Jana Deleon Dreadful

Valentin Silvestrov is not just the Ukraine’s most prominent composer but also a major voice in the music of our time: a quiet voice, to be sure, and one that some will pigeon-hole at the soft-core end of the New Spirituality. But even a first encounter should suggest the presence of deeper perspectives, and encounters with the full range of his music only serve to confirm that impression. Russian commentators have long since ranged Silvestrov alongside Schnittke, Gubaidulina and Denisov as one of the most important figures that came to maturity in the 1970s. It was then that he produced music such as the two Cantatas – the earlier one for soprano and chamber orchestra, setting words by Tyuchev and Blok, the later one for a cappella choir to verses by Ukraine’s national poet, Taras Chevchenko. Both works blend Webernian angularity with an ecstatic lyricism.

For fans of jazz/folk/pop crossover fans longing for the joyful communion of live performances blocked COVID-19, this audiophile recording of a winning concert by Jana Herzen at Joe's Pub in New York City in October of 2019, offers a soul-refreshing experience. The celebratory performance features Herzen’s magnetic vocal and guitar work in improvisation with an ace jazz band with world-renowned veterans Charnett Moffett (fretless electric bass) and Brian Jackson (piano & keys), and rising artists Irwin Hall (reeds & woodwinds), and Corey Garcia (drums). The presence of an enthusiastic and increasingly enchanted audience helps elevate the performance to higher dimensions and makes this an especially heart-warming listen at this difficult and unprecedented time in history.

Josef Bohuslav Foerster was the successor to Dvorák as organist in Prague, a lifelong friend of Mahler, and a pivotal figure in Czech music, whose almost 200 compositions take in all the major genres. The three selected works here offer an overview of his orchestral music. Recalling several equally majestic pieces by Smetana, the arresting Festive Overture combines Czech flair with Viennese elegance, while From Shakespeare explores characterization with warmth and resourceful orchestration. The early Symphony No.1 in D minor offers a darkness-to-light trajectory suffused with rich mid-Romantic colors.

The only early eighteenth century composer from Czech-speaking lands to have gained much exposure in western Europe and North America has been Jan Dismas Zelenka. But there's a great deal of music left to discover from that culturally rich part of the world, where early music is a comparatively new concept. This Czech release, compiling performances from 2003 and 2005, examines two publications by composer Jan Josef Ignác Brentner, both with grandiloquent Latin titles: the Harmonica duodecatometria ecclesiastica, Op. 1, is a set of Latin sacred arias, issued in 1716; the Horae pomeridianae seu concertus cammerales sex, Op. 4, is a group of chamber concertos with diverse instrumentation, from 1720; they have some traits of the Italian concerto grosso.

Ever newer chapters from the history of the bountiful musical life of Baroque Prague are still being discovered today. Until recently, František Jiránek, a composer and violinist of the Prague-based Count Morzin's chapel, had only been known to a select few. Now, for the first time, all lovers of old music are afforded the opportunity to listen to an exquisite collection of his virtuoso concertos. At first hearing, we can recognise inspiration by Vivaldi (combined with distinct elements of Czech musicality) - after all, Jiránek was sent by his employer to study in Venice, where most likely Antonio Vivaldi himself, at the time Morzin's "maestro di musica in Italia", was his teacher.

Navona Records is proud to present SUBLIMITAS, a symphonic album bringing to life the posthumous works of composer Michael G. Cunningham. Performed by the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Cunningham’s 5th and 6th Symphonies soar with spirited flair and clarity. These works are thoughtfully paired with his Mountain Poem, a jubilant and moving piece composed with musical peaks and valleys that simulate a thrilling adventure. As a composer whose works span 11 previous Navona Records releases, the works presented on SUBLIMITAS make for a delightful final parting gift from an artist who showed an unwavering dedication to sharing his music with the world.