For the Record, Op. 343: Miró Quartet; Zina Schiff
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! Click on the highlighted links to obtain each album or learn more about the artists.
The Miró Quartet. Image courtesy of the artists.
Ginastera String Quartets
Miró Quartet
Daniel Ching, violin
William Fedkenheuer, violin
John Largess, viola
Joshua Gindele, cello
Celebrating 30 years as an ensemble in 2025, the Texas-based Miró Quartet brings its signature virtuosity to this recording of the Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera's complete String Quartets, joined on his String Quartet No. 3, Op. 40, by soprano Kiera Duffy. Featured in Miró’s live performances since its early days as a quartet, these works represent for Miró a chance to celebrate repertoire from the Americas as a quintessentially American ensemble. These three quartets trace a journey across three distinct stylistic periods. The first two are considered undiscovered masterpieces, often performed live to great reception but rarely recorded in their entirety alongside the third. The first is characterized by a vibrant rhythmic energy and folkloric colors; the second by an introspective lyricism; and the third by a haunting intensity. BELOW: The Miró Quartet performs Ginastera's String Quartet No. 1, Op. 20 at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in 2024.
Alan Hovhaness: Concerto No. 2, Works for Violin and Piano
Zina Schiff, violin
Valerie Stark, piano
Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Avlana Eisenberg, conducting
The mother-daughter team of violinist Zina Schiff and conductor Avlana Eisenberg present an album featuring the music of Alan Hovhaness. Hovhaness was one of America’s most prolific composers, with music characterized by a signature synthesis of East and West. Influenced by his Armenian heritage and a fascination with nature and spirituality, he sought to create music "for all people, music which is beautiful and healing." This collection of works featuring the violin includes world premiere recordings of Les Baux, Op. 261 (1973) and the Violin Sonata, Op. 11 (1937), plus the first recording on CD of Concerto No. 2 and a world premiere arrangement of Oror ("Lullaby"), Op. 1. BELOW: Trailer for the album.
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:
- For the Record, Op. 342: Chloe Chua; Fabiola Kim; Mike Block
- For the Record, Op. 341: Rachel Barton Pine; Janusz Wawrowski; Max Zorin
- For the Record, Op. 340: Rachel Podger 'Just Biber'; Lucia Micarelli
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July 29, 2025 at 12:18 AM · Laurie - thanks for posting these reviews. We had the pleasure of seeing the Miro quite recently. We have known John Largess's brother, Bill, for many years. He is the artistic director of a DC theater, Washington Stage Guild, and we had the pleasure of meeting and talking to John at one of the theater's performances. A very nice guy.