For the Record, Op. 273: Bella Hristova, violist Molly Gebrian, Ivry Gitlis, Solomiya Ivakhiv

February 23, 2024, 6:02 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 Bella Hristova.

Echos of Eastern Europe
Bella Hristova, violin
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta conducting

"I started working on my violin concerto right around the time Bella Hristova and I got married, and Bella – without coincidence – is the violinist for whom I wrote the piece," said David Ludwig, who is the Dean of Music at The Juilliard Schoolserves on the composition faculty. "My Violin Concerto is inspired by an imagined sequence of an ancient Slavonic wedding ceremony. The concerto opens with a dramatic entrance and proceeds with a series of four traditional dances. The second movement unfolds as a slow, intensifying wedding processional, featuring a quote from a composition by Bella’s father, the late composer Yuri Chichkov, who passed away when she was just an infant. The final movement is a setting of a well-known Bulgarian folk dance seeking to evoke joy, celebration, and community." click here to listen to a Cincinnati Public Radio interview with Bella and David about this release. BELOW: David Ludwig's Violin Concerto, II. Ceremony:

Trailblazers
Molly Gebrian, viola
Danny Holt, piano

Molly Gebrian and Danny Holt perform sonatas by Henriëtte Bosmans (openly queer), Ethel Smyth (suffragette leader), and Dora Pejacevic (rejected her nobility) - three women who were unabashedly themselves, defying the social conventions of their time. These underappreciated works are brought together for the first time on this recording in brand new transcriptions for viola. "These three sonatas, originally written for cello, not only fill a gap in the late-Romantic repertoire for violists but are clearly outstanding pieces that deserve much wider recognition," Gebrian said. "It also happens to be a critical time for women’s rights, and these three composers pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable for women during their lifetimes. Their lives and work serve as a powerful inspiration for the generations that have come after them." BELOW: Ethel Smyth's Sonata in A Minor, Op. 5, I. Allegro moderato:

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Ivry Gitlis in Verbier
Ivry Gitlis, violin

Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis (1922-2020) performed at the 2011 Verbier Festival with pianists Khatia Buniatishvili and Martha Argerich. Their performances of works by Bartók, Debussy, Bloch, Dushkin and Kreisler, have been gathered into this album. BELOW:: Debussy: Violin Sonata, I. Allegro vivo (Live)

Ukrainian Masters
Solomiya Ivakhiv, violin
Steven Beck, piano

Ukrainian-American violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv, who has made it her mission to share the music of her home country, performs sonatas for violin and piano by Sergei Bortkiewicz, Viktor Kosenko and Myroslav Skoryk with pianist Steven Beck. The works span 1922 to 1991. "I knew Kosenko's piano music growing up, but it was not popular to play Ukrainian music, as the Soviet government only promoted Russian composers," Ivakhiv said. "Therefore his music was not professionally recorded. I discovered the sonata after I moved to the U.S. when I was studying at Curtis and planning my recitals." BELOW: Bortkiewicz's Violin Sonata in G Minor, Op. 26: III. Allegro vivace e con brio.

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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Replies

Andrew Hsieh

February 24, 2024 at 12:51 AM · I wasn't aware of a viola sonata by Bosmans -- but looking at the track listing on the disc, it appears to be a transcription of her cello sonata, which I think deserves to be in the standard repertoire.

Richard Pairaudeau

February 24, 2024 at 09:56 AM · A fascinating and beautiful selection this week. Thanks, Laurie! Am I alone in hearing the rhythm of 'Song of the Volga Boatmen' in the David Ludwig concerto's 2nd. movement? It's an attractive piece, and I hope to hear the whole concerto one day.