Smith, K.: Vespers

Martino, D.: Fantasies and Impromptus / Piano Trio / Serenat

Sandred, O.: Cracks and Corrosion Nos. 1 and 2 / Amanzule Vo

Spratlan, L.: In Memoriam / Streaming

William Vollinger: Raspberry Man - Single

Elliot Miles McKinley: String Quartets

Like many European composers alive during the World Wars, Bohuslav Martinu was nomadic. But while most of these artists' music changed drastically based on their location, Martinu's compositional style consistently referenced the culture of his Dzech heritage. Small Storms - cellist Meredith Blecha-Wells' debut record - contains Martinu's duos for cello and piano from the altter half of his life, with the performances of Blecha-Wells and pianist Sun Min Kim fully embodying the folkloric sensibility and conservative style that typify the composer's oeuvre. Blecha-Wells' beautiful playing is especially apt at capturing Martinu's oft=celebrated gift for melody and lyricism. Consistent with his Romantic and Neoclassicist predilections, the works featured on Small Storms come from genres originating in the nineteenth century, and, in some cases, even earlier. In her variations, nocturnes, and arabesques, the cellist looks not to redefine these time-tested genres, but instead personalizes their forms within the composer's characteristic musical language. Blecha-Wells' rendition of Martinu's Seven Arabesques for Cello and Piano and Nocturnes for Cello and Piano are emblematic examples of the composer's mixture of the European Classical tradition, elements of his native Czech culture, and the influence of his contemporaries. "Adante," the fourth movement of the Suite Miniature, works along these lines and sounds most heavily inspired by folk music. Conversely, "Adante Moderato" from Arabesque might be the most modernist, namely in its dissonance and use of irregular time signatures. Throughout Small Storms, the duo's playing blends wonderfully, no matter a passage's virtuosity or simplicity. It should come as no surprise that Martinu's cello writing is highlighted in this recording - Blecha-Wells' lyrical warmth and powerful athleticism triumphantly illustrate why the composer welcomed her instrument's entire expressive continuum in his music.

Patricia Morehead: Good News Falls Gently

"•At The Precipice, the third Navona release featuring the music of the late composer Yves Ramette (1921-2012), showcases four world premiere 2013 recordings of the composer’s works as played by the St. Petersburg Symphony and Vladimir Lande. Mr. Ramette’s rhythmically propulsive style, in which melodic fragments are presented, morphed, and expanded, can be heard throughout. • His work can also be heard as a shadow-history of French music during the Pierre Boulez era."

Eidola

Marty Regan: Forest Whispers... Selected Works for Japanese

Continuum: Modern Orchestral Works

Lawrence Siegel: Kaddish

Dances of Eternity presents a group of orchestral works by composers who explore music’s potential to capture the more overlooked aspects of human experience. These aspects range from representations of optimism and energy to the surging power of nostalgia, to lighthearted frolics and the eternality of life.

Regan's well-crafted compositions show a serious, almost cautious, respect for the tradition... (Asian Music Journal). Vol. 2 of Regan's series of Selected Works for Japanese Instruments, presents a collection of works composed for traditional Japanese instrumentation. Through the combination of his traditional classical education and studies of Japanese music and culture, Regan explores the cross-cultural exchange between Eastern and Western traditions.