By Laurie Niles: 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!![]()
Violinist Ray Chen - Player 1, Player 2...Player 1Ray Chen, violin
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cristian Macelaru conductingHowells & Wood: QuartetsLondon Chamber Ensemble QuartetMadeleine Mitchell, violin, director
Gordon Mackay, violin
Bridget Carey, viola
Joseph Spooner, cello
Violinist Ray Chen - Player 1, Player 2...
Ray Chen blends classical music with the immersive world of gaming in his new album, which includes themes from television, Anime, and film, including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pokémon, and Squid Game. It also includes the Violin Concerto by Erich Korngold the pioneering 20th-century classical composer who became one of the first musicians of international stature to score films for Hollywood. "Like Ray, Erich was a child prodigy. Like Ray, he was drawn to the dramatic and the cinematic. And like Ray, he understood the thrill of storytelling." Ray performs on the 1714 "Dolphin" Stradivari violin once owned by Jascha Heifetz, who premiered the Korngold Concerto in 1947. As in gaming, Ray conceives this album as multiplayer experience, where he is "Player 1," and you, the listener, are "Player 2." BELOW: How to Train Your Dragon: Romantic Flight (Violin & Orchestra).
This new album from the London Chamber Ensemble and violinist and director Madeleine Mitchell features premiere recordings of early 20th century English string music by Herbert Howells and his Royal College of Music teacher Charles Wood. It includes the recently discovered earlier version of Howells' "In Gloucestershire," thought lost, alongside two short pieces, Luchinushka and Chosen Tune, newly arranged by Madeleine Mitchell. The Charles Wood Quartet in D major was his last string quartet, most likely composed during the years of the First World War. It incorporates Irish jigs, folk tunes and laments which reflect both his Irish roots and the growing sense of nationalism celebrating British Music during the period. Woods' music, along with many other early 20th century writers of tonal music, fell out of fashion during the decades that followed, but SOMM hopes to revive his works, with plans to record Wood's remaining five numbered quartets in future. BELOW: Three Pieces, Op. 28 (Arr. for String Quartet by Madeleine Mitchell) : No. 3, Luchinushka: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. 303: Harlem Quartet; Darshan Trio; Yuuko Shiokawa
- For the Record, Op. 301: Antje Weithaas; violist Amihai Grosz; Arun Ramamurthy Trio
- For the Record, Op. 300: Vilde Frang Records Elgar's Violin Concerto>
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