January 16, 2026 New Releases from Navona and Big Round Records

Norwegian oboist-composer Ivar Lunde Jr. has lived in the United States for so long that his work has become a prime example of fusing two very different transatlantic strengths: European heritage and American spontaneity. MEDITATION AT DAWN is a philosophical, profound yet immensely diverting album, blending the modern and the traditional with great vigor.

SYMPHONIES NOS. 1 & 2 presents two award-winning, large-scale orchestral works of London-based composer Marc Harris, written in collaboration with Jo Reeves between 2020 and 2024. Both symphonies have been performed multiple times with full symphony and orchestra, each time being met with critical acclaim.

Performed by baritone Robbie Milner and pianist Ben Eames, ALL THE WAY THROUGH EVENING honors a generation of composers shaped by the AIDS crisis, for whom creative expression became a means of “doing something about it.”

Peter Dickson Lopez’s SONG OF THIRTEEN MOONS reflects the phases of the composer’s own family life, chronicling his time as a father and husband. Through these reflections, Lopez’s saga documents the happiness and joy of raising a son, the challenges of chronic illness, and the sorrowful grief of losing a lifelong partner.

The trilingual chamber opera HORIZON: MADOG explores how cultures can join as one for the greater good in a moving performance from baritone Jeremy Huw Williams and Ensemble Paramirabo. The opera is bookended with the sextet Un pont sanguin, a work commissioned by Ensemble Paramirabo featuring analog synthesizer.

THE ZAPPA HOUSE CONCERT captures a private 1996 performance by the Meridian Arts Ensemble at Frank Zappa’s Los Angeles home. The MAE’s work with Zappa marked a major turning point for the ensemble, now famous for its formal chamber recitals, rock and jazz club shows, private house concerts, and more.