Catalog

The New York New Music Ensemble's recording presents three of Lukas Foss's three best chamber works in reverse chronological order of composition. The recording opens with Tashi (1986), working its way backwards through Solo Observed (1982), and concludes with Echoi (1961-63). This presentation allows listeners to enjoy a musical narrative that begins at the end, with a work that represents the culmination of more than 40 years of compositional inquiry. The significance of Tashi's assimilation of stylistic elements is then understood retrospectively through the other two works, each more strongly associated with forward-looking compositional techniques than the last. Foss himself, who as a conductor was known for his innovative programming, would undoubtedly have appreciated this approach to the recording of his music. These three works provide an effective overview of Foss's eclectic compositional style and insight into his aesthetic and expressive motivation. The acclaimed New York New Music Ensemble has commissioned, performed, recorded, taught, and fiercely advocated for the music of our time, achieving international acclaim in its endeavors. The NYNME has more than 25 recordings to its credit and has commissioned and premiered more than 130 works by some of America's most distinguished composers.

The Albany Symphony, conducted by David Alan Miller, gives world premiere performances of two commissioned works by the distinguished American composer Michael Torke. Torke's music has been called "some of the most optimistic, joyful and thoroughly uplifting music to appear in recent years." (Gramophone) Hailed as a "master orchestrator whose shimmering timbral palette makes him the Ravel of his generation" (New York Times), Michael Torke has created a substantial body of works in virtually every genre. Torke has served as Composer In Residence for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and has founded Ecstatic Records. The two works on this recording include a concerto for piano and orchestra titled Three Manhattan Bridges. Torke uses bridges as a metaphor for connecting to an earlier stance that music once had of a direct relationship with its audience. The second work, titled Winter's Tale is a concerto for cello and orchestra. Though not based on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, it is inspired by lines from the play.

Pianist Mirian Conti reflects on the joys of her own childhood and her reasons for making this recording of music written about children: "As we travel around the world, the sounds, images, colors, smells, and first emotions are experienced by children pretty much in the same way in every corner of the planet. The composers represented in this recording, coming from six different countries, no doubt experienced their lives as children, and also looked back at that life as adults. The compositions here are about children, not for, children Their music is about remembering those first feelings of awe, wonder, fear, desire, and the many doubts about the immediate future the sounds of our music are strongly engraved in our genetic makeup -- the lullabies, the popular songs of our times, or the songs at school The collective songs and dances of a culture learned as a child are part of that child's musical DNA." Born in Argentina, Mirian Conti is a graduate of Juilliard and a Yamaha Artist. She has served on the Faculty of the Evening Division at The Juilliard School since 2007. She is a prolific recording artist who has recordings on the Island, Albany, Koch, Toccata, XLNT, Parnassus, and Steinway labels. As a soloist, she has appeared around the world with many orchestras and is a much sought after juror for international competitions. Among her most recent awards is the Isaac Albeniz Medal.

This recording contains a representative collection of composer Gary Smart's small chamber music works. Strings, winds, percussion, and piano are used in various groupings -- some traditional, some not. Smart's tendncy is to make use of American rhythms and stylistic genstures, but other influences can be heard as well. Quite a diverse set of compositions, but the majority of them center on the clarinet, inspired by the composer's friendship with Guy Yehuda. A unique musician -- composer-pianist Gary Smart writes music that reflects an abiding interest in Americana, world musics and jazz, as well as the Western classical tradition. This is the fifth recording of his music to appear on the Albany Records label.

Jerome Kern's 1920 Broadway hit, a Rags-to-Riches "Cinderella" musical, was created for Ziegfeld Follies star Marilyn Miller with book and lyrics by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse and others, is offered in a CD premiere recording, featuring the cast and ensemble of Light Opera of New York with Gerald Steichen, conductor.

The conception of this recording, Veiled Light, was inspired by the desire to advance the male choral art through superb repertoire written in the 21st century. This innovative and ambitious recording features 13 works by living composers, capturing a wide range of artistry and musical emotions with great spirit, sensitivity, and sincerity. Five works were specifically written for the Miami University Men's Glee Club in its mission to promote and foster the creation and development of new choral works for male choir. Founded in 1907, the Miami University Men's Glee Club has maintained a tradition of musical excellence throughout its storied history. For more than a century, the Glee Club has presented concerts to countless audiences on their campus, around the state, nation, and world. They have toured internationally, performing in Belgium, England, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, and Wales. Conductor Jeremy D. Jones has led the Glee Club in performances at the American Choral Directors Association Central Division Conference as well as several Intercollegiate Men's Choruses National Seminars. The Glee Club was awarded first place and overall grand champion awards at the Concours Européen de Chant Choral in Luxembourg in 2014.

Composer, flutist and now harpist Gary Schocker has written more than 125 works for the harp -- surely a record for a contemporary composer. The esteemed harpist Emily Mitchell has been an advocate, performer, and champion of Schocker's music from the beginning. As she says, "He writes for the harp as a singing instrument, not unlike the flute. Instead of busily accompanying, or traditional right hand melody, left hand harmony, both hands shape the line." The works on this recording were composed between 1993 and 2010 and represent more than 25 years of collaboration between composer and harpist -- a fruitful collaboration that has so far produced four discs. This recording, re-released on Albany Records, now brings all recordings of Gary Schocker's harp music on one label: two discs of his Christmas music for harp; Changes, released in 2016, and now Garden in Path.

Bonhoeffer was conceived as a concert work in a theatrical context by composer Thomas Lloyd. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was one of the most influential Christian theologians of the 20th Century. He returned to Germany from the United States to become an active leader of the Confessing Church, which actively resisted the capitulation of the establishment Lutheran and Catholic churches to the fascist leadership of Adolf Hilter. He was involved in the unsuccessful plot to assassinate Hitler and suffered imprisonment and death, being hanged at Flossenbürg Concentration Camp a few weeks before Germany's surrender. He fell in love with Maria von Wedemeyer and was engaged to her shortly before his arrest. The text for Bonhoeffer is adapted from the writings of both Bonhoeffer and von Wedemeyer. Thomas Lloyd is on the faculty at Haverford College; the artistic director of the Bucks County Choral Society; and director of music at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral. His music has been performed by many choirs — professional, collegiate, community, and high school. The Crossing is a professional chamber choir based in Philadelphia conducted by Donald Nally and dedicated to the commissioning and performance of new music. They have collaborated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; the International Contemporary Ensemble, Bang on a Can, and the American Composers Orchestra, among many others. They premiered John Luther Adams' Sila: the breath of the world in collaboration with the Mostly Mozart Festival in 2014. Their discography includes six recordings and they have been hailed in reviews as "superb" (New York Times) and "ardently angelic" (The Los Angeles Times). Under conductor Donald Nally's leadership, The Crossing has commissioned and premiered more than 50 works for chorus.

This recording presents seven works for flute by composer John Heiss. The flute is partnered by piano, cello, harp, and chamber orchestra and the compositions span 50 years. While Heiss has primarily composed music for flute, he also has written works for orchestra, voice, chorus, and chamber ensembles. The seven works on this recording comprise an important strand in his output, particularly in the way they trace his compositional development. Heiss studied at Lehigh University, Columbia and Princeton. He has taught at the New England Conservatory for almost 50 years, directing the NEC contemporary ensemble as well as teaching composition, flute, and music history. Flutist Fenwick Smith was a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's flute section from 1978 to 2006 and a member of the New England Conservatory faculty from 1982 until 2012. A long-time member of Boston Musica Viva, his lifetime achievements as a flutist are legendary. Smith and Heiss have enjoyed a lifelong collaboration and this recording is a fitting encomium to their long and productive musical partnership.

Born in 1941, composer Don Walker attended Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, where he completed his PhD and was the recipient of the Ladd Prix de Paris in Musical Composition in 1966-1968. He also received degrees in library science and history. Walker taught at Sonoma State University as well as at the University of South Florida, and Oregon State; was a church organist; and worked as archivist at the University of the Pacific where he was project archivist for the beginnings of the Dave Brubeck Collection. Walker has written symphonies, operas, chamber music, solo instrumental music and vocal works. He has always loved and had an affinity for Emily Dickinson's poetry, valuing its fresh insights, unique imagery, and depth of feeling. Walker has created a number of cycles of songs using her poetry, most of them focused on nature, love, religion, and death and this recording features these songs. Soprano Ann Moss is a graduate of the Longy School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory. A champion of contemporary vocal music, she has commissioned and premiered more than 80 art songs, vocal chamber music, and operatic roles. She is joined on this recording by pianist Karen Rosenak, a long-time member of the Empyrean Ensemble and a founding member of Earplay, a San Francisco-based new music ensemble.

This recording celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Pro Arte Quartet -- the oldest string quartet continuously in existence and the first university-ensemble residency in the United States -- plus the dramatic story of how a prominent European quartet became an American one. Founded in Belgium in 1912, the Pro Arte Quartet became stranded while on tour in Madison, Wisconsin in 1940 when the Nazis invaded their country. The University of Wisconsin offered this quartet in exile a permanent home at the university, where it has remained ever since. Six new chamber works were commissioned to celebrate this occasion -- now all available on compact disc. This disc contains String Quartet No. 3 by Benoît Mernier (b. 1964), the leading Belgian composer of his generation and Pierre Jalbert's (b. 1967) work for clarinet and string quartet. Jalbert is the recipient of many awards, including the BBC Masterprize and teaches composition at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. Mernier, also the recipient of commissions and awards, is also a virtuoso organist. He was inducted into the Royal Academy of Belgium in 2007.

This 2-CD set honors the life and career of Charles Bestor with a selection of his late chamber music. Bestor (1924-2016) studied at Yale with Paul Hindemith after returning from service in World War II; then at Juilliard where he was a student of Vincent Persichetti and Peter Mennin. Bestor worked as a jazz arranger to supplement his income as a composer but turned to teaching. He taught at the University of Colorado; Juilliard; was Dean of the College of Music of Willamette University; but his longest tenure (35 years) was as Head of the Departments of Music and Dance at the University of Massachusetts. He continued to compose, tending toward shorter works because of time constraints. The compositions on this recording include song cycles; a suite for saxophone and piano; a cello sonata; a work for chamber ensemble; and a work for narrator and piano.

Composer Erik Lindgren describes the music on this recording as chamber music for the Now Generation. The compositions span a ten-year period of creativity that concludes with the celebration of his 60th birthday. His post-fifty musical life took on a noticeable shift in priorities -- notably his return to writing acoustic music and the influence that Piazzolla and Ginastera had on his aesthetic focus. Every piece on this recording tells a custom-tailored story, and is a unique little microcosm all unto itself. The sense of fun, playfulness and entertainment radiates from each of them. Lindgren studied at Tufts University, the Guildhall School of Music, and the University of Iowa. He is the founder of Sounds Interesting Productions, a commercial recording studio and music production company. He also is a founding member of the new music ensemble Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. His catalog includes more than six dozen works, ranging from solo piano pieces to chamber music to orchestral compositions.

The Negro Spiritual is still vibrant, popular and well-loved all over the world. The Georgia Spiritual Ensemble was formed to maintain the tradition of the Spiritual and to pass on to young singers the awesome power and beauty that is inherent in each melody. The George Spiritual Ensemble also wants to demonstrate through their performances the unyielding faith of the Africans who created these songs. The Spirituals became their voice of protest and their voice of endurance, strength, and courage.

In 1941, the Nazis began deporting Jews to a concentration camp in Theresienstadt (former Czechoslovakia). An unusually high number of artists and musicians were deported there, and the camp was intended to demonstrate to the world, after a visit by the International Red Cross, how well the Jews were being treated by Hitler's regime. The musicians living in Theresienstadt composed hundreds of vocal and instrumental works, as music was their means of coping with the uncertainty and constant fear that marked life in the camp. This recording offers songs written by inmates of Theresienstadt: Adolf Strauss, Viktor Ullman, Carlo Taube, Ilse Weber, Gideon Klein, and James Simon, all of whom perished in the camps. Composer Norbert Glanzberg, a Polish Jew who survived World War II by hiding in unoccupied France until 1944, composed hits for Edith Piaf, Yves Montand, and Maurice Chevalier, before launching a successful film music career after the war. In his later life, inspired by a collection entitled, "Death is a Master of Germany," writings of both Jewish victims and non-Jewish resistance fighters in the camps. Glanzberg went on to compose his "Holocaust Lieder" in memory of those who perished.

Renowned harpist Emily Mitchell has long championed the music of Gary Schocker. To date, Schocker has written more than 125 pieces for the harp, so it becomes a challenge to choose which to record. Each is unique and beautifully written. Schocker, a flutist/composer, is an outstanding musician of outstanding versatility. He enjoys an international career as a flute soloist, and his compositions include sonatas and chamber works for most instruments of the orchestra. He has also written several musicals and is now studying to be a harpist. Harpist Emily Mitchell has been heard worldwide to critical acclaim as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She has been profiled on The Today Show and Good Morning America, among many others. After performing and teaching in New York City for 30 years, she relocated to Texas, where she is now on the faculties of Stephen F. Austin State and Sam Houston State Universities. Her discography includes her popular Celtic harp recordings for RCA Victor as well as four recordings on Albany Records of the music of Gary Schocker.

The fifth recording on Albany Records devoted to the music of Allen Shawn features his compositions for cello and includes works for cello duo, cello quartet, and cello and piano. Shawn attributes this recording to the influence of hearing cellist Maxine Neuman perform and her enthusiasm for contemporary music. Neuman participated in the world premiere performances of all of the works on the recording and all but one were composed specifically for her. Born in 1948, Allen Shawn grew up in a literary family. He has been on the faculty at Bennington College for 30 years. He is also an active pianist and the author of four books. He has been a recipient of both a Goddard Lieberson Fellowship, and an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

This collection of American art song honors two intensely personal yet universal aspects of the human experience: love and loss. The composers featured here each treat a different facet of life -- from earthly joy, to contemplation of the divine, to heady courtship, to the agony of bereavement -- but each provides testament that poetry and music, the fruits of the creative impulse, are death's very antithesis. The centerpiece of this recording, Scott Wheeler's Songs to Fill the Void, is the result of a collaboration between poet-vocalist Robert Barefield and the composer. Barefield's intimate poetry commemorates his beloved partner, Stephen Mazujian, who died in 2014, while they were vacationing in Cambodia. Baritone Robert Barefield has performed as soloist with organizations throughout the U.S. and in Europe. He has appeared with numerous opera companies and with orchestras as an oratorio soloist. An accomplished recitalist, his wide-ranging repertoire includes premiere performances of works by contemporary composers. He is on the faculty at The Hartt School. Pianist Carolyn Hague has been an active member of the musical community in Vienna, Austria for more than 30 years. She currently heads the Master's program in Lied und Oratorio at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien.

Tenor Jos Milton relocated to Oxford, Mississippi to teach at the University of Mississippi in 2011. Since moving to his new home, he has become curious and fascinated by the sheer volume of culture that flows from the South. The creation of Southern poetry and literature thrives today and these vibrant writings prove ideal sources for transference to contemporary classical song. The songs on this recording all contain some pertinent connection or thread to this Southern theme. James Sclater's songs are set to texts by Ovid Vickers, a well-known Mississippi writer, teacher, and folklorist. Price Walden's song cycle reflects the experiences of his young life -- growing up in Mississippi and attending the Free Will Baptist Church. Dan Locklair's texts are words of three Southern African-American women transcribed by Emily Herring Wilson, while John Musto's Shadow of the Blues draws on the inspiring words of Langston Hughes, who serves as a voice of hope in African-American culture. A graduate of Trinity University, University of Massachusetts and Peabody, Jos Milton enjoys an active career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and opera singer, in addition to his work as an educator. His collaborator, Melinda Coffee Armstead has performed as recitalist and chamber musician in the U.S., Canada, England, France, and Israel.

Passing Through is the third recording devoted to composer Gernot Wolfgang's chamber music compositions. Ever since Wolfgang became interested in contemporary classical music, the prospect of integrating grooves from musical styles such as jazz, rock & roll, pop, world music and electronica into his concert works has intrigued him. The works on this CD contain such grooves as the means of providing forward propulsion, generating additional energy, and also simply for the fun of it. Gernot Wolfgang has been described by Gramophone as a composer with a "winning sonic arsenal," while jazz legend Dave Brubeck characterized his music as being of "unconventional beauty." Born in Austria, Gernot Wolfgang holds degrees from Berklee College of Music, the University of Music in Graz, and the University of Southern California. The recipient of numerous commissions, his music has been performed by major orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. He has taught at the University of Music in Graz and given masterclasses at UCLA, Texas Tech University, University of Music in Vienna and Instrumenta Verano in Oaxaca. He also works as an orchestrator in the film and TV music industry. A stellar group of Los-Angeles based musicians perform on this disc, including Judith Farmer, bassoon; oboist Jennifer Johnson; pianists Joanne Pearce Martin and Robert Thies; and the Eclipse and New Hollywood String Quartets.

Conductor Mark Mandarano and the Sinfonietta of Riverdale offer live performances of American music recorded at their annual series of concerts. The program ranges from America's past to present with luminaries from the past (Walter Piston) to the present time with three generations represented by John Corigliano, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Byron Adams, and Oliver Caplan. A survey that shows us where we have been, where we are, and where we are headed. The Sinfonietta's reputation for fine musicianship and stimulating programming has been recognized by the public and the press. The ensemble has performed the music of world-renowned composers and has a history of commissioned works, one of which (Lunastella) is offered on this recording. Founded in 2008 by artistic director and conductor Mark Mandarano, the Sinfonietta's recordings also appear on the Arabesque label. In addition to the Sinfonietta, Mandarano has served as principal guest conductor of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and has led performances of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, and Nürnberger Symphoniker, among others. He is a graduate of Cornell and the Peabody Conservatory music and is director of instrumental music at Macalaster College.

Flutist Stephanie Jutt with pianist colleagues Pablo Zinger and Elena Abend performs songs and compositions from Latin American and Spanish composers that deserve much greater recognition. Her lifelong love of song and dance music originated from her early musical memories listening to her grandparents sing Mexican songs. Regardless of the music's origins, whether in vocal or instrumental compositions, the flute speaks and sings -- and at times even dances. As you listen to this recording, you will likely be enchanted by the music, not thinking about whether it is original instrumental music or a song transcription. Stephanie Jutt is one of the most renowned flutists of her generation. A first prizewinner in the International Concert Artist Guild and Pro Musicis International Soloist Competitions, she has earned major grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, among others. A graduate of the New England Conservatory, Jutt is artistic director and co-founder of the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society. On the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her recordings appear on the Centaur, GM Records and University of Wisconsin-Madison Press labels.

Composer Pamela Decker writes that "Haven: Songs of Mystery and of Memory for mezzo-soprano and piano, is a cycle of 16 songs for which all music and texts are original compositions. The cycle draws inspiration and influences from a variety of styles: Impressionism, Argentine tango; flamenco modes, South American rhythms, classical art song, jazz, pop, cabaret, and blues." Pamela Decker is Professor of Organ/Music Theory at the University of Arizona in Tucson. As both organ recitalist and composer, Decker has been active in the United States, Europe, the Baltic Region, and Canada. She has been a featured recitalist at many conventions and festivals and her compositions have been performed in 19 countries. Her discography includes recordings on the Albany Records, Loft, Gothic, ReZound, Arkay, and Arktos labels. She holds a D.M.A. degree from Stanford and studied both organ and composition as a Fulbright Scholar in Germany.

Conrad Susa's three-act opera with libretto by Philip Littell, is based on the scandalous 18th century novel by Pierre Chodelos de Laclos, a tale of decadence and revenge told entirely in letters. The plot of The Dangerous Liaisons revolves around the vengeful widow Marquise de Merteuil, who has managed to keep her reputation despite her many amorous affairs, and her sometime lover the Vicomte de Valmont, a well-born rake who does her bidding. The ripple effect of their schemes and amorous exploits results in the deaths of both Valmont and the woman he truly loves, the saintly Madame de Tourvel. Commissioned by the San Francisco Opera, Susa's massive score was reduced by Bob Schuneman in 2008 and it is this version that is heard on the recording. The Dangerous Liaisons was recorded live at the acclaimed 2015 Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater production.

Korean pianist Sung-Soo Cho performs an intriguing recital of compositions by American composers that range from works with very progressive musical language to ones that integrate influences of folk and honky-tonk -- in other words, the full spectrum of modern American classical music. The oldest work on the program was written in 1967 and the most recent in 2015. John Corigliano, Michael Ippolito, John Adams, Lowell Liebermann, Steve Reich, Elliott Carter, and David Rakowski are all represented on this recording. These composers have a strong advocate in Sung-Soo Cho, who was awarded "Best American Contemporary Performance: at the Cincinnati World Piano Competition and "Best Performance of the Commissioned Work: at the Texas State International Piano Competition. An award winner of numerous international competitions, Cho has appeared as a soloist in Asia, the U.S., and Europe. A graduate of Seoul National University and Manhattan School of Music, he is currently pursuing his D.M.A. degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is on the faculty at Notre Dame College.

Three phenomenal musicians (Michael Thornton, horn; Yumi Hwang-Williams, violin; Andrew Litton, piano) perform a program of works for horn, violin, and piano inspired by Brahms’ famous composition. The four movements of Eric Ewazen's Trio are modeled after the Brahms, with a four-movement, slow-fast-slow-fast scheme. Daniel Kellog's A Glorious Morning was commissioned by horn player Michael Thornton to accompany the recording of Brahms' Trio. Thornton is principal horn of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and is an avid chamber musician and a recognized soloist internationally. Yumi Hwang-Williams is concertmaster as well as frequent soloist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and was concertmaster of the Cabrillo Music Festival for 12 years. Conductor/pianist Andrew Litton is newly appointed music director of the New York City Ballet as well as music director of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Their performances of this repertoire are exciting and inspired.

The 21st Century Consort, founded in 1975, performs an annual concert series at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Under the direction of its founder and conductor, Christopher Kendall, the Consort's artists include principal players from the National Symphony Orchestra, along with other prominent chamber musicians from the Washington, DC area. In addition to its history of touring, broadcasts and recordings, the Consort's four decades of performances have been recorded live and comprise a growing archive of contemporary music. For this recording, they have chosen three major works, two of which (Christopher Patton's Out of Darkness and James Primosch's Sacred Songs and Meditations) were commissioned by the 21st Century Consort. Stephen Albert's music has long been championed by the 21st Century Consort so the inclusion of his Cathedral Music on this recording is especially fitting.

Many of the most unique and creative international composers of the past 40 years have used the violin as a canvas or laboratory. Eric Rynes, who has been hailed for his “committed,” “intrepid,” and “achingly beautiful” performances in diverse styles and genres, has recorded an album of extraordinarily diverse contemporary works for solo violin and violin with computer-realized sounds, from Elliott Carter’s playful depiction of a three-way argument in Riconoscenza, to Helmut Lachenmann’s turning the violin inside-out in Toccatina, to the otherworldly contrasting soundscapes of Scelsi’s L’âme ouverte and Xenakis’s Mikka. The title of Mikka and Other Assorted Love Songs is more than just a wink to a legendary rock album; it also conveys how Rynes performs this music. Rynes is concertmaster of the Northwest Symphony Orchestra and primary violinist of the Seattle Modern Orchestra; he has given recitals in Berlin, Barcelona, Belfast, and several other cities, and made guest appearances with rock and jazz groups. He maintains a parallel career as a senior computational scientist at the Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences in Seattle.

It is the obsession of musicologist Hans Moldenhauer to uncover the truth in the killing of Anton Webern by American soldiers in 1945 that drives The Death of Webern, the second collaboration between composer Michael Dellaira and librettist J.D. McClatchy. Webern's brief, luminous compositions altered the course of 20th century music and Dellaira's score contains some wonderful moments of homage as well as moments when Dellaira's writing approaches a Webern-like aesthetic. Dellaira, however, is not beholden to a single style -- he veers seamlessly from dodecaphony to lyrical tonality, from severity to wistfulness and nostalgia, from a passage of lovely Bach-like polyphony to lines reminiscent of 20th century minimalism. Michael Dellaira's other operas include The Secret Agent, which won the Armel International Opera Festival's Laureat. Chéri was a finalist for the American Academy of Arts & Letters Richard Rodgers Award and his monodrama Maud was awarded an ASCAP Morton Gould Award. This world premiere recording is performed by a cast and chamber orchestra from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, conducted by Alan Johnson.

Grammy Award winning artist Jennifer Montone is the principal horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra and an internationally acclaimed soloist and chamber musician. She has performed as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Saint Louis, Dallas, National, and the Polish National Radio Symphonies as well as the Warsaw National Philharmonic. Montone is on the faculty at Juilliard as well as the Curtis Institute. She was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2006 and in 1996 was the winner of the Paxman Young Horn Player of the Year Award in London. Montone contends that horn players are privileged to perform some of the most beautiful music ever written and in this recording, imagined as a recital, she and her colleague, pianist Anna Polonsky explore the connection between Romantic and contemporary horn writing by following a chronological progression that spans 120 years. The works were written during a period of great musical and artistic innovation that saw the horn developed fully as a featured orchestral and solo instrument.

Randy Bauer (b. 1975) is a composer and jazz musician based in Minneapolis. His music has been performed across a range of cities and venues from Austin to Zagreb by the Brentano String Quartet, eighth blackbird, Nash Ensemble of London and many other distinguished new music ensembles. He was named a 2013-14 McKnight Foundation Fellow by the McKnight Foundation of Minnesota. He has also received recognition from DownBeat, and the Jazz Composers Alliance. Bauer has won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Award as well as three ASCAP/Morton Gould Awards. On the faculty at Macalester College, he studied at Peabody, and Princeton. This disc contains three of his recent works (the oldest written in 2010). One can hear a range of influences and a sort of hybridity between the genres of jazz and classical music. His compositions are imbued with considerable lyricism, while also experimenting with hybrid forms and complex narratives.

Composer Joseph Summer, who has been fascinated with Shakespeare for most of his life, has composed The Tempest, using a libretto written by his daughter, Eve Summer. Summer is founder and executive director of The Shakespeare Concerts, which presents recitals and recordings of music inspired by the immortal bard. Summer comments that "Everything that Shakespeare limned in The Tempest is about the life of my family, in fine detail. It's not as if incidents of The Tempest make brief appearances, or indeed, happen only once. The plot elements embrace us repeatedly." He goes on to relate his family's banishment from Tennessee; sojourns on desert islands; and being adrift in the Indian Ocean.