For the Record, Op. 365: Anne Akiko Meyers; Cuarteto Casals; Rafaell Altino; Quatuor Ébène & Belcea Quartet

January 9, 2026, 6:11 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! Click on the highlighted links to obtain each album or learn more about the artists.

Anne Akiko Meyers commemorates the anniversary of the LA fires Wednesday at The Parish of Saint Matthew in Pacific Palisades, with Grant Gershon and members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Photo by Elizabeth Asher Photography.

The Pacific Has No Memory
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Eric Whitacre, composer

On Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of the devastating fires in Southern California, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers held a set of concerts at The Parish of Saint Matthew, a church in the heart of the Pacific Palisades burn scar. The sanctuary miraculously survived but required 10 months of remediation before it could open again. Anne's concert was the first in the recently re-opened church, bringing together members of a community that has been permanently displaced. Her album, released the same day, features Eric Whitacre's "The Pacific Has No Memory," dedicated to those affected by the wildfires. Anne will offer the official West Coast premiere in performance with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, April 11. Read our interview with Anne here. BELOW: "The Pacific Has No Memory" by Eric Whitacre, performed by Anne Akiko Meyers and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Shostakovich: Complete String Quartets Vol. 3 - Quartets 13-15
Cuarteto Casals
Abel Tomàs, violin
Vera Martínez Mehner, violin
Cristina Cordero, viola
Arnau Tomàs, cello

This third and final album of the impressive complete set from Cuarteto Casals immerses us in the twilight world of Shostakovitch’s last three quartets. Legacy works from the years 1970-74, movingly marked by signs of his illness and acute awareness of approaching death, they strike the ear with their condensed formal daring and raw emotion. Founded in 1997 the Madrid based Cuarteto Casals won First Prizes at the London and Brahms-Hamburg competitions. They have performed at Europe’s foremost concert halls, the Berlin Philharmonie, both Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverien, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, as well as Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall. BELOW: IV. Nocturne. Adagio from Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144.

Viola Concertos: Fundal, Christensen, Eichberg
Rafaell Altino, viola;
Odense Symphony Orchestra; Pierre Bleuse, David Danzmayr, conducting

Brazilian violist Rafaell Altino has served for 28 seasons as Principal Viola of the Odense Symphony Orchestra, which joins him on this album to present three 21st-century Danish viola concertos, each written for the soloist. The three composers include Karsten Fundal (b. 1966), Christian Winther Christensen (b. 1977) and Søren Nils Eichberg (b. 1973). BELOW: Viola Concerto by Karsten Fundal.

Enescu & Mendelssohn: Octets
Quatuor Ébène & Belcea Quartet

Two of the world’s leading string quartets – Quatuor Ébène and the Belcea Quartet – come together to perform octets written 75 years apart by phenomenally gifted teenage composers Felix Mendelssohn and George Enescu. The two ensembles first collaborated a decade ago and have since developed a strong partnership. Pierre Colombet, first violinist of the Paris-based Ébène, takes the lead in the Mendelssohn, and Corinna Belcea, founder of the eponymous London quartet, leads the Enescu. 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.

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