For the Record, Op. 316: Daniil Bulayev, William Wei, Théotime Langlois de Swarte, JACK Quartet

January 17, 2025, 1:28 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 Daniil Bulayev.

Enescu, Bloch, Ysaÿe
Daniil Bulayev, violin
Maxim Tanichev, piano,
Davinspiro Camerata

For his debut album, violinist Daniil Bulayev, 20, delves into the profound connections between three legendary violinist-composers: Eugène Ysaÿe, Ernest Bloch, and George Enescu. "Each piece on this album holds great significance for me," Bulayev said. "Bloch’s 'Baal Shem,' dedicated to his late mother, resonates deeply with me, as I recorded it two years after my father’s passing. Ysaÿe’s 'Poème élégiaque' reflects the melancholy I experienced during that time. Enescu composed his vibrant Octet at 19, the same age I was when I recorded it, and it brings a sense of renewal and philosophical contemplation." A native of Riga, Latvia, Bulayev was a first-prize laureate in the 2021 Windsor Festival International String Competition. BELOW: Poeme elegiaque, Op. 12 by Eugene Ysaÿe.

Earthing
William Wei, violin
Evan Wong, piano
Shiuan Chang, composer

Earthing, the debut recording from New York-based Taiwanese composer Shiuan Chang, explores themes of well-being and mental health. Commissioned in 2020 by Dun Ren Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Taiwan, this album is a unique exploration of memory, understanding, and healing through music. Created for the hospital’s patients, the compositions are both a musical aid in their journeys and a reflection of composer Shiuan Chang’s own. Early in the composition process, Shiuan began to experience severe panic attacks, which transformed his creative path into one of personal introspection and resilience. A live concert of the music will take place at Third Street Music School in New York at 2:30 p.m. January 19, featuring William Wei and Evan Wong and will include the American premieres of several pieces by Shiuan Chang. Taiwanese violinist William Wei is a laureate of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition. BELOW: from the album, Cantabile Andante by Shiuan Chang.

Antonio Vivaldi: Le quattro stagioni, The Four Seasons
Théotime Langlois de Swarte, violin
Orchestre Le Consort

A year after the release of Concerti per una vita, French violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Le Consort releases the full cycle of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" - a spirited performance on period instruments.

John Zorn Complete String Quartets
JACK Quartet
Christopher Otto, violin
Austin Wulliman, violin
John Pickford Richards, viola
Jay Campbell, cello

JACK Quartet, which specializes in contemporary music, continues to celebrate its 20th anniversary season with the release of composer and frequent collaborator John Zorn’s complete string quartets, featuring eight quartets, with the last two quartets, The Remedy of Fortune (2015) and The Unseen (2017), composed with JACK in mind. JACK celebrates the album’s release with a concert at 8 p.m. Jan. 17 at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, NY. Passionate and dedicated supporters of Zorn's work, JACK has been involved in close to 100 performances of Zorn’s compositions in major venues all over the world. "The string quartet format is very dear to my heart — Bartók, Webern, and Carter being among my personal favorites," Zorn said. "It has always been a dream to create a catalog of pieces for string quartet that could stand alongside these masterpieces—and on hearing these astounding recordings that the formidable JACK Quartet has made of my eight quartets it feels like I might have accomplished that goal." BELOW: the JACK quartet performs John Zorn's "Necronomicon"

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. 316: Daniil Bulayev, William Wei, Théotime Langlois de Swarte, JACK Quartet

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