For the Record, Op. 149: Laure Chan's 'Tribute to Bach'

March 18, 2021, 1:38 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!

Violinist Laure Chan.

Tribute to Bach
Laure Chan, violin

British Franco-Chinese violinist Laure Chan has taken Bach as her inspiration - specifically the 300th anniversary of the completion of his Six Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin - and gone in fascinating directions with the music. In addition to playing works by Bach, she also plays her own compositions, featuring various contemporary styles that quote Bach in clever ways. "A couple of these works were written during the global pandemic and reflect my emotions at the time," Chan said. "'Insanity' directly quotes Bach's Fugue from Sonata No. 1 in G minor for solo violin, as well as drawing inspiration from Eugène Ysaÿe's 'Obsession' from his Sonata No. 2. 'Nostalgia' uses the opening bass line of the famous 'Air' from Bach's Third Orchestral Suite." She closes the album with '¡Brava!' - a gypsy tango based on Bach’s Chaconne, written for solo violin and a string quartet. BELOW: Chan plays her composition ¡Brava! along with violinist Eleonora Consta, violist Nazli Erdogan, cellist Robbie Stanley-Smith and bassist Matt Begg.

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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