In his second project with PARMA Recordings, Swiss composer Georges Raillard gifts us with 12 solo classical guitar compositions on BUTTERFLIES IN THE LABYRINTH OF SILENCE, all performed by renowned guitarist David William Ross. The album follows the Sinking Islands suite, Raillard’s first project with PARMA Recordings, which appeared on BETWEEN THE ECHOES, a Navona Records compilation album featuring chamber works. On BUTTERFLIES IN THE LABYRINTH OF SILENCE, we hear the full spectrum of Raillard’s imagination. At times, the compositions feature gliding melodies that barely rise above a whisper, while other parts of the album are thunderous refrains that catapult from the speakers. Raillard utilizes various playing methods in his works, including fingerpicking, long ringing strums, single note melodies, and sustained pedal points. Raillard has a unique way of effectively matching the inflection of his compositions to the title of the songs. This is a testament to both Raillard as an imaginative composer and to the evocative playing of Ross. On He Burst Out Laughing, the track aptly begins with the guitar mimicking a person laughing, with rolling bursts of spontaneous energy. It is immediately followed by the denouement of the laughter, highlighted by post-crescendo serenity, only for the laughing guitar to roar once again. Night Waves is a tranquil piece punctuated first by sliding chords that call to mind ocean waves lapping on the beach in the still of the night. A series of single note melodies wind and cascade like the tide coming in and out. Measuring Clouds is an airy composition split into two movements. The title comes from the second movement, with its four-tone ostinato, shifting harmonies and counterpoints. The album comes to a close with Patio, which is interspersed with sharp slightly dissonant strums and rhythmic raps on the guitar’s body before descending into a series of peaceful and wandering chord patterns, ultimately circling back to how it began, ending on an ominous burst of tension. With its range of moods, colors, and techniques, BUTTERFLIES IN THE LABYRINTH OF SILENCE is an introspective collection of imaginative compositions executed to perfection.

THE RIVER OF TIME, Navona Records' latest release, is a captivating tour de force by conductor Mike Fansler and the Western Illinois University Wind Ensemble. Recorded by legendary engineer Bruce Leek - whose recording portfolio includes the President's Own Marine Band - this album captures the full emotive intensity of one of America's finest collegiate ensembles. The album begins with composer David Maslanka's O Earth O Stars - Music for Flute, Cello & Wind Ensemble. The first movement, "Chorale," opens like the canopy of the night sky before us, as it takes it's melody from J. S. Bach's reverent "Jesu, meine Freude," or "Jesus my joy." As the album progresses, Fansler adeptly pilots his musicians through tight dynamic shifts, breathtaking melodic modulations, and razor-sharp releases. "Dragons and Devils of the Heart," the fourth movement, is a raucous and enthralling adventure; the music soars and dives with cinematic grandeur. O Earth O Stars ends with another chorale, providing a majestic and passionate conclusion to the first work. Following the concerto comes Maslanka's Symphony No. 10, The River of Time. "Alison," the first movement, is soft and contemplative with bursts of brash defiance. The gentleness of the horns is suddenly wracked by a veritable tempest, and we imagine Fansler reaching an imploring hand from the conductor's podium toward his musicians. The ensuing movements never let the listener grow complacent; evocative solos are interrupted by towering crescendos and fluttering scalar runs. The final movement "One Breath in Peace," begins tenderly before transcending into song. The symphony concludes in the same way each morning began in composer David Maslanka's studio; one male voice, gently floating atop the melody of the piano playing a Bach Chorale. THE RIVER OF TIME is both a profound musical accomplishment and an inviting work suitable for music lovers of every age. Fansler's commitment to excellence is revealed in his ensemble's performance; marked by careful attention to detail and impeccable execution, THE RIVER OF TIME will no doubt echo through speakers and headphones for ages to come.

Harmonius Dissonance: String Chamber Works

Osias Wilenski: Triptych

Bright Circle is an exquisitely programmed showcase of the interconnectivity underlying the tradition of solo piano in Classical music. Pianist Beth Levin shines as she navigates the romantic masterpieces of Schubert and Brahms, and their very new counterpart - David Del Tredici's 2014 work, Ode to Music. Levin's performance is particularly remarkable in the way she places the Del tRedici within the context of Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 20 and Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel. Del Tredici's music is an excellent choice to be set alongside two romantic stalwarts, as it aims to recapture the expressive language of nineteenth century European composers. Beyond this general association, all three works on Bright Circle truly are kindred spirits. Schubert and Brahms belong to the same tradition of German romanticism that arose and matured in the early - and mid-nineteenth century. Ode to Music is a fantasy on Schubert's art song An die Musik. Essentially, Bright Circle is defined by music that takes older ideas and reconstitutes them in a new, transformative setting. This is certainly the case with Brahms' Variations, which serves as Bright Circle's backbone. By the time Brahms set to work on this piece in the late 1850's, large sets of variations for piano were a common form for Romantic composers to flex their muscles. However, Brahms departed from the grandeur typical of these precedents - namely, Beethoven's famed Diabelli Variations - and challenged himself to study and assimilate aspects of Baroque forms into his treatment of Handel's theme. The melody at the heart of the variations originated in a work for harpsichord, and Brahms' appreciation of this fact is evident in restrained virtuosity of his piano writing.

PARMA Recordings artists Peter Greve and Hans Bakker have come together to give us LINES TO INFINITY, a stunning album that revolves around emotive and dramatic scores for primarily piano and flute. The two composers hail from the Netherlands and share a knack for creating thoughtful contemporary chamber works that appeal to the listener’s imagination. Peter Greve first contributes Sonata for flute and piano, a modal piece that was written in 2005 but has roots in the 1950s, when Greve observed Turkish folk music on a trip through the country. The first and third movements are tonal in their makeup, while the middle section uses an atonal idiom. The third and more modal movement incorporates elements of the Turkish folk music that Greve observed so long ago. It also utilizes asymmetric measure types, with both 10/8 and 13/8 making an appearance. The piano primarily serves as the rhythmic guide of this track, while the flute takes the lead. Greve’s second composition, Dialogues for narrator, flute, cello, and piano, centers around the idea of human communication, specifically between lovers in a relationship. The two lovers are represented by flute & cello collectively, while the piano represents the various friends & family who are amidst the peripheral of the lovers’ relationship. The piece can be broken into four movements: Discussion, Dispute, Reflection, and Celebration. The flow and tone of the music follows these parameters; the mood starts light until the conversation slowly descends into chaos, moves to contemplation and finally confirmation of the relationship. In the third movement, a poem by the Argentine poet Jorge Bucay is interjected among the music. Hans Bakker contributes three works to this album. Leys for flute solo draws upon the phenomenon of ley lines for its hymn-like cascading melody. Listeners might remember the melody from Brenne for violin and piano or Leys III for flute, violin, and guitar from Navona Records’ PINNACLE compilation album. Easy Piece for violoncello and piano is a straightforward but efficient duo piece that represents peace, solitude, and hope. Its effectiveness as a work is in its simplicity; it would not be out of place as the main motif in a romantic film. The centerpiece of Bakker’s contributions is the piece Trio for flute, oboe, and clarinet, a sprawling 11-minute opus split into three movements. In Part I, the instruments each take turns playing 16th note variations, sometimes intersecting playfully within the rhythm. The piece is able to navigate multiple accidentals while still sounding like it's revolving around one key. Part II features the flute beginning this piece followed then by the oboe taking over the melody, as if in direct response. The theme, though, seems to be the off-beat quarter notes. The three instruments come back together just once in rhythm before the flute takes over again with a more aggressive 16th note melody, which builds in intensity and leads us back to the introductory passage. The coda introduces a new rhythm, the triplet, which makes a few brief appearances before part II ends abruptly. Part III is finally the clarinet’s time to shine, evoking a frolicking and playful finale.

Rapport

Trombonist Deb Scott makes her Parma debut with her new Navona release Playing Favorites, accompanied by pianist Ron Petti. She performs a variety of her favorite pieces that appeal to her background in jazz and to her considerable technical skill. She writes: “What I love about each one is its ability to engage a diverse audience making for enjoyable and exciting musical moments.” The central piece on the album is Stephen Lias’s River Runner, written in response to a paddling trip he took with Scott through Big Bend National Park’s Santa Elena Canyon. Across the piece, Lias explores nature landscapes and the excitement of adventure, culminating in the visceral and kinetic third and final movement “Rock Slide.” The album includes many additional pieces, as well. Derek Bourgeois’ crowd- pleasing Trombone Concerto, written for Christian Lindberg, appeals to pop, jazz, and classical audiences. William Goldstein’s emotional Colloquy for Solo Trombone uses elements of jazz to explore opposing feelings of positivity and angst against a backdrop of Americana. Finally, the album closes with Variations on "The Carnival of Venice" composed by Jean-Baptiste Arban. This arrangement by Donald Hunsberger was actually composed for trumpet and originally performed by Wynton Marsalis.

The Jitro Czech Girls Choir, under the leadership of conductor and music director Jir� Skopal, presents yet another vivid exploration of the depths of traditional Czechoslovakian music on their fourth release with Navona, JITRO IN HEAVEN. The tone for the album is set by Liturgical Chants, five pieces which express the spiritual and musical code of European culture. These pieces are composed by Petr Eben, an icon of 20th-century Czech music. The emotional depth of the chants is also expressed in three parts of the cycle Four Choruses on Latin Texts. Written in 1973 for children's or girls' voices, the work is based on anonymous medieval texts. Catonis Moralia is also derived from Latin texts, this time from the 3rd Century; their translation by Czech philosopher, pedagogue, and theologian Johann Amos Comenius is used as the basis for combining the style of Baroque dance suites with instrumentally conceived choral polyphony. The poetry of V�tezslav Nezval, hovering at the boundary of the worlds of childhood and maturity, is mirrored in the imitative cycle Ten Poetic Duets, one of which, "Scorrendo Tranquillamente," highlights the pristine vocals of soloist Barbora Novotna. The album concludes with About Swallows and Girls, a miniature analogy of Bach's Art of the Fugue. Here, Eben has offered a wealth of variations of vocal arrangements of Bohemian, Moravian, and Silesian folk songs while retaining their folkloristic flavor. Eben's artistic vision never loses respect for his sources, or for their simplicity and humanism. The voices of the young girls in the Jitro Czech Girls Choir declaiming and proclaiming the ancient Latin words usually sung by adults or, when offered by young singers invariably by boys, lends JITRO IN HEAVEN an interestingly modern slant. That more contemporary take on these timeless texts serves to create a dynamic musical offering that fully captures the bright, gleaming performances of this remarkable group.

Sound and space are two elements that emerge at the heart of Jane O’Leary’s THE PASSING SOUND OF FOREVER. The collection showcases O’Leary’s compositional gifts through a variety of her chamber compositions. O’Leary’s string writing soars in THE PASSING SOUND OF FOREVER, and demonstrates her remarkable sensitivity to the instruments’ sonic palette and expressive potential. Every color, from ethereal natural harmonics to frenetic bowing, is at O’Leary’s disposal, and is exploited beautifully to produce evocative and compelling soundscapes.O’Leary is imaginative and creative in her string writing, resonating the instruments’ strings in a wide variety of ways. Harmonics and arpeggiations create vast open spaces.  In the case of A Winter Sketchbook, violin sounds are integrated with those of the alto flute, matching colors and creating new blends of sound. A Winter Sketchbook resonates profoundly as it casts the indelible image of deep winter.THE PASSING SOUND OF FOREVER’s title track is composed for string quartet, which makes it a shining and exemplary representation of O’Leary’s expressive string writing. The Passing Sound of Forever, originating from a motif found in a Beethoven quartet, plays with fragmentary gestures which emerge and disappear, echo and reflect. The work is filled with a deep yearning, which is communicated by the accumulated gestures and sounds of the quartet’s four string instruments. The Passing Sound of Forever epitomizes O’Leary’s unique ability to evoke vivid emotions from the simplest aspects of string instruments’ sound.Not every work on THE PASSING SOUND OF FOREVER features strings, but all seem to engage with the same themes of space and sound. O’Leary’s clarinet and piano duo Murmurs and Echoes, for example, creates the sense that its two instruments are communicating across great time and distance, most notably so in its last movement.  When their respective gestures mirror one another’s, they do so with the distortion of an echo crossing a vast space. In this way, Murmurs and Echoes reminds of A Winter Sketchbook, as both works use modest forces to generate a surprisingly resonant musical space.

Reason and Reverance represents an aural exploration of our world's complexities. By comparing and contrasting present triumphs with past regrets, the composers on this album develop a compelling, philosophical reflection of the world we live in. Conducted by Petr Vronsk�, the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra delivers a master class in cohesiveness while tackling a wildly diverse, yet wholly complete set of compositions. The album starts strong with Christopher Keyes' An Inescapable Entanglement. Keyes binds minimalist elements with late 16th and early 17th century forms of concerto to create a controlled chaos of instruments and voices playing distinct parts simultaneously. In his intent to create an antiphonal sound, Keyes employs eight loudspeakers to project the music achieving a thickened, full texture. Red Rock is a symphonic poem commissioned by the Henderson Symphony and it's music director, Taras Krysa. The music is based on the interaction of two musical materials, the first, calm and diatonic, presented by the French horns after the introduction and elaborated by the trumpets and the woodwinds; and the second, more angular and chromatic, also introduced by a solo French horn in the second section. Similar to a sonata form, these materials go through transformations and developments in the middle section, and return evolved and reconciled at the end of the movement. The piece suggests a gliding trip over the stunning landscape of the Red Rock canyon, with it's sharp geological contrasts, it's ever changing shapes, and it's surprising colors. Fernidnando de Sena's Deciphered Reverence explores the idea of divine presence and creates an interpretation through the consistent, triumphant swelling of the orchestra. de Sena's piece captures the many moods, modes, and colors in the music to translate his vision of life and celebrate it's ambiguity and omnipresence. Composed by Willem Van Twillert, multiple styles set the foundation for Branches of Singularity. Multiple developments transitions from one style to another create an enticing and evolving piece. Andrew Schultz' Symphony No. 2 - Ghosts of Reason ties the whole album together. Slowing the pace of the otherwise energetic album, Schultz's composition paints a haunting atmosphere by drawing out the wistful bleakness of it's wandering melodies.

Composer Michael G. Cunningham introduces the beauty of sacred choral compositions with the unique energy of the live recording. "Ecumenical" is defined as the promotion of unity among different Christian churches across the world, and ECUMENICAL SPIRIT celebrates the unifying powers of music as it transcends the borders of all differences. ECUMENICAL SPIRIT begins on a powerful note with the triumphant New Beginnings. With rousing percussion, resonant horns, and the incomparable energy of the full choir. This travels into The Annunciation, beginning with an ethereal, dissonant piano entrance before the women's choir rises into a lighter, major section, working through various prayers and intercessions. The piano and vocals almost seem to imitate each other as the piece flows through prayers, providing tones that are at times tender, chilling, triumphant, and fiery, but with each balancing the others out by the end. ECUMENICAL SPIRIT then works through various common prayers, from The Lord's Prayer to The Prayer of St. Francis as well as a spellbinding full Mass setting and a celebration of The Holy Spirit in six movements. The power of the live album is in the living, breathing reality of each moment. Background sounds and raw, untouched voices bring the listener right into the room as the work is being performed. ECUMENICAL SPIRIT brings the genuine reality of the live performance to listening ears, and Navona Live has preserved these energy-filled moments for future listeners to enjoy.

Conversations: Keyboard & Chamber Music by John Bilotta & Da

VOICES OF EARTH AND AIR 2 presents the best that modern choral compositions have to offer. Settings of traditional prayers are mingled with ethereal stories and otherworldly visions, and each of the eight compositions both stand unique and work together harmoniously to create a collection that nods to the future of choral music. Scott Solak's Ave Maria starts off the collection. Richly tonal and resonant, the piece is written in memory of the composer's mother, a second generation Polish Catholic. Ave Maria is followed by Jonathan Little's Crucifixus, another rich, vibrant work that presents modern interpretations of historic performance techniques and fills space with an all-encompassing listening experience. Helen MacKinnon's Gloria in Excelsis Deo demonstrates various moods throughout the piece, from tender to fiery and triumphant, all culminating in a glorious "Amen" to close the piece. The album then shifts to L Peter Deutsch's A Fisherman of the Inland Sea. With jagged intervals and interesting harmonies, and text by famed fantasy author Ursula K. LeGuin, the choir and a single narrator retell the melancholy story of a young fisherman's loss resulting from a tryst in a magical underwater kingdom. Following this story is Juli Nunlist's posthumously released Spells, an eerie, dissonant choral work that uses subtle recurrences to create an enveloping form. Daniel Morse's Nachtlied is an otherworldly soundscape that uses the writings of Austrian Expressionist poet Georg Trakl. Creating a sense of ritual, the otherworldliness is amplified by the use of electronic sounds created through manipulating pre-existing audio. Peter Greve's invocation for organ and mixed choir, Give Us Peace, is made up of four expressions of peace from four religious traditions. It follows a narrative arc of joy within communities, followed by violence and destruction, and finally a reconciliation and expression of peace between four different ideas. The album concludes with Whitman Brown's Psalm 23, a final return to sacred texts that creates a powerful bookend to the collection. Reverent and soothing, it gives a sense of conclusion to the journey of VOICES OF EARTH AND AIR 2.

Composed almost entirely in 2018 and performed by composer Giovanni Piacentini, the music on Between Worlds serves as a brand-new snapshot of a musician's prowess at the height of his creative capabilities. In an age where the musician-composer is a dying breed in the realm of so-called "serious" music, Piacentini brings a breath of fresh air in a multitude of ways. There is no doubt that his astounding technical skill as a guitarist deeply informs his compositions, and the effect is nothing short of breathtaking. Strikingly, even when employing modern elements - such as adding electronics - Piacentini resolutely resists the temptation of putting trendy, cheap showmanship over the soul of the music. The guitar, the mainspring of musical expression, remains paramount and prominent, always. And, thanks to the composer's talent for lyricism, structure, and depth, this pays off. Immensely. Piacentini's private taste in music is, for lack of a better word, virtually all-encompassing. It comes as no surprise that as a direct result, his own music refuses and refutes strict categorization. The listener might hear reminiscences of Classical-era and Romantic guitar music by Mertz or Sor in one track, and post-2000's indie rock sound the next. That said, all pieces are united by an inherent voice which immediately marks them as works by Piacentini. They range in mood from melancholy to upbeat, from truculent to soothing, but the style itself is perpetually distinct and memorable. Between Worlds is an album that simply makes sense. It is a treasure trove for the musically- trained ear, yet uncompromisingly clear and aesthetic, thus able to appeal equally to casual listeners. Piacentini's impressive command of the guitar indubitably plays a large part, but what's even more stunning is his compositional craftsmanship. One need not recommend repeated listening with this album - this music is so attractive that a listener will likely feel compelled to engage in it again and again without prompt.