Maria Newman's Spooky Sonorities is a collection of Halloween-themed works, from chamber music to full orchestra to solo voice. The works take inspiration from such famed works as Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven and Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky from Through The Looking Glass. 

Skeleton's Trip to the Underworld is an eerie and menacing exploration of chamber music, performed by chamber choir and orchestra. The text is taken from the famed Dies Irae text, telling of the Day of Wrath as explored in the Christian Bible. Skeleton's Trip to the Underworld is performed on this album by the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra and Malibu Coast Chamber Choir. 

The Stabbing of Mr. Wu is a pivotal movement from Maria Newman's score to the 1927 Lon Chaney silent film Mr. Wu. The piece was commissioned in 2000 by Turner Classic Movies and premiered on TCM that same year. The Stabbing of Mr. Wu is performed on this album by Wendy Prober, piano, and Nico Abondolo, double bass.

Performed masterfully by Hal Ott, flute, Maria Newman, violin, and Scott Hosfeld, viola, The Bat exemplifies the frenetic energy of a winged marsupial in flight. 

What the Watchman Saw is performed on this album by Duanna Ulyate, soprano, Cheryl Anne Roach, mezzo soprano, George Sterne, tenor, Stephen Grimm, bass, and the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Scott Hosfeld. 

Cry of the Night Creature is performed on this album by Hal Ott, flute, and John Magnussen, percussion. 

Phantom Under The Oak Tree is taken from Maria Newman's song cycle Songs on Motherhood and is performed on this album by Risa Larson, soprano, and Maria Newman, violin. 

Crawl of the Red-Eyed Spiders is performed on this album by Marty Walker, saxophone, Maria Newman, violin, Peter Kent, violin, Gregg Gottlieb, double bass, and Valerie Diamond. 

Inside The Haunted House is performed on this album by Wendy Prober, piano, and the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra. 

Leonardo in the Cemetery is performed on this album by Anne Marie Ketchum, soprano, and Amada Walker, clarinet. 

Timid Journey Through a Tangled Forest is performed on this album by the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Scott Hosfeld. 

Othmar the Halloween Cat is performed on this album by the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Scott Hosfeld. 

Hidden in the Skull of Vashti is performed on this album by Wendy Prober, piano.

An Autumn Waddle is performed on this album by .Maria Newman, violin, Peter Kent, violin, Valerie Dimond, and Gregg Gottlieb.

Contrition of the Leafless Tree is performed on this album by the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Scott Hosfeld. 

The Winged Elf is performed on this album by the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Scott Hosfeld.

Maria Newman's The Raven takes its inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe's famed 1845 poem of the same name. The poem tells the tale of a young man sitting alone on a dreary midnight, mourning the death of his lover, Lenore. As he sits, the narrator is visited by a raven, with whom the narrator communes, asking questions to which the titular raven simply replies, "Nevermore." The piece, featuring a simple orchestration of two violins, depicts the eerie and crooning melody of the raven, whose words have haunted listening ears for generations, and are sure to haunt for years to come, as Poe's career-defining poem continues to stand the test of time. The Raven is performed on this album by Maria Newman and Scott Hosfeld, violins. 

Drawing inspiration from Lewis Carroll's 1871 poem of the same name, Newman's Jabberwocky is an eerie and nonsensical adventure set for soprano and harp. The work's lyrics are taken directly from Carroll's poem, which tells the tale of a young boy slaying a terrible monster, The Jabberwocky. The poem originally appeared in Carrol's 1817 novel, Through The Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There, the sequel to his best-selling novel, Alice in Wonderland. The recording of Jabberwocky on this album features the work of Kris Wildman, soprano, and Amy Shulman, harp. 
To read the full text of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, visit poetryfoundation.org

To read the full text of Lewi's Carroll's The Jabberwocky, visit poetryfoundation.org