This New Music Friday, Navona Records presents albums that highlight the many aspects of beauty in classical music, from works with aesthetic appeal to heartfelt expressions and stories, reflections of nature’s majestic qualities, and more.
Dive in and discover new music by Alexander Lipay, Fanya Lin, Sara Davis Buechner, Sound of Ages, Sheli Nan, Jinwoo Lee, Eunice Kim, Veronika Wu, and Stephen Page.
THE ART OF TRANSCRIPTION
Alexander Lipay, Fanya Lin
On THE ART OF TRANSCRIPTION, flutist Alexander Lipay explores Brahms’ Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Schubert’s Sonatina No. 2 in A minor, and Franck’s Sonata in A major with a fresh perspective, swapping the string instruments out for the liquid, ethereal sound of the flute. Together with the pianist Fanya Lin, Lipay unearths exciting qualities within each piece, and breathes new life into well-known notes.
BUSONI & CASELLA: WORKS FOR PIANO
Sara Davis Buechner
On BUSONI & CASELLA: WORKS FOR PIANO, Sara Davis Buechner pairs Ferruccio Busoni’s Seven Elegies (1907) and Alfredo Casella’s Sei Studi (1944). This adventurous new recording presents two 20th-century composers’ unique visions of a musical future. Throughout, Buechner approaches these works not as austere technical experiments, but as creations of vision, depth, complexity, and heartfelt expression.
WIND, WATER, STONE
Sound of Ages
On WIND, WATER, STONE, Kameron Kavanaugh and his Sound of Ages ensemble perform new compositions that hover between scintillating harmonies, the austere beauty of classical form, and a hefty dose of melodic charm. Composed by Andrew Maxfield, these works are at once ethereal and approachable: if contemporary serious music with easy listening appeal exists, this is it.
SARAH AND HAGAR
Sheli Nan
Art has the power to inspire, enlighten, and heal, and historical influence only magnifies its poignancy. On SARAH AND HAGAR, The Reconciliation of the Jewish Mother and the Arab Mother, composer Sheli Nan calls for reconciliation between Arabic and Jewish peoples, drawing from the biblical story of Sarah and Hagar in a dramatic work for string quartet and two voices.
ONCE HEARD, LONG FORGOTTEN
Jinwoo Lee, Eunice Kim
On ONCE HEARD, LONG FORGOTTEN, violinist Jinwoo Lee and pianist Eunice Kim illuminate the dark corners of time and shine a long-overdue spotlight on Emilie Mayer and Luise Adolpha Le Beau. This album’s careful selection of early and late works traces the composers’ artistic growth and the evolution of their voices, and the rippling impact of their contribution to classical music as a whole.
UNDER THE OCEAN: MERMAID
Veronika Wu
UNDER THE OCEAN by Veronika Wu is a six-movement suite conceived as “a voice from beneath the ocean,” with each title forming part of an evolving poem. The music listens for what we rarely pause to hear: the voices of the sea and its creatures, speaking not through words but a sonic pull on our souls.
JOHN ADAMS: SAXOPHONE CONCERTO
Stephen Page
Despite its expressive agility and unmistakable timbre, the saxophone is a rarity in symphonic repertoire. Pioneering composer John Adams brings a lifetime of experience with the instrument to SAXOPHONE CONCERTO, a daring work that demands attention for the hearty woodwind.
