Voices of Earth and Air, Vol. III – Works for Chorus is a contemporary choral compilation released by Navona Records, presenting a diverse collection of 21st-century works for mixed choir, women’s choir, and choral ensemble with piano. Performed by the Kühn Choir of Prague under Lenka Navrátilová and Vox Futura conducted by Andrew Shenton, the album explores spiritual, poetic, and philosophical themes through modern choral writing.
The release features works by Kong-Yu Wong, Scott Anthony Shell, William Copper, Deborah Anderson, Theresa Koon, Hans Bakker, Santiago Kodela, Christopher J. Hoh, and Garth Baxter. Across the album, composers engage with texts ranging from 12th-century Chinese poetry to Rabindranath Tagore, Emma Lazarus, Christian Morgenstern, and Edith Sitwell. The works move between tonal clarity and contemporary harmonic language, balancing accessibility with structural depth.
Kong-Yu Wong’s Three Lyrics of Lu Fang Weng opens the album with choral writing framed by solo piano, while Scott Anthony Shell’s Gitanjali 1 interprets Tagore’s spiritual poetry with luminous textures. William Copper’s Ave Regina Caelorum and Deborah Anderson’s Windows and Colorado Prayer continue the exploration of sacred and reflective texts. Theresa Koon’s Mother of Exiles addresses immigration through Emma Lazarus’ iconic poem, and Hans Bakker’s works engage with philosophical and mystical themes.
Santiago Kodela’s contribution, The Gulag Within, presents a modernist choral statement examining internal human conflict and self-imposed limitation through contemporary harmonic and structural language. The work stands as one of the more sonically adventurous pieces on the album.
Released as part of Navona Records’ ongoing choral series, Voices of Earth and Air, Vol. III reflects the evolving direction of contemporary choral composition in the 21st century.
This physical edition is currently sold out.
Digital download of Santiago Kodela’s contribution, The Gulag Within, is available separately.
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