For the Record, Op. 289: Renaud Capuçon; Noah Bendix-Balgley; Maxwell Quartet; Bohdan Luts

June 21, 2024, 7:11 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 Renaud Capucon. Photo by Benjamin Decoin, courtesy Deutsche Grammophon.

Gabriel Fauré
Renaud Capuçon, violin
Guillaume Bellom, piano
Julia Hagen, cello
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne

Yes, Gabriel Fauré did indeed write a violin concerto, but there are few recordings of it. "It's a very, very rarely done concerto," said French violinist Renaud Capuçon, "It's a 15-minute piece - wonderful. I'm so glad and so proud to have recorded it." The concerto, composed for Fauré's friend Ovide Musin, was meant to be three movements, but only the first movement "Allegro" has survived. The second-movement "Andante" was completed and even performed, but the manuscript was lost (or destroyed), and the third movement was never written. This album also includes other works by Fauré: Masques et Bergamasques, Pelléas et Mélisande, Ballade, Op. 19, Pavane, Op. 50 and Berceuse, Op. 16. BELOW: Fauré: Violin Concerto, Op. 14: I. Allegro.

Mozart · Sinigaglia
Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin
Berliner Philharmoniker, Kirill Petrenko conducting

First Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley performs as the soloist with the Berliner Philharmoniker in Mozart's Concerto No. 1 as well as two works by the Italian violinist and composer Leone Sinigaglia, who was also a notable mountaineer who climbed the then little-explored peaks of the Dolomites during the early 20th century. Sinigaglia's life ended at age 75, when he had a heart attack as he was being deported to Auschwitz. This album features two works by Sinigaglia: “The dance-like 'Rapsodia piemontese' is a virtuosic miniature, a type of work that was very popular at the time...I particularly enjoy working out the different characters — they contain a plethora of details and are engagingly charming," Bendix-Balgley said. "The intimately lyrical 'Romance' is certainly influenced by Dvorák’s colorful orchestration, and I also hear echoes of the peaceful mood of Richard Wagner’s Siegfried-Idyll." This release marks a new 10th anniversary series for the orchestra’s own label Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings. BELOW: Romance for Violin and Orchestra in A Major, Op. 29 by Leone Sinigaglia:

Landscape to Light
James Ross, piano
Maxwell Quartet

A "Love Letter to the Highlands": Scottish composer and pianist James Ross draws on folk music heritage and his classical training to bring listeners to his homeland of Caithness, the northernmost point in the Scottish mainland, aiming to evoke "the spectacular but fearsome power of the sea, the legends of fairy mischief passed down through generations, and the landscapes depicted by Scottish novelist, Neil Gunn." The Caithness and Sutherland peatlands and wetlands comprise the "Flow Country," the most extensive blanket bog system in the world, which is critical for biodiversity and combating climate change but is facing threat; it is currently being considered for designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to emphasize its global importance. BELOW: "Landscape to Light," video by Minttu Ma¨ntynen:

Dvorak/Bruch/Nielsen
Bohdan Luts, violin
Odense Symphony Orchestra, Anna Skryleva conducting

Ukrainian violinist Bohdan Luts presents his debut album in collaboration with the Odense Symphony Orchestra, featuring Dvorák’s A minor Concerto, Carl Nielsen’s Op. 2 Romance, and Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy. Luts won first prize in the Carl Nielsen competition in 2022 and in the Long Thibaud International Violin Competition in 2023, among other competition awards. Born in Lviv in 2004, Luts currently studies at the International Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland with Oleg Kaskiv, Guillaume Chilemme and Renaud Capuçon. "I'm so glad to be able to share the genius of Dvorak’s Violin Concerto, Bruch’s 'Scottish' Fantasy, and Nielsen’s Romance, that are so rarely played," Luts said. "This CD allows me to express myself in these pieces and to convey through my music the terrible pain of all the people living in my home country, that are currently going through the unfairness of war." BELOW: "Romance" by Karl Nielsen (anonymous arrangement for violin and orchestra of Two Fantasy Pieces for Oboe & Piano)

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. 289: Renaud Capuçon; Noah Bendix-Balgley; Maxwell Quartet; Bohdan Luts

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