For the Record, Op. 351: Viktoria Mullova; Goldmund Quartett; Sigurgeir Agnarsson

September 18, 2025, 2:33 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.

Violinist Viktoria Mullova and pianist Alasdair Beatson.

Beethoven Sonatas Op. 12 No. 2 and Op. 96 No. 10
Viktoria Mullova, violin
Alasdair Beatson, piano

Viktoria Mullova and Alasdair Beatson perform Beethoven’s Sonatas 2 and 10 on historical instruments. Mullova plays her 1750 Guadagnini strung with gut strings and using a classical bow, and Beatson plays a 1805 Walter (a Viennese fortepiano) for the Op. 12 No. 2, and he plays a copy of a Graf from 1819 for the Op. 96. This recording is part of a cycle of Beethoven sonatas recorded by Mullova and Beatson. BELOW: Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 12: I. Allegro Vivace

Dahoam
Goldmund Quartett
Florian Schötz, violin
Pinchas Adt, violin
Christoph Vandory, viola
Raphael Paratore, cello

The Munich-based string ensemble Goldmund Quartett presents "Dahoam" (Bavarian for ‘at home’). The four musicians, who have been close friends since their school days at Pestalozzi-Gymnasium, dedicate themselves to their common origins with classical works by Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert, as well as Bavarian and Alpine folk music pieces that the four grew up with, including Nobert Gäller's Böhmischer Traum and arrangements of works by the South Tyrolean Herbert Pixner such as Vierteljahrhundert Dreiviertler, Diplomlandler and Augenstern. The ensemble plays on a set of instruments known as the Paganini Quartet by Antonio Stradivari, provided to them by the Nippon Music Foundation since 2019. BELOW: Herbert Pixner's Diplomlandler, a classic Bavarian ländler from "Dahoam" - filmed at various spots around Munich, "it's a true love letter to the musicians' hometown."

NÁND
Sigurgeir Agnarsson, cello

Sigurgeir Agnarsson, principal cellist of Iceland Symphony Orchestra, plays solo cello works by Icelandic composers Hugi Guðmundsson and Hafliði Hallgrímsson in his new album "NÁND" which means "near/closeness or intimacy." "“NÁND has slowly been forming in my mind over many years," Agnarsson wrote. "At first as a distant idea that has now materialized as this LP. I knew from the very beginning that the record would center around the music of my childhood friend Hugi and his uncle Hafliði, each at the forefront of their respective generation of Icelandic composers." BELOW: The Making of NÁND.

Strung Together
Arneis Quartet
Benda Quartet
Sirius Quartet

"Strung Together" pairs talents of three professional string quartets - the Sirius Quartet, Benda Quartet, and Arneis Quartet to perform works for quartet by contemporary composers John A. Carollo, Ferdinando DeSena, Ivar Lunde, Jr., John Partridge, Armando Torres and Meira Warshauer. These works — personal, structural, and spiritual — explore themes of transformation, memory, and emotional depth. From modal and medieval echoes to Fibonacci-driven processes, each composer bends tradition to their own expressive ends. Whether driven by grief, nature, math, spirit, or imagination, the music shares a deep respect for the quartet form as a vessel for both introspection and innovation — a musical showcase “strung together” by curiosity, craft, and connection. BELOW: the first-movement "Larghetto" from John Partridge's String Quartet No. 1, played by the Benda Quartet.

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. 351: Viktoria Mullova; Goldmund Quartett; Sigurgeir Agnarsson

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