For the Record, Op. 366: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Lisa Batiashvili, Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Marjorie Hayward

January 16, 2026, 4:22 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 Eldbjørg Hemsing.

Colors of Bach
Eldbjørg Hemsing, violin
Tim Allhoff, piano and arranger
Christian Kjos, harpsichord
Norwegian String Quintet

Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing reimagines Bach with a set of new arrangements that place 20 of his best-known works into contemporary soundscapes, yet still use traditional combinations of instruments: string ensemble, piano, harpsichord. "Bach is such a genius composer that there are endless ways to look at the shapes and forms that make up his pieces," Hemsing said. "Every melody Bach composed contains an intriguing duality of being highly technical, yet profoundly emotional; and, thus, there are endless possibilities for reinterpretation. We wanted to create an opportunity for the audience to reconnect with such important pieces of history and, perhaps, this time, discovering their own interpretation of it in the process." BELOW: Bach Partita Variation, arranged by Tim Allhoff. Performed by violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, and the Norwegian String Quintet, with Allhoff at the piano. Video recorded Durban, South Africa.

Giorgi Gigashvili Plays Prokofiev
Giorgi Gigashvili, piano
Lisa Batiashvili, violin

Violinist Lisa Batiashvili joins her fellow Georgian Giorgi Gigashvili on an album that features Prokofiev's "War Sonatas," three piano sonatas that he performs in honor of his teacher, the late Revaz Tavadze. Batiashvili's guest role includes a performance of the famous "Dance of the Knights" from Romeo and Juliet, as well as a new work written especially for the duo by Josef Bardanashvili, honoring the late Georgian composer Gia Kancheli. BELOW: Batiashvili and Gigashvili perform hat duo: Josef Bardanashvili's "To Giya, a tribute to Giya Kancheli."

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

Violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Le Consort spent the latter part of 2025 touring North America with their performance of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," to great acclaim. Here is their recording of that work, highlighting the nuances of Vivaldi's score and reveling in its richness and poetry. At 28, Théotime has impressed audiences with dexterity on both the baroque and modern violin as well as his passion and conviction for this music. In a recent review, Gramophone wrote, "I’m running out of ways to recount Théotime’s brilliance….Most of all, I’m in awe of his seemingly effortless blend of control and abandon." BELOW: "Primavera":

Elgar from the Archives, Vol. 1
Marjorie Hayward, violin
Una Mabel Bourne, piano
The London String Quartet
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra; Sir Edward Elgar, conducting
New Queen’s Hall Orchestra; Sir Henry Wood, conducting

January 2026 marks the 75th anniversary of The Elgar Society and SOMM recordings has released this album to celebrate. It includes "acoustic" recordings – that is, before the microphone appeared in 1926 to facilitate "electrical" recordings – of Elgar’s Enigma Variations conducted by the composer in 1920 and by Sir Henry Wood in 1924. It also includes a 1919 recording of Elgar’s Violin Sonata featuring virtuoso Marjorie Hayward, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, along with Australian pianist Una Mabel Bourne. The London String Quartet, founded in 1908, is featured in an abridged version of Elgar’s String Quartet, which they recorded in 1921. BELOW: From 1919: violinist Marjorie Hayward and pianist Una Mabel Bourne perform the second-movement "Romance. Andante" from Elgar's Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op. 82.

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. 366: Eldbjørg Hemsing, Lisa Batiashvili, Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Marjorie Hayward

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