Catalog #: RR8111
Release Date: November 15, 2024
20th Century21st CenturyChamberSaxophonePaul Cohen and The New Hudson Saxophone Quartet return to Ravello Records with NEW YORK RISING. Showcasing their well-blended sound and ability to turn on a stylistic dime, the ensemble navigates works by several American composers, from the title track’s evocations of a young man’s excitement, curiosity, and determination in the Big Apple to arrangements of Aaron Copland’s Suite from Our Town and Simple Gifts, and more. The ensemble is joined by guest artists Christopher Brellochs and Ulrich Krieger, both alto saxophonists, throughout the program.
Catalog #: RR8110
Release Date: October 25, 2024
20th Century21st CenturyChamberPianoSaxophoneOn saxophonist Paul Cohen’s COMMON GROUND, one can embrace the unbroken musical traditions that have defined our musical selves, and in doing so, find a contemporary relevance that is both compelling and insightful. These are magnificent compositions, yet they are rarely heard. The range of expression and emotional direction is astonishing and almost visceral. Each of the works follows a unique path; from the kaleidoscopic Ivesian treatment of American folk tunes in Hymn Variations, to the vibrant, ecstatic joy of Quartet to an Outdoor Festival, to the lush, deceptive and nostalgic Trillium Suite, and finally the introspective interlude of Terpsichord framed by outer movements of pungent rhythmic vitality. COMMON GROUND celebrates not only the expressive inclusiveness of these diverse works, but also the common ground achieved with such varied sets of instruments. All compositions on COMMON GROUND are scored for winds, strings, and piano, and all include the saxophone. The soprano saxophone is scored in Quartet to an Outdoor Festival, Hymn Variations, and Trillium Suite, while the alto saxophone is scored in Terpsichord. In these settings, the saxophone uniquely enhances the color, texture, and dynamic resources of the ensemble, while still retaining the necessary subtlety of ensemble equality. It is common ground for composers, performers, and listeners alike.
Catalog #: RR8109
Release Date: September 20, 2024
20th Century21st CenturyRomanticChamberOrchestraPianoSaxophoneSaxophonist Paul Cohen’s AMERICAN LANDSCAPES presents three centuries of original American Music for Saxophone, from Caryl Florio's concerto (1879) for saxophone and orchestra, to 20th and 21st century works (saxophone and piano) by Alec Wilder, Steve Cohen, Percy Grainger, Richard Lane, and Elie Siegmeister. Cohen is joined by pianist Allison Brewster Franzetti and the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra in this Ravello Records release.
Catalog #: RR8107
Release Date: August 2, 2024
20th CenturyChamberOrganSaxophonePaul Cohen’s OF LIGHT AND SOLACE highlights music by several 20th century composers whose work is deeply engaged with both the tradition and innovation of classical music. Evocative, contemplative, and teeming with emotional depth, the works presented in this Ravello Records release explore and expand upon the liturgical canon, offering instrumental expressions in Gregorian Chant, fresh takes on the iconic Amazing Grace, and more. Cohen pairs a unique selection of saxophones with organ to bring this music to life including his Conn-O-Sax, a bold, innovative saxophone made by the Conn Company for a very limited time in 1928.
Catalog #: RR8105
Release Date: July 26, 2024
20th CenturyRomanticChamberSaxophoneWhile the saxophone quartet has a relatively short history compared to traditional classical its wind and string counterparts, its repertoire has been rapidly expanding. Combining the suppleness of a string quartet, power of a brass quintet, and extroverted color of a wind quintet, the saxophone has truly blossomed as a unique and accepted voice by composers and listeners. With composers such as Glass, Cage, Berio, Flagello, Xenakis, Wuorinen, Keuris, and Bolcombe writing substantial pieces, its place in today’s classical music scene is secure and growing. On THE AMERICAN MUSE, the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet performs American music that spans beyond a century, from 1879 to 1999. Whether it is the classicist Florio, jazz-inspired Wilder, nostalgic Copland, or post-minimal Torke, each work is of a singularly different nature yet all identifiable as American in style and spirit.
Catalog #: RR8062
Release Date: January 28, 2022
20th Century21st CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalFlutePianoSaxophoneRavello Records presents SOPRANO SUMMIT from revered saxophonist Paul Cohen. Alongside his work as a performer, Cohen is known for his passionate scholarship, rediscovering long-forgotten saxophone works as well as arranging related music for the instrument. In this, his latest contribution, Cohen presents an album of music for the soprano saxophone in chamber and solo settings.
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 #: 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 #: RR7821
Release Date: January 31, 2012
20th CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalGuitarWind Ensemble“What music encapsulates the 90s?” This question is usually answered with grunge, alt-rock, manufactured pop, hip-hop, or any combination thereof. With 90S TIMEFLOW, composer Alan Schmitz steers us in another direction with a collection of contemporary classical works that represents the overarching themes of his work throughout the decade. The melodic, evocative, and accessible works on this release cap off a revolutionary century of classical composition with the perfect balance of influence and ingenuity.
Catalog #: RR7827
Release Date: March 27, 2012
20th CenturyChamberFlutePercussionPianoTHE FOUR SEASONS was originally released in 2008 and was lauded as “consistently absorbing” and “one of a new kind” (AllMusic). Featuring stellar performances from sixteen performers, THE FOUR SEASONS highlights Pierre Schroeder as a master of jazz-classical fusion.
Catalog #: RR7829
Release Date: March 27, 2012
20th CenturyBaroqueChamberSolo InstrumentalSaxophoneWHEN WIND COMES TO SPARSE BAMBOO was originally released in 2003. Saxophonist Demetrius Spaneas performs works by Bach, Rands, Britten, Persichetti, Debussy, Martino, Tower, and Heim with contemporary grace, providing new and varied settings to standard and contemporary works.
Catalog #: RR7831
Release Date: April 24, 2012
20th CenturyChamberFlutePianoWind EnsembleThis release from Robert Baksa was originally released in 1991 and was lauded as “brilliantly stated” (Phoenix Gazette) and “courageously and attractively retrograde” (Arizona Daily Star). Featuring stunning interpretations by The Virtuosi Quintet and pianist Aeree Kim, this album is a highlight in contemporary collections of accessible classical music.
Catalog #: RR7835
Release Date: May 1, 2012
20th CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalPianoString QuartetVoiceA CONCERT OF MUSIC BY ALLEN BRINGS was originally released in 2008 and features stunning performances by pianists Allen Brings and Eric Huebner, soprano Jennifer Foster, the Atlantic String Quartet, Talujon, and Flexible Music.
Catalog #: RR7818
Release Date: October 25, 2011
20th CenturyChamberPianoViolinViolist Shelly Tramposh has led an extensive career as chamber musician, orchestral player, and teacher, and her varied experiences allow her to play her instrument with an effortless grace that can only be described as having SPREZZATURA. Tramposh, accompanied by Cullan Bryant—one of the most active collaborative pianists in New York—performs works by Paul Chihara, Paul Siskind, Benjamin Britten and Paul Hindemith with the emotion and intensity of each piece’s inspiration, whether it be the doldrums of illness and celebration of health in Chihara’s Sonata for Viola and Piano or Hindemith’s tumultuous sonata, written after being blacklisted by the Nazi party in Germany. Tramposh and Bryant form a masterful duo, and are able to capture the tone of each piece with virtuosic flourish and clarity.
Catalog #: RR7838
Release Date: June 26, 2012
20th CenturyChamberOrchestralChoirElectroacousticOrchestraREFLECTED LIGHT was originally released in 1995 and features stunning performances by pianists Jerome Reed, Jeananne Albee, and Sibylle Dotzauer; cellist Mary Lou Rylands; harpsichordist Ursula Trede-Boettcher; clarinetist Markus Lucke; The Constitution Brass; and the Chamber Choir of the Staatliche Jochschule fur Musik.
Catalog #: RR7839
Release Date: June 26, 2012
20th CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalFlutePianoTRAVELER’S TALE was originally released in 2007 and features on-disc performances by flutist/composer Byron Petty, pianist Shuko Watanabe, clarinetist Roger Quigley, hornist Wallace Easter, guitarist Robert Trent, trumpeter Chris Magee, organist Daniel Brinson, and violinists Mark Taylor and Janice Vincent.
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 #: RR7850
Release Date: August 7, 2012
20th CenturyChamberPercussionPianoVoiceBruce Mahin's SHADOWS was originally released in 1991, and features adept performances by Elizabeth Curtis, Al Wojtera, Caryl Conger, Adam Mahonske, Mark Lortz, Kujit Rehncy, and David Shunway.
Catalog #: RR7857
Release Date: September 4, 2012
20th CenturyChamberSolo InstrumentalCelloFlutePianoDavid Bennett Thomas' CHAMBER WORKS was originally released in 2005, and was lauded as "immediately engaging" (Philadelphia Music Makers) and "concise and comprehensible" (American Record Guide).
Catalog #: RR7886
Release Date: February 25, 2014
20th CenturyRomanticChamberClarinetPianoTHE LYRIC CLARINET, the new release on Ravello Records, showcases a collection of works, originally for voice, which are transcribed, arranged, and performed by international performing and recording artist F. Gerard Errante. Errante selected compositions from German, French, and North and South American composers that illustrate the affinity between the clarinet and the human voice.