For the Record, Op. 284: María Dueñas, Miró Quartet, Pacifica Quartet, Meg Okura

May 10, 2024, 4:04 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 María Dueñas. Photo by Felix Broede.

Altar de cuerda
María Duenas, violin
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel conducting
Gabriela Ortiz, composer

Gabriela Ortiz's violin concerto, "Altar de cuerda," was written on a commission from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is dedicated to Spanish violinist María Dueñas. This recording of its May 2022 premiere with Gustavo Dudamel has been released on all streaming platforms to coincide with the current performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (May 9, 10, 11, 12), as well as the LA Phil's European tour with Gustavo Dudamel that will feature Maria Dueñas playing the work in Barcelona (May 28), Paris (May 30) and London (June 2). In this concerto saluting Mayan civilization, the Mexican composer blends tradition and the modern world in an imaginary architecture of Mayan civilization and art deco. "Altar de Cuerda" is part of Revolución diamantina, the first full album of orchestral works by Gabriela Ortiz to be released in June. BELOW: Altar de cuerda: I. Morisco chilango.

Home
Miró Quartet
Daniel Ching, violin
William Fedkenheuer, violin
John Largess, viola
Joshua Gindele, cello

Celebrating 30 years as an ensemble in 2025, the GRAMMY-nominated Texas-based quartet explores the many meanings of "home" through works by four Pulitzer Prize-winning American composers, including two new commissions by Kevin Puts and Caroline Shaw paired with works by George Walker and Samuel Barber. BELOW: Miró Quartet's "Over the Rainbow" celebrates their hometown of Austin, Texas. The opening and title work "Home" (2019), the third work that Kevin Puts (b. 1972) has written for Miró Quartet, was nominated as an arrangement for quartet and chorus for a 2024 GRAMMY Award for Best Choral Performance.

American Voices
Pacifica Quartet
Simin Ganatra, violin
Austin Hartman, violin
Mark Holloway, viola
Brandon Vamos, cello

The multiple Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet continues its exploration of American musical traditions with four works that weave the sound of the classical string quartet together with important threads in the country’s broader musical fabric, from 19th-century folk music traditions to early 20th-century trends in popular music. The featured works are Antonín Dvorák’s String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96 (“American”), Florence Price’s String Quartet in G major, Louis Gruenberg’s Four Diversions for String Quartet, Op. 32, and James Lee III’s new commission for the album, Pitch In. The latter is scored for string quartet and children’s choir, sung on this world-premiere recording by Chicago’s Uniting Voices under conductor Josephine Lee. BELOW: Trailer for the album:

Lingering
Meg Okura, violin
Kevin Hays, piano

Tokyo-native violinist Meg Okura and American jazz pianist Kevin Hays have been collaborating for a decade since their serendipitous encounter on a New York City bus in 2014. Their collaboration, unlike many others, is not born from shared musical associations or cultural backgrounds. Hays and Okura hail from disparate musical traditions – Hays, a jazz pianist with a sound steeped in the post-bop and modern jazz tradition, boasts a storied career working with luminaries such as Sonny Rollins and John Scofield, while Okura's journey from concert violinist to rising star in the world of jazz composition has earned her acclaim from the likes of the International Society of Jazz Arranger and Composers. “Kevin grounds me in a gentler, earthier realm, as his aesthetic is deeply rooted in traditions, extending from post-bop to Americana, and reaching farther back to the works of J.S. Bach." BELOW: Seven Short Pieces: I. Aleph

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. 284: María Dueñas, Miró Quartet, Pacifica Quartet, Meg Okura

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