Goddesses is the third offering in Navona Records’ The Shakespeare Concerts Series, which presents several works by composer Joseph Summer from his collection of settings of Shakespearean scenes, sonnets and soliloquies, Oxford Songs. These particular works are reflections on feminine divinity, from the literal to the metaphorical to the figurative aspects of this concept. Summer’s deep knowledge of Shakespeare’s works and rich compositional technique produce a musical and literary experience that adds layers of insight to Shakespearean characters and themes.

Oftentimes in our technology-driven global society, words can become obscured in meanings and associations depending interpretation or translation. + On the other hand, music in its abstraction often can prompt more concrete interpreta¬tions. + Composer Michael J. Evans explores the relationships between words, music, and meaning on his latest Navona release, Cipher. + “His music is an emotional flow uninterrupted, strongly characterized in melodic and rhythmic sense.” - Kathodik

What must it feel like to play an instrument that is one of seven known to exist in the world? Pianists Shuko Watanabe and Timothy Gaylard know this feeling, playing works by Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) on a Clementi grandforte piano. Some of Clementi’s most well-known and some lesser-known works are presented, including four preludes from Musical Character Pieces, two sonatinas, the famous Sonata in B-flat, two four-hand duets and a rondo for keyboard and flute, featuring flutist Byron W. Petty.

On his latest Navona Records release, Ritornello, composer and pianist Curt Cacioppo revisits his beloved Italy, recalling places, friends, Italian tales, Don Giovanni and more to create a detailed sonic story about his experiences and Italian heritage. Divertimenti in Italia reflect on different regions of Italy. From the Dalle Dolomiti All' Etna comes a group of seven piano pieces. Women at the Cross is a collection of depictions of women who are significant in the Passion of Jesus Christ.

This debut Navona Records release highlights six contemporary composers from the northeastern Connecticut Composers, Inc., who reflect the diversity and progression of today’s music. Droyßiger Wald, by Michael K. Slayton, Ken Steen’s piece for piano trio, re: Moon in the Afternoon, Stephen Michael Gryc’s deep-diving loon, BA(da)SS by Ryan Jesperson, Time Pieces by Margaret Collins Stoop and Rose Sonata by Elizabeth R. Austin.

Rational Passions, Greg Bowers’ debut Navona release, takes listeners on a trip through the psychological world of music. + Each piece explores the relationship between the notes played and the emotions experienced, suggesting that emotional meaning can be rationalized. + The Boston String Quartet and pianist Karolina Rojahn performs the works on this album. + Mr. Bowers is a Professor of Theory & Composition at William and Mary College.

Drawing on popular music and minimalism of the late 20th c. while recalling the 19th c. Romantic tradition, composer and pianist Scott Pender explores the expressive natures of four instruments – piano, violin, viola, and cello – on his debut solo Navona release, 88 12. The Rhapsody, Elegy and Finale is a virtuosic study in contrasting mood and texture. The Viola Sonata is a work of rhythmic pulse and intensity, while the deeply lyrical Cello Sonata is a work of sweeping dramatic gesture. The string trio Veil of Ignorance provides three differing approaches to the same thematic material.

On Inner Music, his Navona Records debut, composer Ruud van Eeten presents three works highlighting the refinement and control evident in his compositional style. +Throughout the four movements of Piano Quintet No. 1, the composer adds no excess; every note has a role. +Punctus Einz, based on Bach’s The Art of Fugue, builds layers of textures that are heightened by the timbres of the saxophone quartet. +Jhero pulls inspiration from a painting by Hieronymus Bosch.

The 28th edition of the Society of Composers, Inc. release series and the 4th on Navona Records, Pendulum extrapolates and elaborates on several themes relating to variation, transformation, repetition, and more. This installment features works from seven SCI composers: Doron Kima’s As From a Dream, Metamorphoses II by Clifton Callender, Jorge Variego’s Walls, Alex Freeman’s Night on the Prairies, Wing Over Wing by Eric Nathan, Chris Arrell’s Narcissus/Echo and October by Philip Carlsen.

Canadian-born composer Sydney Hodkinson’s (b. 1934) second Navona release, A Keyboard Odyssey, is a journey through the world of the solo keyboard, exploring the versatility and spirit of both the piano and organ through the composer’s perceptive style. + Mr. Hodkinson currently holds the Almand Chair of Music Composition at Stetson University. + “…a composer who projects his musical-self outwards with a very personal yet very much contemporary expression.” - Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review

"•A person’s life is marked by contradicting events—some peaceful and light-hearted, others tempestuous, desolate, and fearful. Sunlight And Storms, composer and pianist Lionel Sainsbury’s (b. 1958, U.K.) debut solo release on Navona Records, illustrates these conditions and many more. • A retrospective collection of the composer’s piano works from almost 20 years of his career, this album consists of pieces ranging from tangos to toccatas, character pieces to ostinatos."

"Alexandra Ottaway’s solo Navona Records debut Tetrahedron Dreams draws on a diverse set of genres and stylistic sources including atonal, folk, chant, dance, and more Since its founding by Harold Rosenbaum in 1988, The New York Virtuoso Singers have won several prestigious awards as well as collaborated with groups like the American Composers Orchestra and the Juilliard Orchestra."

"•On her second Navona release, composer and oboist Patricia Morehead showcases her ability to incorporate varying instrumentation into her compositions. • With this variation, the composer creates a world of imagery, setting poems by such writers as Margaret Atwood and Anne Sexton in several of her pieces. • Morehead adopts some of the technique and style associated with the Second Viennese School composers; yet, in most cases, Morehead implements more tonal structure throughout her works."

The works on Unbridled, Sergio Cervetti's fourth solo Navona CD, represent his continuing aesthetic of combining traditional and postmodern techniques and instrumentation. +The title track is his response to the financial crisis. +Five Salvador Dali paintings inspired Mémoires du Paradis. +…from the earth… treats a passage from Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with reconfiguring minimalist techniques. +Mr. Cervetti was Master Teacher of Music at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU, from 1972-97 and 2007-08.

• Abhanden features six Chris Wild stylistically diverse compositions for solo cello and small ensemble. • Chris Wild is a cellist, conductor, and teacher. He has performed in many world premieres as the cellist for the acclaimed Dal Niente Ensemble • (The Dal Niente Ensemble) is “a model of what contemporary music needs” - Chicago Tribune