Nova: Albanian Rhapsody – James Nova

Anesti Nova wrote the music for his son James. The music is ethnically charged with musical flavor from the Balkans.

The assistant principal trombone of the Utah Symphony presents a heart-warming, accessible program of his father’s ‘authentic’ Albanian folk melodies … showcasing his virtuoso trombone playing. Much of the music on this disc is based on Albanian folk melodies or ideas. The melodies are largely original, but some the composer learned from his father, and some are songs that James Nova’s late mother sang in church choir in Istanbul, set to original settings with the trombone as storyteller. The elder (composer) Nova was musically trained in a conservatory in Trossingen, Germany, where he studied the classical accordion and composition. He was also involved with masterclasses with Paul Hindemith, who visited the school to teach. The pieces are very difficult technically and cover a wide range (at one point, five octaves!) but are very melodically pleasing, listenable and soulful.

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