Ispirare consists of contemporary music for viola and the pieces that inspired their creation. These works were chosen not only because they are engaging to perform and listen to, but also for their capacity to provide a creative spark for other composers.

Violist Melia Watras has distinguished herself as one of her instrument’s leading voices. A soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and composer, Watras has commissioned, premiered and recorded numerous new compositions, while appearing at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. Ispirare is her fourth solo CD, adding to an expanding discography that also includes 14 chamber music recordings.

Early in his career, George Rochberg was one of America’s leading proponents of serialism, but began to change course in the mid-1960s. The tragic death of his son contributed to this period of artistic change, and Rochberg broke from pure serialism in an effort to find a more personal expression through music. This album features his stunning “Sonata” for viola. 

Melia has been a long-time admirer of the amazing music of Shulamit Ran, and approached her with the idea of writing a new work influenced by an existing composition, which culminated in the beautiful “Perfect Storm.” Shulamit’s choice to pair her piece with Berio’s Black is the color… from “Folk Songs,” led Melia to Naturale. 

Luciano Berio reinvents American, Armenian, Azerbaijani and Italian folk tunes in his 1964 song cycle, “Folk Songs,” for mezzo-soprano and a small chamber group. Black is the color… has traditional lyrics with a melody written by Kentucky folk singer and composer John Jacob Niles.

Starry Night is Michael Lewin’s fourth Sono Luminus studio recording, providing the companion disc to his critically praised Beau Soir (DSL-92175), containing the Debussy Préludes Book II and other works. • Starry Night opens with worldly “Estampes" (Prints) (1903). • It follows with the delightfully impressionistic “Arabesque No. 1 in E Major (1888), “Golliwog’s cake walk (1908), “Les soirs illuminés par larder du charbon” (Evenings lit by the burning coals) (1917), and, of course, the early “Nuit d’etoiles” (Starry Night) (1880). • The album finishes with the “12 Préludes, Book I” of 1910.

Sono Luminus, together with the Baton Rouge Symphony Chamber Players, brings together the works of three contemporary composers in this latest release, Weill - Ibert - Berg. The Baton Rouge Symphony Chamber Players is a collection of talented artists taken from the larger parent group, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. Celebrating its 63rd year, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra has become an ambassador for the arts in the greater Baton Rouge region and neighboring communities and currently offers over 40 concerts a year, while bringing in internationally-known guest artists.

Bringing together three of the most renowned practitioners of historically-appropriate performance of Early Music and Baroque repertoires, the Sono Luminus release of Io Vidi in Terraprovides a rare immersion into a mysterious world that, despite its relative obscurity in the perspectives of 21st century observers, shaped almost every aspect of music as it blossomed in subsequent generations. José Lemos shares his passion for the Italian vocal music of the 17th century with friends and frequent collaborators Deborah Fox, theorbist and baroque guitarist, and GRAMMY®-nominated harpsichordist Jory Vinikour, as well as with listeners throughout the world.