For the Record, Op. 42: Kelly Hall-Tompkins' 'Fiddler' album; cellist Maya Beiser; Damla Bozkurt (DMLLL)

January 25, 2018, 12:37 PM · Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!

Kelly Hall-Tompkins.

The Fiddler Expanding Tradition
Kelly Hall-Tompkins

Here's a little something for fans of "Fiddler on the Roof": Kelly Hall-Tompkins, the "Fiddler" heard in the recent Tony- and Grammy-nominated 13-month Broadway revival of the musical, has created an entire album of "Fiddler" music inspired by that production. Teaming up with arranger Oran Eldor and music director and orchestrator Ted Sperling, they have arranged the music from the musical, reimagined as concert pieces, from Klezmer to caprice to jazz ballad. The album also features the Tony-nominated star of the musical, Danny Burstein, in a "Sunrise, Sunset" duet. Hall-Tompkins is a prize-winner of the Naumburg International Violin Competition, a soloist who has appeared on stages internationally from London and Paris to Uruguay and Kiev. BELOW: Kelly Hall-Tompkins plays a selection from the album, "Fiddler Rhapsody and Scherzo," arranged by Oran Eldor:

The Day
Maya Beiser
David Lang, composer

This album features two pieces written by David Lang for cellist Maya Beiser: "The Day," a new piece composed in 2016, as well as "World to Come," which he wrote for her in 2003. "The Day" was composed as prequel to "World to Come." Where "World to Come" chronicles the journey of the soul after life, "The Day" chronicles an individual’s time on earth preceding that journey. Lang’s "World to Come" was written for Beiser in response to the events of September 11 at the World Trade Center (which shares the initials of the title of the piece, WTC). The two works are meditations on two journeys: the day on the mortal journey, and world to come on the eternal, post-mortal journey of the soul that follows. "I wanted the act of remembering to be as widespread as possible, so I went to the Internet and searched the phrase, 'I remember the day that I . . .'" Lang said. "Every phrase that followed was a personal statement from someone, somewhere, about a moment that was so significant it felt worth holding onto. I hoped that assembling them together, into a single narrative, would help us feel the weight of a life, as it is being lived." Beiser said that "9/11 to me, with the images of the people falling from the burning towers forever frozen in my memory, invoked visions of the body falling down while the soul is floating up. David and I worked on 'World to Come' as a way to slowly weave the separating mortal and post-mortal existence. 'The Day,' written later but coming first, is the complement: David’s beautiful meditation on life – the brief union of our soul and body on earth – moving inexorably toward the final valediction, one day at a time." BELOW: Cellist Maya Beiser performs David Lang's "World To Come":

Short Tales Of Winter
Damla Bozkurt ("DMLLL"), violin

Here is a modern debut album from a Turkish violinist Damla Bozkurt (who goes by "DMLLL"), who wrote, performed, recorded and mixed all the music, which she said was inspired by classic folk lore to the writings of Hans Christian Andersen. The compositions are for violin ensemble, with additional bass and piano in several pieces. "These songs are inspired by the dark sides of some fairy tales," Bozkurt said. "When we were children, we all wished the world to be like the tales, but our world is not like we desired. I wish for a better future, and peace for all the children. This album is dedicated to the children who have to work from such young ages, and die from the cruelty of the world." Proceeds from this release will be donated to Umut Cocuklari Dernegi, an association in Turkey whose mission is to directly support children’s health and welfare. BELOW: "Although," by Turkish violinist Damla Bozkurt, who works under the moniker DMLLL.

If you have a new recording you would like us to consider for inclusion in our Thursday "For the Record" feature, please e-mail Editor Laurie Niles. Be sure to include the name of your album, a link to it and a short description of what it includes.

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