Catalog #: RR7925
Release Date: February 12, 2016
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalLarge EnsemblePianoSaxophoneComposer Joseph Koykkar, described by American Record Guide as writing “music with a crystalline kind of clarity and rhythmic urgency that places him among the more exciting of contemporary composers,” presents his debut full-length release on Ravello Records DOUBLE TAKES AND TRIPLE PLAYS. Featuring works spanning a 20-year period in the composer’s career, this album exemplifies Koykkar’s practical approach to writing, dictated by the bounds and the interplay within chamber ensemble combinations, occasionally using computer-generated sounds.
Catalog #: RR7813
Release Date: June 28, 2011
21st CenturyChamberCelloPianoViolinDREAMS is the latest release from New York-based composer Craig Madden Morris. This album features a variety of Morris’ compositional styles, including the passionate Violin Concerto, the Caribbean-flavored Tropical Dances, the intimate Piano Trio, the elegiac Cello Rhapsody and the loving, gentle Dream Songs. Known for his intelligently complex and unique-yet-accessible compositions, Morris complements his works with his knowledge of the instruments for which he composes.
Catalog #: RR8049
Release Date: January 22, 2021
21st CenturyChamberPianoTrumpetViolinLegendary composer, author, and educator Herbert Deutsch presents his newest album, ENCOUNTERS: JAZZ, SONGS & CHAMBER MUSIC, on Ravello Records. The music, performed by the American Chamber Ensemble, is unflaggingly groundbreaking; Deutsch, who in 1964 collaborated on the development of the Moog Synthesizer and composed music for its first live performance, deepens his legacy of innovation with this latest collection.
Catalog #: RR8075
Release Date: September 23, 2022
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalPianoVoiceComposer David Mastikosa’s ESCAPE is the work of an ambitious young composer whose skill belies his age. Born in 1992 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mastikosa is currently one of the most active contemporary classical music composers in his home country, and writes music for film and media. ESCAPE features works composed in a variety of styles and arrangements. Poslovice is a chamber piece inspired by old Serbian folk proverbs and suggests a hidden, tongue-in-cheek storyline. Detune was written specifically to encourage younger pianists to explore the vast soundscapes locked within the instrument. Trichord for Viola and Accordion is purposefully sparse; Mastikosa leaves free space for performers to exercise their own creativity. ESCAPE is both an artistic triumph in its own right and an early milestone in Mastikosa’s promising career.
Catalog #: RR7931
Release Date: April 8, 2016
21st CenturyChamberCelloPianoViolinDelivering a diverse cross-section of dynamically rhythmic and tonally expressive chamber works, composer John K. Leupold II presents his debut release on Ravello Records, EXASPERATING PERPETUATION. Described by the Washington Post as “an imaginative exploration of instrumental timbres,” Leupold’s music seeks to enhance the tonal possibilities of the instruments through the use of tension, personification, and imagery.
Catalog #: RR7809
Release Date: November 30, 2010
20th CenturyChamberConcertosClarinetOrchestraPianoEXCURSIONS is a two-disc set featuring the works of Utah composer Marie Nelson Bennett. Bennett paints beautiful portraits with her music, musically illustrating the scenery of a field of flowers, the movements of the ocean, the sorrow of a funeral, and more. Featured performers on EXCURSIONS include Richard Stoltzman, Holly Gornick, and Solveig Lunde Madsen.
Catalog #: RR7859
Release Date: September 4, 2012
21st CenturyChamberVocal MusicPianoVoiceFANTASIES FOR ADULTS AND OTHER CHILDREN was originally released in 1999 was lauded as "awesome" and "at times Cageian and Crumbian" (ClassicalNet).
Catalog #: RR7842
Release Date: July 3, 2012
20th CenturyChamberFlutePianoTrumpetPaul Kirby's FOUR SONATAS was originally released in 2008, and features stellar performances by Rodger Lee, Steve Graff, Erin Lesser, James Noyes, and Yegor Shevtsov.
Catalog #: RR8076
Release Date: November 4, 2022
21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalPercussionPianoThe piano is the powerhouse of musical instruments: with its vast tonal range and its ability to simultaneously supply chords and melodies, it generally takes the dominating place in virtually any setup. So what happens if you compose and play music for two of these behemoths? Pianists Sang-Hie Lee and Martha Thomas answer this question on their aptly-titled new album GLOBE, TRAVEL, HOMELAND.
Catalog #: RR7971
Release Date: August 11, 2017
21st CenturyChamberGuitarPianoSaxophoneExciting new Ravello Records release I DREAM AWAKE consists of chamber music composed by new PARMA composer Bill Whitley. Whitley’s music is characterized by meditative and trance-like qualities inspired by various forms of meditation practice, and, above all, the artistic installations of Alexander Calder. Indeed, Whitley’s music seems to be primarily concerned with depicting and embodying experiences, whether they be sensory, natural, spiritual, or human experiences.
Catalog #: RR8059
Release Date: June 10, 2022
21st CenturyChamberPercussionPianoViolin10 emerging composers assemble and offer insight into our societal world through music on IN TANDEM from violinist Lucia Lin. Each work featured on this album represents a social cause close to its composer’s heart, commenting on inequality and breaking down barriers by building social awareness. Orchestrated in intimate duo settings, Lin’s virtuosic violin playing is complemented by a variety of selected string, percussion, piano, and vocal performers, each offering a fresh ingredient to a diverse and conversation-igniting program.
Catalog #: RR7998
Release Date: October 12, 2018
21st CenturyAvant-GardeChamberElectroacousticElectronicPercussionPianoINTERFACES explores the different ways a computer can fit in a modern jazz ensemble and still be true to itself. Technology performer Jeff Morris is joined by free jazz icon Karl Berger on vibes and piano as well as innovative New York percussionist Joe Hertenstein. Morris takes sounds from his partners live in the moment and transforms them into his own musical voice with the DNA of acoustic sounds and the fingerprints of digital processing. This live sampling improvisation results in expressively shifting quasi-loops and glitchy melodic gestures, drawn from music that just happened and influencing what the performers will do next.
Catalog #: RR8081
Release Date: December 9, 2022
21st CenturyChamberVocal MusicPianoViolinVoiceINTERSECTIONS from the dynamic chamber group Khemia Ensemble invites listeners to meditate on the confluence of beginnings, endings, and the hope and grief that can accompany those events. With intersections of acoustic chamber music, electronics, and multi-genre influences, the album features a stinging commentary on microagressions (Sink’s Bite!), a tumultuous mother/daughter relationship (Freund’s Song of Persephone), a tender lullaby dedicated to his newborn son, rooted in a family ritual of planting a cottonwood tree (Benavides’ Little Cloud), an exploration of memory inspired by Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms (Biedenbender’s in a field of stars), and an assertion of identity through Bollywood melodies and American pop sensibilities (Shekhar’s Don’t Beat a Word). By showcasing commissioned music by five living composers, Khemia Ensemble demonstrates their commitment to reflecting broader perspectives in contemporary classical chamber music.
Catalog #: RR7978
Release Date: January 12, 2018
21st CenturyChamberCelloPianoFirst released in 2010, JUPITER DUO showcases music for cello/piano duo, solo piano, and for solo cello by Alla Elana Cohen. She and cellist Sebastian Baverstam make up Jupiter Duo, and have performed together for many years since Baverstam was 12 years old. They perform Cohen’s highly expressive music with an unbridled intensity, and have a reputation for having a close musical connection.
Catalog #: RR7807
Release Date: September 28, 2010
20th CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalGuitarPianoVoiceKEEP GOING: THE MUSIC OF ELIAS TANENBAUM features the chamber and solo works of the late Elias Tanenbaum performed by Ensemble Pi. The pieces demonstrate Tanenbaum's ability to turn his emotional reactions to world events into music that illustrates both the life-changing grief and need for change that those events cause. As Tanenbaum himself said, "What is there left in any of us but to keep going?" Ensemble Pi is a new music ensemble dedicated to performing the music of both living composers and undiscovered composers of the past. Keep Going is the ensemble's tribute to Tanenbaum, whose beautiful and thought-provoking music has never received the widespread recognition it deserves.
Catalog #: RR7977
Release Date: January 12, 2018
21st CenturyChamberPercussionPianoJuxtaposing the loud and abrasive with the soft and subtle, the McCormick Percussion Group balances tumult and tender in KID STUFF. Led by director Robert McCormick, Professor of Music at the University of South Florida in Tampa, the percussion orchestra re-imagines original compositions from five key contemporary classical composers.
Catalog #: RR7999
Release Date: November 9, 2018
21st CenturyChamberClarinetPianoTrumpetMANY NEW TRAILS TO BLAZE showcases three musicians in an intellectually driven, globally inspired set of compositions. Each work, from the genre-crossing Sonata for Three to the tonal balancing act in Flying Over Water, presses boundaries, and the three instruments work together to draw every ounce of potentiality from the notes. Notable trumpet and cornet player James Zingara has performed around the globe and his album of trumpet recordings, Textures, is already a key member of the Ravello Records catalog. With his colleagues, pianist Chris Steele and clarinetist Denise Gainey, Zingara performs a collection of works that show off the virtuosity of each musician alongside intricate compositions.
Catalog #: RR8039
Release Date: July 24, 2020
21st CenturyChamberVocal MusicPianoVoice“A poet who composes,” Chinese artist Gordon Eagle presents cross-cultural sounds and styles in his music for soprano and piano. MELANCHOLY IS LIKE A PLUME OF SMOKE features a collection of five songs with music and lyrics penned by Eagle. This new Ravello Records album mingles ancient Chinese poetic traditions and Western sounds in one forward-thinking recording.
Catalog #: RR7889
Release Date: June 10, 2014
21st CenturyChamberPianoSaxophoneThe breadth of musical textures and colors capable of being produced by a piano and saxophone pairing is larger than expected. Turning expectations upside-down, METROPOLIS, the debut release on Ravello Records by the Harrington/Loewen Duo, comprised of saxophonist Allen Harrington and pianist Laura Loewen, highlights the adventurous and unpredictable approach to the two instruments.
Catalog #: RR7973
Release Date: September 8, 2017
21st CenturyChamberLarge EnsemblePianoViolinComposer Steve Rouse constructs unique and indelible sound worlds on his album MORPHIC RESONANCE, his first release with PARMA Recordings. The album is a revue of Rouse’s chamber music from the last two decades and beyond, and the works featured on MORPHIC RESONANCE demonstrate Rouse’s powerful gifts to create compelling and idiosyncratic musical statements.