Recordings

Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra | Stanislav Vavřínek, conductor

Light the fireplace, don your coziest sweater, and let the festive sounds of DASHING VOL. 4 from Navona Records whisk you away on a joyful journey through holiday music both new and familiar. Featuring a fresh line-up of contemporary composers, this edition of the series fuses the magic and warmth of holiday tones with the modern flair of today’s classical music, making for a neatly-packaged gift that’s sure to spark the spirit of the season. – Navona Records

Galan Trio (Petros Bouras, piano; Babis Karasavvidis, violin; Marina Kolovou, cello)

In 2021, the Galan Trio – an epic classical piano trio hailing from Athens – built a bridge from Greece to the USA in the form of ten new works for piano, violin, and cello from composers based in the Southeast and Northeast. The project, aptly named Kinesis, met with such acclaim that their odyssey now continues with another phase: twelve commissioned works covering the Midwest and South Central states.

Praised by Fanfare magazine for the “open ears and flexibility they display in so many idioms,” Galan Trio’s Kinesis, Vol. 2 expands further on their musical territory while maintaining the motion and emotional energy of the first set.

Highlights of the new double album include works that draw inspiration from children’s books and songs, a Welsh lullaby in the face of the Omicron viral variant, a microtonal homage to Jethro Tull, esoteric use of the numbers 9 and 70, the grand murals of Tom Lea, and a meeting of Persian and Western classical traditions. – Galan Trio

Chiaroscuro Trio

Four of the five works on this compact disc of new works for voice, viola and piano performed by the Chiaroscuro Trio are world premiere recordings. The only professional chamber ensemble dedicated to this instrumentation, the Chiaroscuro Trio has appeared as guest ensemble at various festivals and concert venues in the United States and will make their European debut in the summer of 2013. The Trio has selected contemporary American works that vary greatly, whether in personal styles of the composers, their background, the texts or the contradictory yet congruent aspects of life that they evoke. What makes these works American, is the sense that unity comes from diversity and plurality and that embracing and encouraging a melting pot of disparate voices and cultures, leads to a healthy and cohesive society and art. These five works are mindful of the past, reflective of our epoch, and relevant to the future. – Albany Records

Kiev Philharmonic | Czech Philharmonic

Sarah Stone, mezzo-soprano; Martha Krasnican, piano

Songs and Instrumental Works

Indiana State University Faculty Winds | John Boyd, Conductor

ISU Faculty Wind Quintet