Classical Music Discoveries

Coronation Mass in C Major, K 317 Symphony No. 32 in G Major, K. 318 Symphony No. 33 in B-flat Major, K. 319 Posthorn Serenade for Orchestra No. 9 in D Major, K. 320 Dominique Beaulieu, conductor CMD Boys Choir of France CMD Paris Philharmonic and Chorus of Orleans

THE GORGEOUS NOTHINGS Ingrid Stölzel THE GORGEOUS NOTHINGS is composer Ingrid Stölzel’s first recording on Navona Records, although she has also been featured on three compilation albums released by the label. Haunting and lyrical throughout, the album explores themes of beauty, being, journey and transformation. The album’s eleven tracks, some inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman and some created by Stölzel’s own native curiosity, engage the listener intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. The album’s title composition takes as its inspiration Emily Dickinson’s envelope writings and weaves together five paper fragments into a beautiful song cycle. Soprano Sarah Tannehill Anderson performs against a backdrop of flute, oboe and piano, evoking a sense of both the poet’s and the composer’s creative spirits. In here there, performed by Navona violinist Véronique Mathieu and pianist Ellen Sommer, Stölzel plays with the subtlety of perspective. The interplay between piano and violin creates a sense of the instruments both attracting and resisting each other, much like the emotion one feels when torn between two places. In Soul Journey – Three Whitman Songs, Stölzel brings together three poems by Walt Whitman into a song cycle, which creates a journey of the soul from awakening to awareness to transcendence. These striking lyrical interpretations from Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” are soulfully interpreted by mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella and Ellen Sommer on piano. With Eyes Open takes as its source material Stölzel’s earlier composition, “with both eyes.” Here, allowing herself to fully open to the idea of possibility, Stölzel takes the 2008 composition, originally written for flute, guitar, vibraphone and piano, and transforms it into a subtle and serene piece written for alto saxophone and piano. The album concludes with The Road is All, which takes as its inspiration a quote from a 19th century historian which translates to “The end is nothing; the road is all.” Each instrument – violin, cello and piano – travels on its own journey throughout the piece, sometimes solo and at other times converging, embracing the twists and turns, the unpredictability that is life, and the simple enjoyment of a moment in passing time. Ingrid Stölzel has been hailed as “a composer of considerable gifts” who is “musically confident and bold” by NPR’s classical music critic. Her music has been described as “tender and beautiful” and as creating a “haunting feeling of lyrical reflection and suspension in time memory.” Stölzel’s compositions have been performed in concert halls and at festivals worldwide including the Kennedy Center, Seoul Arts Center, Thailand International Composition Festival and the Festival of New American Music, among others. Her music has been awarded and recognized in numerous national and international competitions.

HYMNUS Otmar Mácha, composer JITRO Czech Girls Choir | Jiří Skopal, conductor On HYMNUS, the world renowned Jitro Czech Girls Choir under the direction of Jiří Skopal once again delivers refined, dazzling interpretations of the music that is so much a part of Czech culture. The album, which is the Choir’s third release on Navona Records, includes 24 selections that range from Moravian and Silesian folk songs on which the Choir interprets the subtle call and response between bucolic lovers, to a series of compositions inspired by Latin proverbs on which intricate, multidimensional vocals underscore the significance of a simple word or phrase. While the album’s tracks are assembled under specific groupings – Silesian Yodel Songs, The Replies of Silesian Songs, Moravian Folk Songs, and Proverbia – this merely delineates the source material. The unifying impact of the Choir’s exquisitely crafted vocals elevates this album far above what might otherwise be an ethnomusicological exercise. For the most part, the choir performs without any instrumental accompaniment, save for several Moravian folk songs, on which a solo piano provides an additional layer of intricacy, and for the album’s closing track, Hymnus. Combining the stirring instrumentation of kettledrum and organ with the Choir’s uplifting vocals, Hymnus translates the positive, humanistic vision of John Amos Comenius, the 17th century educator, philosopher and theologian, into what serves as a superb melodious conclusion of this impressive recording. Conductor and educator Jiří Skopal has managed the Jitro Czech Girls Choir since 1977. Over the ensuing years, he has achieved major international success at concerts in Europe, Asia, and the United States. In total, Skopal has recorded 43 albums with his choirs and conducted more than 3500 concerts. The Jitro Czech Girls Choir is a complex institution with a membership of around 350 young singers ranging between five and 19 years of age. Since being founded 35 years ago, the Choir has been lauded internationally for its tonal brilliance, superb intonation, and distinctive rich blend of sound and energetic vitality. It is considered as one of the best children’s choirs anywhere in the world, receiving multiple awards and medals.

BELLO SON TROVAS MODERNAS With TROVAS MODERNAS, the members of Bello Son have curated the latest edition of the Great Cuban Songbook. This group of free format musicians emerged in the summer of 2014, from an experimental project developed over six years by Professor Jesús Bello at the Samuel Feijóo Art School in Villa Clara Cuba. Since May 2015 Bello Son has worked and performed consistently including presentations and performances in Trinidad, in Havana with the Association "José Martí,” and on television broadcasts across Cuba. From the timeless salsa of Luis “Tata” Guerra’s “Son Matamoros” to Ñico Saquito’s “Amarro Con P,” the music on this album represents a deep dive into the music that defines a country and its people. Tony Smith’s “Dile Que Por Mi No Tema” is a passionate salsa featuring a spurned lover who informs a former flame to “tell your new lover there is nothing to fear / it has been a long time since I erased you from my mind.” “Los Celos De Mi Compay” (My Friend’s Jealousy) rounds the story out with surprisingly upbeat music contrasting a less than joyful circumstance. Alongside Cuban icons Pepe Sanchez, Rosendo Ruiz, and Manuel Corona, Sindo Garay is considered one of the four greats of the trova – poetic songwriters who accompanied themselves on guitar. Indeed, these trovadors were the folk musicians of Cuba, and Bello Son’s take on Garay’s “Retorna” carries on the tradition proudly. “El Reto” (The Challenge) features a rollicking piano line and birdlike flute that dances around the lyrics. As a gateway into understanding a people and culture, music has no equal. Listening to TROVAS MODERNAS provides an unparalleled look into the hearts and minds the Cuban people.

This broadcast is now on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/-LQJdOwX_Ws

THE BROKEN VESSEL Magnar Åm With THE BROKEN VESSEL, Andreas Barth, Geir Hjorthol and Magnar Åm take the concept of “industrial music” to a whole new level. The recording took place in an abandoned Norwegian factory, “The Propeller Hall,” utilizing everything from the acoustics in the building to the muffled sounds of traffic outside its walls. In this way the building became a partner in a concrete as well as a metaphorical way in creating the music of this ten-track album. Let us quote the composing musicians: “Metaphorically the building with all its scars could be seen as a broken vessel, left alone and non-productive. And this broken vessel even became the reflection of how our minds had to willingly enter into the nothingness of the creative moment, where we are left with nothing but what we are and what is around us, trying constantly to find a meaningful way into the next moment. This is true both as far as composition and improvisation concerns, maybe even living in general…” The notion of THE BROKEN VESSEL is borrowed from German philosopher and critic Walter Benjamin. Benjamin argued against the idea that any original work could be translated into another language while still retaining its original meaning. Thus any translation would be a “broken vessel”. “We chose this title,” the composing musicians say, “because we acknowledge the impossible challenge in translating what our hearts feel into a musical language. But music was the most direct language we could find.” From this double inspiration, the three composers/musicians created their sonic interpretations of a factory, now abandoned, as an image of the relation between past and present, but also between the materiality of industrial production and the spirituality of music. They created this project using instruments such as a glass harp, grand piano, trumpet, the human voice and various percussion instruments including tools and materials found within the factory. They manipulated their sonic output to simulate the industrial sounds of production in an attempt to musically translate the labours, but also the hopes and longings of the workers of the past. The outcome of this was a series of musical images filled with contrasts between darkness and light, drama and peaceful meditations. Though the past cannot be fully translated, Barth, Hjorthol and Åm reimagine the factory in its working condition, bringing the building to life in an attempt to retell its story to a new audience.

SYMPHONY NO.1 John Robertson Deeply committed to a beauteous aesthetic, composer John Robertson's second album SYMPHONY NO.1 once more delivers a neoclassical triumph with tremendous potential for repeated listening. This release flaunts an unapologetically exuberant elegance ever-present in the composer's oeuvre. The heart of the album is, of course, Robertson's Symphony No. 1, a three-movement epos which explores the vast realm of classical tonality. While the first movement starts out touching upon 20th-century harmonies reminiscent of Prokofiev, the second one already harkens back to the late Romantic school. Still, remaining very much a contemporary composition in its essence, this symphony offers plenty of innovation: not only does it push the limits of the traditional symphonic fast-slow-fast movement order, it also spearheads intensely lyrical soloistic parts such as the third movement's elaborate solo violin introduction, from which all other instruments organically spring forth. In the same vein, the Suite for Orchestra Op. 46 is easy on the ear, oscillating between the exaltation of the introductory Fanfare, the natural grace of the subsequent Waltz, the profound tristesse of the Elegy, and the uplifting, resolute splendor of the concluding March. The form of musical variations, the calling card of a composer's skill and craftsmanship throughout the ages, receives an apt treatment in the form of Robertson's Variations for small orchestra, Op. 14. In just over 18 minutes, they explore the possibilities of thematic development from every imaginable angle, ranging from the solidly-classical to the breezingly and self-confidently outlandish. John Robertson's straightforward formal choices render all of these compositions intuitively accessible, yet make no compromises in terms of technical and musical complexity, which remain sophisticated throughout. SYMPHONY #1 proves that new music can be rooted in tradition, yet offer a breath of creative fresh air – effortlessly and naturally.

315 ENSEMBLE CHRIS CRESSWELL Arjun Jethwa Luke Newby Laurie McGee Laetitia Van Wyk Heather Duncanson Chris Cresswell Ravello Records presents 315 ENSEMBLE, the self-titled debut album of composer/electric guitarist/sound artist Chris Cresswell’s sextet, recorded live at Birmingham Conservatoire in England. Cresswell’s 315 Ensemble is dedicated to exploring possibilities in electroacoustic music as well as commissioning works from outstanding composers worldwide. This album premieres two compositions by Creswell exclusively. 315 Ensemble is “a chamber ensemble masquerading as an electro-acoustic band or an experimental band masquerading as a chamber ensemble,” includes Arjun Jethwa (flute/bass flute); Luke Newby (clarinet/bass clarinet); Laurie McGee (violin); Laetitia Van Wyk (cello); Heather Duncanson (piano); and Chris Cresswell (electric guitar/electronics). In Cresswell’s blurs the line between white noise, digital sampling, ambient electronic textures, and classical instruments, with an organic structure and a restrained instrumentation. This culminates in a provocative exploration of tonalities through which the listener is challenged to hear sound graphics as the foreground. This journey is aptly reflected in the first work “From Dreams, We Emerge,” about which, the composer writes: “the work explores subtle, shifting electronic textures built from white noise, sampled instruments, and static.” The album also premieres “The Lost Art of Losing Sleep,” the first work Cresswell wrote specifically for the ensemble. The music, an exploration of electroacoustic tone clusters, is accompanied by a poem: woven fragments wash over him as he rediscovers the lost art of losing sleep

HIPSTER ZOMBIES FROM MARS PIANO MUSIC FOR A POST-IRONIC AGE Nicholas Vines, composer Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, piano Nicholas Vines presents HIPSTER ZOMBIES FROM MARS, his third PARMA Recordings album. This collection of three major piano works by Dr. Vines was recorded on location at Cornell University with artist Ryan MacEvoy McCullough at the piano. For all of the flash one might expect from the album title, Vines bypasses gimmickry in order to capture something sophisticated. Standouts include the four-movement Terraformation for pianoforte, inspired by Kim Stanley Robinson’s science-fiction novel “Red Mars.” Vines depicts the technology’s influence on nature by lifting traditional classical forms and acclimating them to a modernist viewpoint. McCullough captivates the listener with his careful attention to the futuristic timeline into which Vines’ tone clusters have been poetically mapped. Indie Ditties: Twelve Scapes for Piano is a social commentary on the modern hipster movement. The multi-genre piano melodies are thoughtfully constructed, telling a story that is both interesting and musically complex. Concentrating carefully, a keen listener will hear familiar incidental phrases in the most unexpected of places (hint: Movement III, Bad Appletude is not about produce). Vines describes his compositional technique as “ firmly rooted in the technical resources of the Western classical canon, while embracing sounds and ideas from an array of popular, experimental, Australian and non-Western traditions. This combination of rigour and pluralism gives rise to music at once vectored and kaleidoscopic.” Popular media outlets have called the work of Dr. Nicholas Vines “exquisite,” “riveting,” “arresting,” “edgy, bright and entertaining as hell.” HIPSTER ZOMBIES FROM MARS does not fail to deliver on these accolades.

THE MORE YOU KNOW Ron Paley Exuberant and exciting is the Big Round Records debut of big band pianist and composer Ron Paley. This is not “just another pops album.” Paley’s work is cool, clever, and ridiculously fun. Seven of the ten tracks on THE MORE YOU KNOW are completely composed, arranged, and performed by Ron Paley. “Theme” is energetic, exploring elements of upbeat jazz and classic boogie woogie. Fast-paced, too, is “U of M” where the artist/composer delves into the genres of gospel and rock as well—surprising the listener at the end with his impressive talent for percussing vocally. “A Beautiful Soul,” and “P&Q” are exquisite jazz ballads that are par with the perfection of those Weill, Porter, or Gershwin. This is demonstrated, too, in Paley’s Ballad Trilogy. “Listen to the Sound,” explores the rhythmic character inherent in Latin dance genres. The title track, “The More You Know,” is fresh and improvisatory. Paley’s mash-up arrangement of Dietz and Schwartz’s “Alone Together” and Orbison’s “Pretty Woman,” is the most experimental track on the album and demonstrates Paley’s gift for transforming the expected into something altogether new. Paley’s arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers,” is a lounge treat, unlike any other interpretation of the favorited Nutcracker tune. Paley brings the same sort of originality to his fabulous arrangement of Chopin’s Prelude in C-Minor, which concludes this treasure of a recording. For complete track listings and credits, please visit: http://www.bigroundrecords.com/epk/themoreyouknow/credits---the-more-you-know---ron-paley.html

TABLEAU TEMPEST & TANGO Clipper Erickson, piano Navona Records artist Clipper Erickson presents a solo piano album of works by composers Richard Brodhead (1947- ), David Finko (1936-), and Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) entitled TABLEAU TEMPEST & TANGO. The mostly Russian-themed album climaxes with Erickson’s masterful interpretation of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The original version for solo piano precedes the iconic orchestrations by many composers, most notably Maurice Ravel. For Erickson, the piano is his orchestra, and he conducts it marvelously through every movement, down to the famed finale, The Great Gate of Kiev. Stellar, too, is Erickson’s interpretation of Finko’s Fantasia on a Medieval Russian Theme, which is inspired by a grievous poem about the oppression of the Russian people. Mussorgsky also used this poem, incorporating it as part of the libretto for the Act I choral scene of his Khovanshchina (1880). The severity, which is truly captured in Finko’s fantasy, is made spiritual by Erickson’s interpretation. Finko’s Sonata No. 1 Solomon Mikhoels is next. It has folk roots--budding from the composer’s interest in Yiddish and Slavic cultures. Erickson executes the polarity in dynamic contrast and rhythmic complexity with incredible manual dexterity. Finko writes that his Sonata No. 2 “expresses the acute feelings of a sensitive intellectual who goes through several stages of personal sufferings and struggle.” This journey is demonstrated by Erickson’s acute attention to mood, even in the subtlest of harmonic progressions. Finko’s Sonata No. 3, composed in 2009, is evocative of the evolution of the composer’s technique since his first sonata in 1964. Erickson, too, shows an evolution -- the melodies become more fluid, the separation between each note more precise. The listener is transported to Argentina where Erickson presents Richard Brodhead’s Una Carta de Buenos Aires, a truly dark tango. It is mysterious and vacant, but Erickson handles it like a delicate flower. The finale is Brodhead’s Sonata No. 2, Sonata Notturna, dark, too, in its presentation, but Erickson’s light shines on the meditation of terrors we hear at night. As evidenced on his previous recording, 2015’s MY CUP RUNNETH OVER, Professor Erickson’s prodigious performances are not only products of his superior musicianship, but also the in-depth studies he completes on every work performed. This is the best collection of such works to date. TABLEAU TEMPEST & TANGO is a must-have for the collections of piano dilettantes and savants alike. As the LA Times notes, Erickson plays “with extraordinary dash and power and he never let[s] flamboyance obscure art.” For complete track listing and credits, please visit: http://navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6170/track-listing---credits---tableau--tempest---tango---clipper-erickson.html

THE FIFTH ROW Stuart Weber Find your seat and settle in with THE FIFTH ROW, the latest album by guitarist Stuart Weber. These twelve compositions, recorded in several historic American theaters, employ Weber’s strong yet delicate guitar playing along with the acoustics of the rooms in which he recorded. Combining elements of classical and folk, Weber embraces the elegance of high-brow compositions as well as the grit of stripped-down Americana. Conversely, Weber’s interpretation of “America The Beautiful" cracks the hardened shell of the country’s staple song and exposes the pearl underneath that brings a brand new, marvelous way of looking at the classic. Weber’s folk and classical elements are diversified throughout the album. “Spanish Creek" combines elements of the tango and flamenco guitar, while the “Jefferson Waltz” maintains that triple time rhythm to inspire the famous gliding dance. Under the influence of the legendary Christopher Parkening, Weber finds his own sound through the humanizing element of folk in his compositions. He employs as much of an Andrés Segovia influence as he does a Jackson Browne influence. With Weber playing off of the acoustics in the performance halls in which he recorded the album, the experience of listening to this album feels as though the listener is sitting in the front row, hearing the pluck of every finger in real time.

Daniel Roberts has performed Solo Recitals around Europe in Germany, UK, Norway, and performed for the 1st time in the USA in February 2017. He has featured in Radio interviews on the BBC, and enjoyed a Chamber Duo collaboration with Violinist Hannah Woolmer. Orchestral performances in the UK, and Brazil have included concertos by Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaniov, Gershwin, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky. Daniel was greatly influenced by his late mentor, the world renowned Pedagogue Peter Feuchtwanger, and Daniel helps other Pianists to learn this approach to playing that takes away strain and tension in the body. Website: www.danielrobertsmusic.com Solo Album featuring Rachmaninov´s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and solo pieces by Schumann, and Daniel. Physical copies available for worldwide delivery: https://www.danielrobertsmusic.com/solo-album/

INEFFABLE TALES John Alan Rose Composer/Performer John Alan Rose presents INEFFABLE TALES, an album of four of his ensemble compositions, recorded at Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic. In addition to renowned soloists Jungwon Choi (cello), Moni Simeonov (violin), the recording features the composer’s wife Sing Rose (soprano), and the composer himself (piano). The album also features the Moravian Philharmonic, under the direction of Miran Vaupotić. Rose stuns from the outset with his imaginative piano concerto “Tolkien Tale,” a programmatic fantasy with clear Eastern European folk elements. In the first movement “Setting out on a great adventure,” the listener, perhaps on a journey with famed hobbit Bilbo Baggins, is introduced to playful syncopations and pentatonic explorations -- perhaps in homage to folk explorations of Bartok, Brahms, Dvorak, and Prokofiev. The Earth and all its elements can be heard in Rose’s masterful orchestration, highlighting impressive writing for chimes and percussion. The warm “Lullaby,” the second movement, is a short interlude, a breathtaking look at tandem possibilities for keyboard instruments and woodwinds. Concluding the work is “March,” a continuation of the fanciful literary journey with musically atmospheric projections of things encountered along the way. The work is solid, accessible, and most of all memorable -- one that could work itself into standard orchestral repertoire for years to come. Next is “Old Father Time” for cello and orchestra, a nostalgic, yet timeless work demonstrating the composer’s mastery of the neo-Romantic style and the complexities of storytelling through music. Maestro Vaupotić has created such a purity in timbre and sonority that the listener will be astonished at how clearly critical every part is in creating a whole. As concertist Jungwon Choi (cello) humbly shares the stage as part of the orchestra. The two-minute violin introduction to “25,000 Years of Peace” is modern, seemingly improvisational and likewise experimental. The violinist somehow replicates the hollow breaths heard in folk woodwinds. It is meditative and almost religious. Direction is unclear. But then the grand orchestra enters and the listener is transported to the Western frontier in an Ives-like montage of New World folk tune, Native American chant, and Shaker hymnsong. The modern aesthetic is so seamlessly woven into the fabric, one wonders, at times, if Fleck and Wooten have entered the picturesque scene. LIsteners will enjoy “Ticket to the Theater” featuring soprano, Sing Rose and the dark comedic narration of actor Tyler Bunch (Sesame Street). John Alan Rose explains, “my goal was to contribute a new piece to the vocal/orchestral repertoire suggesting a grand operatic performance, but requiring only one performer, one narrator and no set. It is supposed to seem off-the-cuff, and since "invented" by a musician onstage, resorts to the barest of bones of a plot, without an identifiable lead character!” This album is brilliant in every way and is the work of a very thoughtful composer. INEFFABLE TALES makes the future of the orchestral canon quite bright. Quite bright indeed!

ON & BETWEEN Lin Ma & Zhen Chen U.S. immigrants live in the dualities of cultures and identities. ON & BETWEEN is a musical exploration of the dualities and the accompanying anticipation, agony, pride and compromise – poignantly capturing the states of mind of an immigrant on the journey of home-seeking and assimilation. Award winning composer Zhen Chen explores new possibilities by weaving traditional Chinese music instruments and folk tone with piano and Western style chamber music. A sweeping and at times epic recording, ON & BETWEEN is a masterstroke of sophisticated storytelling performed by a stellar ensemble of musicians. Played by Lin Ma, the solo instrument and protagonist on this recording is the pipa (Chinese Lute), a traditional musical instrument with more than two thousand years of history. Collaborating artists include Grammy-nominees Cho-Liang Lin and Elmira Darvarova (violin), Manhattan School of Music’s David Geber (cello), the New York Philharmonic’s Liang Wang (oboe) and Howard Wall (French horn), MET Orchestra’s Shenghua Hu (violin) and Milan Milisavljević (viola). Jazz musicians Braxton Cook (saxophone) and Curtis Nowosad (drums) add yet another dimension to this multilayered recording. ON & BETWEEN’s first track, “Arrival,” deftly references the “Going Home” theme from the second movement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony to display the solemn respect and sense of promise the United States places in the hearts of new immigrants. The rolling piano figures and long cello phrases combine render a scene of the gradual landing of an airplane and the beginning of new life and discovery. “Lost in the Midtown” bursts forth with inspired personification of each instrument as they create a tango inspired arrangement depicting an immigrant’s fight against social institutions. The monotony of the cello represents a cold, harsh institutional structure, while the pipa displays an immigrant’s sense of stress and panic in navigating political bureaucracy. The music contracts into a vertigo like quiet section spreading out into a rapid glissando articulating depression, anguish, and helplessness. As the recording unfolds, we discover love at first sight (“Encounter”), the NYC nightlife (“Cocktails”), and a jazzy stroll through the city on “Walk on the Fifth” displaying our protagonist’s increased comfort in their new home. ON & BETWEEN’s concluding track, “Harmony,” revisits the opening “Going Home” motif. This time, played on the pipa, the foreign becomes familiar. Subtly showing the immigrant’s adoption of their new home while bringing the entire recording to a wholly satisfying and affirming close.