For the Record, Op. 310: ETHEL, Nadia Sirota; Natalia van der Mersch

December 8, 2024, 11:58 AM · 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!

Members of the string quartet ETHEL, with flutist Allison Loggins-Hull. Photo by Nina Roberts.

Persist
ETHEL
Ralph Farris, viola
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Kip Jones, violin
Corin Lee, violin
Allison Loggins-Hull, flute

Established in New York City in 1998, the string quartet ETHEL has commissioned and debuted 20 works by 16 early-career artists over the last 15 years as part of their initiative called "HomeBaked." For their latest album, the fifth in this series, they are joined by flutist Allison Loggins-Hull, and the album is named after her own NEA-commission, "Persist." It also features new commissions from four young composers: Migiwa "Miggy" Miyajima, Xavier Muzik, Sam Wu, and 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist Leilehua Lanzilotti. "The greatest utility there is in music is its power to connect," said Ralph Farris, co-founder and violist of ETHEL, "and it is ETHEL’s greatest responsibility to see that our music does just that among listeners and our fellow artists," BELOW: Trailer for the album:

Past Life / Lifeline
Ellis Ludwig-Leone, composer
Nadia Sirota, viola
Lavinia Meijer, harp
Eliza Bagg, soprano

This album centers on two principal compositions by Ellis Ludwig-Leone: "Past Life," featuring a delicate interplay of harp and viola performed by Lavinia Meijer and Nadia Sirota; and “Lifeline,” a vibrant percussion quartet for Sandbox Percussion. Mirroring each other in themes and construction, the two works are a reflection on the spaces we inhabit, in both a literal and a musical sense, and how memory can have an impact on our perception of those spaces over time. The composer’s longstanding collaborations with these performers have been indispensable in shaping this collection. BELOW: "Past Life I" by Ellis Ludwig-Leone

Brahms: Violin Sonatas
Natalia van der Mersch, violin
Olivier Roberti, piano

German-Croatian violinist Natalia van der Mersch and pianist Olivier Roberti recorded the three Johannes Brahms sonatas in the picturesque ambiance of the Belgian castle Conjoux. "Despite all my experience, I see playing Brahms as a real challenge," Roberti said. "Even in his chamber music works he is quite symphonic and when playing the piano you have to be able to imagine orchestral colors that are not typical for the piano or violin." BELOW: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108: I. Allegro

If you have a new recording you would like us to consider for inclusion in our "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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For the Record, Op. 310: ETHEL, Nadia Sirota; Natalia van der Mersch

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