Various Artists - Figments (2016)

Tracklist

01. Exotic Animals Suite: I. Exotic Birds
02. Exotic Animals Suite: II. Exotic Snakes & Lizards
03. Exotic Animals Suite: III. Exotic Cats
04. Piano Sonata: I. Moderato
05. Piano Sonata: II. Slow, Lyrical, Introspective
06. Piano Sonata: III. Forceful, Driven
07. Fantasy
08. Gusts
09. Nocturne (Inversions)
10. Covering

Navona Records presents FIGMENTS, a compilation of eclectic contemporary works for chamber ensemble that highlight the dramatic, the mysterious, and the inventive through diverse instrument combinations and use of extended techniques. The album features music by composers Mark Dal Porto, Richard Campanelli, David Nisbet Stewart, Paula Diehl, Jason R. Lovelace, and Mel Mobley.

Mark Dal Porto’s Exotic Animals Suite illustrates an array of wildlife, from the lively call of birds, to the slithering of snakes, to the power and agility of big cats. Sonata for Piano by Richard Campanelli is a balanced three-movement work that explores the colors and tonal possibilities of the piano, whose darker second movement is a nod to Bartók’s Night music. David Nisbet Stewart highlights the rich timbre and textures of the solo viola in his Fantasy, which glides along from slow to fast and back again with dramatic passages of perpetual motion and wide leaps across the instrument’s strings. Gusts by Paula Diehl is a window into the composer’s exploration of her own system of composition called Separation, which uses overlapping 4ths as the working intervals, gradually separating them in phases until total separation is achieved. Nocturne: Inversions by Jason Lovelace portrays the atmospheric event known as a temperature inversion, a reversal in temperature layers of the atmosphere, which culminates in a storm of meter shifts, dissonance, and thickening textures. Mel Mobley’s Covering combines the electric guitar, horn, and piano to create an integrated piece that bridges the gap between the contrasting forces of the guitar and horn, supported by the stability of the piano.

Mark Dal Porto composer
Richard Campanelli composer
David Nisbet Stewart composer
Paula Diehl composer
Jason R. Lovelace composer
Mel Mobley composer

Arcadian Winds | Vanessa Holroyd flute; Jane Harrison oboe;
Rane Moore clarinet; Fred Aldrich horn; Janet Underhill bassoon
Karolina Rojahn piano; Peter Sulski viola; Chiharu Naruse piano
Kevin Owen french horn; David William Ross electric guitar