For the Record, Op. 285: ETHEL quartet and Layale Chaker; Elizabeth Chang; Teresa Allgaier and Sophia Jani

May 17, 2024, 1:21 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 and composer Layale Chaker and ETHEL quartet.

Vigil
ETHEL quartet
Layale Chaker, composer

This collaborative album by ETHEL and French-Lebanese violinist and composer Layale Chaker features their collective work, with each member of ETHEL contributing a piece, and Chaker herself contributing two works, one of which gives this album its name. "Vigil", composed by Chaker for ETHEL and performed alongside the quartet, is "an ode to those who flood the streets with courage in all corners of the world, and an ode to the resilience in us." BELOW: Vigil, I. "Of Thirst" by Layale Chaker, performed by ETHEL Quartet:

Sonatas and Myths
Elizabeth Chang, violin
Steven Beck, piano

"I have always had an artistic affinity for the musical language of the early 20th century and for the composers who were negotiating the end of the Romantic period while seeking to integrate their highly evolved, Germanic-based schooling with the influence of newly uncovered ‘local’ influences and idioms," said violinist Elizabeth Chang. Her new album, recorded with her longtime collaborator pianist Steven Beck, features three seminal works from the early 20th century: Karol Szymanowski’s Mythes: Trois Poèmes, Op. 30 from 1915; Ernst von Dohnányi’s Violin Sonata in C# Minor, Op. 21 from 1912; and Béla Bartók’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano from 1921. "I trace my connection to these composers through Carl Flesch, the great violin pedagogue who taught two of my teachers (Max Rostal and Roman Totenberg) and who was saved from deportation to a concentration camp by Dohnányi," said Chang, who is currently Professor of Violin at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a member of the violin faculty of the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School. There will be a release party for the album June 5 in NYC, more information here. BELOW: Szymanowski's Mythes, Op. 30, M29: No. 1, La fontaine d'Aréthuse:

Six Pieces For Solo Violin
Teresa Allgaier, violin
Sophia Jani, composer

German contemporary composer Sophia Jani composed Six Pieces for Solo Violin between 2020 and 2023 for violinist Teresa Allgaier. Jani and Allgaier are longtime collaborators who "pushed our limits on this project and only considered it finished when we were both satisfied with every detail," Jani said. Starting with a "Prelude" movement, each movement features particular qualities and capabilities of the violin: "Scordatura," "Arpeggio," "Triads," "Capriccio," "Grandezza," and "Ricochet.""The music here, in all its movements, gives the illusion of simplicity. It employs a mostly consonant language, it unfolds gently and with great delicacy and leisure, and it searches for an honest and direct way of moving forward," said composer David Lang, Jani's former teacher, in the liner notes. Based in Munich, Jani is the 2023-2025 Composer-in-Residence with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. BELOW: Six Pieces for Solo Violin: IV. Capriccio

BELOW: Here also is an interview with Sophia Jani and Teresa Allgaier(in German with subtitles), which shows video of the beautiful church in southern German where they recorded:

Radio Afloat
Sarafand Ensemble
Layale Chaker, composer and violin
Jake Charkey, cello
Nick Dunston, bass
Phillip Golub, piano
Adam Maalouf, percussion

Composed by Layale Chaker in 2023, "Radio Afloat," is "the vision of a radio lost at sea, evoking a reflection on the intertwined destinies of people and the natural world, which manifest even louder in times of collective pain; a commentary on the ebb and flow of politics of power, conflict and dominance that exacerbate the vulnerability of the land and those who tend to it." Her style combines classical contemporary music, jazz, Arabic music, and improvisation. BELOW: Anatomie of Titus - I - Fall of Rome, from Radio Afloat:

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.

You might also like:

* * *

Enjoying Violinist.com? Click here to sign up for our free, bi-weekly email newsletter. And if you've already signed up, please invite your friends! Thank you.

Replies

This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

For the Record, Op. 285: ETHEL quartet and Layale Chaker; Elizabeth Chang; Teresa Allgaier and Sophia Jani

Replies

Subscribe

Laurie's Books