL. I is an album perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon: it makes for an aesthetic, graceful, pleasing (re-)listening experience in which drama is kept to a minimum, but in which movement and excitement is present at all times.

Described as having "Versatility and flair with lively improvisations" by the New York Times and being "always compelling and always exhilarating" by Imperfect Fifths, NYC-based Sirius Quartet is only the most natural choice for showcasing the genius of five genre-bending contemporary composers. Navona Records' PLAYING ON THE EDGE brings inspiration and experience from all walks of life into one string quartet collection with the music of composers Jennifer Castellano, Ian Erickson, Brian Field, Marga Richter, and Mari Tamaki. PLAYING ON THE EDGE suggests, beyond all else, the ability to take risks and push limits, both on the part of the composers and performers. Each piece involves unconventional tactics, from performers choosing the order of movements to music that completely evolves rhythmically and harmonically from beginning to end. Emphasis on dissonant chords, sul ponticello bowings (quite literally playing on the edge), jagged and uneven rhythmic movement, and general innovation and rule-bending from each composer permeates the album. And none are more equipped for this risky yet rich undertaking than Sirius Quartet, best known for embracing the unexpected. Progress and innovation require the spirit and initiative to push back on boundaries and ask questions about whether anything truly can't be done. Fortunately, the artists of PLAYING ON THE EDGE are well up to such a task.

Navona Records' exhilarating PRISMA VOL. 3-the latest in the PRISMA series-unveils the diverse faces of contemporary orchestral music. Featuring the works of seven composers, PRISMA VOL. 3 follows up the success of the first two PRISMA installments with symphonic music that is both innovative and deeply alluring. The album opens with Ascension for Solo Clarinet and String Orchestra by Ahmed Alabaca, which pairs tender yet excitable clarinet lines with the cinematic grandeur of a string orchestra. Next comes Dark Glass Sinfonia by Sarah Wallin Huff, in which crumpled dissonances flower into exuberant tonality, capitalizing on the full dynamic range of the orchestra. The Defiant Poet by Noam Faingold follows, which lovingly commemorates the outspoken Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Then, Raisa Orshansky's Spring Fantasy explores themes of birth and renewal in nature, as inspired by another Russian poet- Alexander Blok. Next, Songs of the Seasons by Craig Morris utilizes chromaticism to evoke colorful images from nature, with all it's hope and uncertainty. The second-to-last piece on the album is Restoration by Scott Brickman, which he describes as a "symphony in one movement"; the music, with it's flirting allusions to Eastern European folk songs, celebrates Brickman's Latvian and Polish heritage. Lastly, in Prelude & Fugue for Orchestra, Audun G. Vassdal takes liberties with classical forms to create music that is at once playful and intensely evocative. The symphony orchestra is a powerful instrument; writing orchestral music presents significant obstacles and tantalizing opportunities for even the most skilled composer. In PRISMA VOL. 3, seven masters of this challenging artform rethink what a symphony orchestra is capable of, and in so doing, present their audience with a unique and gratifying musical experience.

The Violin Futura Project was developed by violinist and composer Piotr Szewczyk in 2005. The project is a compilation of commissioned miniatures for solo violin that feature over thirty international modern composers and how they are re-defining the solo violin. "The purpose of the Violin Futura Project is to sample the creative environment of our times by showcasing the wide variety of styles present in the 21st century, and to create a body of new solo violin repertoire." (Szewczyk) The composers on this album represent numerous countries and cultures including the United States, UK, Poland, Mexico, China, Hong-Kong, Japan, Canada, and Germany. Although the works stand alone as miniatures, when performed together paint a landscape of music in the 21st century. Szewczyk has been a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra since 2007, and has won numerous awards including the Interlochen Concerto Competition, CCM Chamber Music Competition, and Young Artist String Competition, among others.

PREACH SISTER, PREACH showcases award-winning Katherine Jolly's "agile, bright lyric soprano" voice (The New York Times) on a series of pieces that are distinctively individual in their inspiration while cohesively united by the passions of their composers. Collaborating with pianist Emily Yap Chua, Jolly evokes the passion and curiosity of Emily Dickinson's poetry in Evan Williams' Emily's House, a collection of ten poems in which she communicates the lyrics such that one could imagine the voice being that of the poet's herself. A keen observer, Dickinson used images from nature, religion, and science to probe universal themes: the wonders of the natural world, the identity of the self, death and immortality, and love. Together Jolly and Chua breathe incredible new life into these ideas, delivering a personal and profound performance while transporting modern audiences to another place and time. Jolly turns to inspiration of a more contemporary and crucial nature on Absent an Adjustment in which her voice, ominous and purposeful, floats above and around the strings, frequently in a dissonant duet with the clarinet, heightening the intense spirit of the piece. The acrobatic coloratura vocal line, use of repeated motives and text, combined with the highly rhythmic ensemble in Katherine Bodor's Absent an Adjustment, support it's message of urgency in the face of ecological disaster. Acclaimed composer Evan Mack was inspired by the energy of the first women's march to craft Preach Sister, Preach, a song cycle which explores and celebrates the voices of ten powerful women such as Lucille Ball, Mae West, Simone de Beauvoir, Tina Fey, and Ellen DeGeneres. The intricate collaboration of Jolly and Chua succinctly portrays the power of the quotes from these women and, in doing so, offers both musical and lyrical insights into the women themselves.

Works for piano duet are all too often deemed an entertainment relic from a time when one had to make music to hear some. Daniel Ott's Navona Records debut FALLING PIECES aims to do away with this preconception in two piano duets that are as energetic as they are technically demanding. The music of composer Daniel Ott (b. 1975) has been described as “epic and intimate, embracing and overpowering” (The News Tribune), “compelling” (Dance Magazine), and “of considerable artistic seriousness” (MusicWeb International). His work has been heard all over the world, most notably at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Sadler’s Wells, the Musée du Louvre, the Guggenheim Museum, the Fall for Dance Festival in New York’s City Center, as well as throughout Asia and Latin America. Commissions for his work have come from the National Symphony, New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, the Chiara Quartet, and Bargemusic, among others.

Petty, Homans & Stewart: Tendrils

On Navona Records' WITHIN EARTH, Houston string quartet Apollo Chamber Players, described as "... infectious... intimate... provocative... fun... " (Gramophone Magazine) presents an album that demonstrates the contemporary possibilities in string music, continuing Apollo's innovative 20x2020 project. The album contains three new multicultural commissions, as well as a contemporary work by Alexandra Du Bois. Leo Brouwer's Nostalgia de las Monta�as is an homage to his affection for Brazil's lush mountains and landscapes, and reflective of his love of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian dances and rhythms. The three-movement work plays to the Apollo Chamber Players' passion for contemporary music as well as to the individual talents of the performers. The irregular metric patterns, distantly reminiscent of Brazil's varied dance music, require an extraordinary steadiness and sense of rhythm, which is demonstrated impeccably. Matthew Dudzik's cello part impressively keeps the rest of the music in line. But also the viola, played by Whitney Bullock, gets it's share of glory: in Christopher Walczak's Four Dreams, it is the middle voice that ties the three-movement quartet together, this time thematically. Remarkably, during the entire album, it is almost impossible to differentiate between the first and second violin: both Anabel Ramirez Detrick and Matthew J. Detrick, respectively, play with great empathy to both the music and their fellow quartet members. M�y [Cloud] by Vu Nh�t T�n and Vanessa V� (the latter a Emmy and Grammy Award winner and Academy Award Contributor) is scored for string quartet and the ��n b?u, a Vietnamese monochord zither. The result is ethereal, otherworldly, and like a cloud, changes constantly over the course of nearly 20 minutes, eventually fading away without a trace. The final track, the album's namesake Within Earth, Wood Grows by Alexandra du Bois is the musical interpretation of a line in the I-Ching. Again, the ��n b?u features prominently, and yet, this time, it is the overall team spirit that shines through, between Apollo and the guest ensembles WindSync, Kinetic and Loop 38. Indubitably, it is the same spirit of unity which lends the Apollo Chamber Players their emotionally charged, homogenous sound, and the same spirit which led them to commission the contemporary works presented here.

The Pianistic Musings

It all began in 2011, when DuWors and Niekawa, then students at Eastman School of Music, were assigned to perform Mozart's last Sonata for Violin and Piano K. 526 together. The magnificence of the piece not only unlocked a profound musical rapport between the two young musicians, but also inspired their name as a collective. Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that there should be something timeless in the manner in which duo526 interpret their chosen works - and be they from the 20th century, like the compositions on DUO FANTASY. The selection itself is already superb, exploring the fantasia aspects of each piece through improvisatory style and free form. Villa-Lobos, Bax, and Bolcom each have a unique compositional voice, but heard together, they share the common thread of fantasy. Not only does this greatly contribute to the immense listenability of DUO FANTASY; more artistically, it also mirrors the relationship of the two musicians performing it. Violinist DuWors' audacious martel�, bold dynamics, and immense spectrum of tone are perfectly complemented by Niekawa's ever-sensitive musical command and uncompromising precision on the piano. Together, they achieve what most duos strive for in vain: a perfect homogeneity in interpretation. There is a great joy in risk-taking to be found here, but most importantly, the two musicians are impeccably in agreement at all times. DUO FANTASY is a wonderful example of how the sum of music is greater than it's individual parts. No doubt that DuWors and Niekawa are formidable virtuoso musicians in their own right. But together, they are simply stunning.

Sergio Cervetti returns with an exciting collection of works on his sixth Navona Records release, Sunset at Noon. A diverse composer, his works range from instrumental and vocal music to electronic compositions, often reflecting his South American, French and Italian heritage. His vocabulary draws from an early interest in twelve-tone and minimalism, and his current approach is flexible and free of constraint. With Sunset at Noon, Cervetti focuses on keyboard-based compositions for half of the album, with a foray into chamber music on the other half. Cervetti’s keyboard compositions shine in this collection. On Ofrenda Para Guyunusa for Harpsichord, Cervetti delivers a peaceful and slightly meditative piece that very occasionally veers into Bachian territory. Some Realms I Owned is split into three piano movements – the first starts with a lively melodic line before landing on a relentless pedal point while Cervetti solos in a restrained manner; the second is the more contemplative of the three; and the third is a frantic piece featuring rapid arpeggios before settling on a more linear melodic sequence. I Can’t Breathe, while based on a wild piano performance, centers around a pulsating rhythm that at times sounds like the fervent keys of a typewriter. The performance and composition both match the composition’s urgent title; it’s a quick burst of desperate sounds clawing their way out of the speaker, not quite two and a half minutes long. Cervetti trades in his keyboards for clarinet and strings on And The Huddled Masses, a three-part suite, as well as Sunset At Noon, for violin and viola, a sprawling 18-minute opus that serves as the album’s grounding centerpiece. For the most part, Cervetti’s string scores deliver a more somber mood that counterbalances the upbeat and at times delirious vibe of the keyboard-based compositions. As the sacred vocal arrangement on Lux Lucet in Tenebris closes the album, its contrast with the album’s secular pieces acts as a testament to Cervetti’s imagination and compositional fortitude. He has a keen ability to combine several different sounding compositions on one album and have it come across as a complete and congruent work. But ultimately, that is Cervetti’s strength – he is an enigmatic composer whose work knows no boundaries.

The choral music of Minnesota-based composer Edie Hill shines on Clay Jug, a compendium of large and small works for a cappella choir and choir accompanied by chamber ensemble. Though the works featured on CLAY JUG vary in scope, they all demonstrate Hill’s keen sensitivity to ensemble texture and harmonic density, as well as the incorporation of text across four languages. In Clay Jug, Hill excels at shifting the listener’s perspective as they listen to the choir. In the most straightforward cases, such as in The Fenix, Hill moves the choir in between the music’s foreground and background to accommodate a vocal soloist. More dramatic is what happens in From the Wingbone of the Swan and “Clay Jug” – an excerpt from a large work of Hill’s entitled A Sound Like This – wherein three or four musical layers converse within the choir itself, or between the choir and accompanying instruments. It is obvious in the works on Clay Jug that Hill has a strong connection to the texts she sets. Three of the album’s works – The Fenix, Alma beata et Bella and Cancion de el Alma – draw their texts from very old European sources dating back to the 10th, 15th and 16th centuries, respectively. Hill does not necessarily modernize these ancient words in her settings of them, but she succeeds in meaningfully personalizing them through her musical language. Along these lines, Hill describes the influence of the language these works’ texts on their aesthetics, particularly in the case of The Fenix, which uses its poetry’s original medieval Anglo-Saxon language. Similarly, Alma beata et Bella seems to make homage to Renaissance-era musical tropes contemporaneous to its text’s origins, but, in both works, Hill’s individual voice comes through with only slight alteration. The works on Clay Jug feature a musical language that pairs beautifully with choir, employing dissonance with care and purpose, as well as freely shifting texture to serve Hill’s compositional designs.