For the Record, Op. 348: Sphinx Virtuosi, Roman Simovic, Isabelle Faust

August 29, 2025, 2:03 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! Click on the highlighted links to obtain each album or learn more about the artists.

Tai Murray Njioma Grevious Sphinx Virtuosi

Violinists Tai Murray and Njioma Grevious, in the latest Sphinx Virtuosi album 'American Mirror.' Photo by Brian Hatton.

American Mirror
Tai Murray, violin
Njioma Grevious, violin
Sphinx Virtuosi

Sphinx Virtuosi, the flagship performing ensemble of the Sphinx Organization, presents "American Mirror," featuring works by composers Quenton Blache, Derrick Skye, Curtis Stewart, Juantio Becenti, Andrea Casarrubios, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, as well as performances by percussionist Josh Jones and violinists Tai Murray and Njioma Grevious. The album’s cover is a mosaic of faces – each one a member of Sphinx Virtuosi. The music was inspired by a range of topics: the coming together of cultures in American society, the importance of sharing our stories, and the how music - ever-changing and malleable - can reflect our diversity and unite us in understanding. This is Sphinx Virtuosi’s second album following their critically acclaimed debut, Songs for Our Times, in 2023. BELOW: Trailer for the album.

Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for Solo Violin
Roman Simovic, violin

London Symphony Orchestra Leader Roman Simovic steps back into the solo spotlight with a new recording of one of the cornerstones of the violin repertoire: Ysaÿe's Six Sonatas for Solo Violin. Written in 1923, Eugène Ysaÿe’s set of sonatas represent a musical snapshot of that moment in the evolution of violin playing. An acclaimed violinist himself, each of the sonatas was written for one of Ysaÿe's contemporaries: Joseph Szigeti, Jacques Thibaud, George Enescu, Fritz Kreisler, Mathieu Crickboom and Manuel Quiroga. What results is a creative love letter to the violin, challenging and embracing the technical and lyrical possibilities of the instrument throughout the six stylistically unique sonatas. BELOW: Roman Simovic talks about Ysaÿe's Sonatas, over excerpts from the album.

Bach: Sonatas for Violin and Continuo
Isabelle Faust, violin
Kristian Bezuidenhout, harpsichord
Kristin von der Goltz, cello

Following on from their recording of the sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord, Isabelle Faust and Kristian Bezuidenhout are now joined by Kristin von der Goltz for an exploration of the wonderful pieces Bach composed for violin and basso continuo. They reveal the full the elegance and poetry of these rarely recorded works. BELOW: Bach's Sonata for Violin and Continuo in G Major, BWV 1021: III. Largo.

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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Stan Yates

August 30, 2025 at 01:37 PM · Very neat to see Quenton Blache as composer here; he was in the same music programs several years ahead of my daughter. A really fine cellist too. As someone like us out here in the provinces making a successful go at conservatory and a career in music, he's something of a role model as well.

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For the Record, Op. 348: Sphinx Virtuosi, Roman Simovic, Isabelle Faust

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