Recordings
We're thrilled to announce that "Yes...It's a Thing!" our first commercial album released on the Navona Records label on April 26, 2019! No, it's NOT string quartets, piano trios, or even woodwind quintets; it's a collection of some of the finest of today's classical repertoire for flute and guitar...and it's all World Premiere Recordings! International distribution by Naxos with financial support from the prestigious Individual Artist Grant of the Indiana Arts Commission, generous Individual Donors, and in-kind support from WFMT Classical Music Radio/Chicago 98.7FM. News Flash! Two new albums have been contracted with PARMA Recordings! Subscribe to our website to hear more details as they arise! Sponsorship opportunities are now available.
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Album Reviews!
Kathodik (Italy), Critic Filippo Focosi, 8/21/19 “…an intriguing selection of pieces….truly inspired….skill and uncommon harmony.”
Fanfare Magazine, Critic Colin Clarke, 7/15/19 "...Duo Sequenza really is a thing, and a thing that provides excellent, crafted performances.... [Noon:] ...an easy air of breezy Americana.... often charming.... The performance...is beautiful...nicely assertive guitar.... [Owen:] ...playful...much soaring and swirling... Duo Sequenza gives it everything they've got. [Mellits:] ...exciting...dynamism created via metric shifts [mvmt I] ....exudes a bittersweet type of sadness...grief is combined with disbelief...reflections on happy memories added to the mix. The regular guitar chords seem to imply that time moves on...the flute soars with a mournful direction of its own....a touching piece, beautifully played by Debra Silvert. [mvmt II] ....[Sharifi:] ...his intent is to paint in sound a moment of his response to [certain] texts...to freeze it in the form of flute and guitar...only to unpack it in performance.... The result is as interesting as the concept....hovers in the mind afterwards....sophistication as well as a feeling of musical déjà vu.... [Muniz] ...a tender response.... evocative and elusive...languorous.... restless.... This is a fascinating grouping of five very different compositional voices, all captured in sterling performances and recordings."
American Record Guide, Critic Todd Gorman, 6/27/19 "...pleasant neo-Baroque pieces [Noon].... atmospheric and engaging [Owen].... poignant [Mellits].... a convincing musical mood [Sharifi].... evocative [Muniz].... Silvert has command of all the difficulties...and uses a wide range of expression to serve the music. Bowman is a solid and sensitive player who works well with his partner and his material. This is the only way to hear these pieces."
Review Graveyard (U.K.), Critic Darren Rea 5/23/19 “…driving rhythms, sumptuous lyricism, and vibrant orchestrations that combine to communicate deeply with the listener…”
Fanfare Magazine, Critic Philip Scott, 5/9/19 "...all five...composers exploit the natural felicity of this instrumental combination, each has a distinctive personality.... [Noon:]...long-breathed melodies from the flute.... [Owen:]...rhythmically charged guitar and melismatic flute lines .... [Mellits:]...rhythmically intricate [mvmt I]...expressive and pensive [mvmt II].... [Sharifi:] playful tussle between the two .... [Muniz:] imaginative mood pieces.... Silvert and Bowman are excellent musicians with a clear rapport, and this program...while not remotely avant-garde, never lapses into 'easy listening' nor loses focus."
Cinemusical, Critic Steven A. Kennedy, 5/6/19 “…lyrical ideas float above the gentle restrained argeggios of the guitar….beautiful writing….mesmerizing….free and fluid….committed performances…an engaging experience where listeners are taken on some fascinating journeys.”
Fanfare Magazine, Critic Raymond Tuttle, 5/2/19 "...all...written in a conservative style, and it should appeal to a broad audience.... [Mellits:]...unpredictable rhythms that keep the performers and listeners on their toes [mvmt I]....too pretty to be thought of as gloomy [mvmt II].... all of the music recorded here repays the time spent with it. The performances are lovely and intimate, with a strong musicality that makes you forget how technically accomplished Silvert and Bowman are. Yes, indeed, it is a “thing,” and, as Martha Stewart occasionally says, “It's a good thing.”
WRUV 90.1 FM, Burlington, VT 4/16/19 "Lovely, contemporary, world premiere recordings. Play!"
Midwest Record Entertainment Reviews, News, and Views 3/28/19 "...we love the music...the filigree that holds this recording together catches all kinds of descriptors in its web, like gossamer and stuff like that. They can underplay so subtly that you don't even realize what a sublime listening experience you are having. Tasty and lovely throughout, this duo makes the kind of chamber/recital music that can bring droves into the tent. Well done."
Fanfare Magazine, Critic Colin Clarke, 7/15/19 "...Duo Sequenza really is a thing, and a thing that provides excellent, crafted performances.... [Noon:] ...an easy air of breezy Americana.... often charming.... The performance...is beautiful...nicely assertive guitar.... [Owen:] ...playful...much soaring and swirling... Duo Sequenza gives it everything they've got. [Mellits:] ...exciting...dynamism created via metric shifts [mvmt I] ....exudes a bittersweet type of sadness...grief is combined with disbelief...reflections on happy memories added to the mix. The regular guitar chords seem to imply that time moves on...the flute soars with a mournful direction of its own....a touching piece, beautifully played by Debra Silvert. [mvmt II] ....[Sharifi:] ...his intent is to paint in sound a moment of his response to [certain] texts...to freeze it in the form of flute and guitar...only to unpack it in performance.... The result is as interesting as the concept....hovers in the mind afterwards....sophistication as well as a feeling of musical déjà vu.... [Muniz] ...a tender response.... evocative and elusive...languorous.... restless.... This is a fascinating grouping of five very different compositional voices, all captured in sterling performances and recordings."
American Record Guide, Critic Todd Gorman, 6/27/19 "...pleasant neo-Baroque pieces [Noon].... atmospheric and engaging [Owen].... poignant [Mellits].... a convincing musical mood [Sharifi].... evocative [Muniz].... Silvert has command of all the difficulties...and uses a wide range of expression to serve the music. Bowman is a solid and sensitive player who works well with his partner and his material. This is the only way to hear these pieces."
Review Graveyard (U.K.), Critic Darren Rea 5/23/19 “…driving rhythms, sumptuous lyricism, and vibrant orchestrations that combine to communicate deeply with the listener…”
Fanfare Magazine, Critic Philip Scott, 5/9/19 "...all five...composers exploit the natural felicity of this instrumental combination, each has a distinctive personality.... [Noon:]...long-breathed melodies from the flute.... [Owen:]...rhythmically charged guitar and melismatic flute lines .... [Mellits:]...rhythmically intricate [mvmt I]...expressive and pensive [mvmt II].... [Sharifi:] playful tussle between the two .... [Muniz:] imaginative mood pieces.... Silvert and Bowman are excellent musicians with a clear rapport, and this program...while not remotely avant-garde, never lapses into 'easy listening' nor loses focus."
Cinemusical, Critic Steven A. Kennedy, 5/6/19 “…lyrical ideas float above the gentle restrained argeggios of the guitar….beautiful writing….mesmerizing….free and fluid….committed performances…an engaging experience where listeners are taken on some fascinating journeys.”
Fanfare Magazine, Critic Raymond Tuttle, 5/2/19 "...all...written in a conservative style, and it should appeal to a broad audience.... [Mellits:]...unpredictable rhythms that keep the performers and listeners on their toes [mvmt I]....too pretty to be thought of as gloomy [mvmt II].... all of the music recorded here repays the time spent with it. The performances are lovely and intimate, with a strong musicality that makes you forget how technically accomplished Silvert and Bowman are. Yes, indeed, it is a “thing,” and, as Martha Stewart occasionally says, “It's a good thing.”
WRUV 90.1 FM, Burlington, VT 4/16/19 "Lovely, contemporary, world premiere recordings. Play!"
Midwest Record Entertainment Reviews, News, and Views 3/28/19 "...we love the music...the filigree that holds this recording together catches all kinds of descriptors in its web, like gossamer and stuff like that. They can underplay so subtly that you don't even realize what a sublime listening experience you are having. Tasty and lovely throughout, this duo makes the kind of chamber/recital music that can bring droves into the tent. Well done."
"Yes...It's a Thing!" Features Works by These Distinguished Composers
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ReadWe hope you'll take advantage of Navona Records' Enhanced Catalog Page for "Yes...It's a Thing!" by clicking here! You'll find all the background on these wonderful pieces of music and their composers. Enjoy!
Click here for PARMA Recordings' "Inside Story" on us and the album. And... if you'd like to settle in for a nice long read that gets deeply into our 'raison d'etre,' click here for Fanfare Magazine's Feature Interview with us by Robert Schulslaper! |
WatchThis five-minute video of excerpts from some of our live performances includes works by Gary Schocker, Robert Beaser, Marc Mellits, Harvey Sollberger, Michael Daugherty, Deirdre Lynds, Lowell Liebermann, and Astor Piazolla.
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And Listen Some More!
Enjoy these vintage recordings (digitized from analog) of works we have returned to our repertoire.
For more current live recordings, please refer to our YouTube Channel!
For more current live recordings, please refer to our YouTube Channel!
