For the Record, Op. 11: Jack Liebeck play Bruch; Nigel Kennedy's 'My World'; Rostropovich Collection

January 12, 2017, 12:23 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!

The Romantic Violin Concerto Vol.21
Jack Liebeck, violin
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins conducting
Jack Liebeck plays Max Bruch's lesser-known Violin Concerto No.2, which was composed in 1877 for the Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate. The album also includes three shorter works for violin and orchestra by Bruch: the Adagio appassionato, Op.57; In Memorium, Op. 65; and Konzertstucke, Op. 84. Some excerpts from the album (what a gorgeous tone; Liebeck plays the 1785 "Ex-Wilhelmj" J.B. Guadagnini):

My World
Nigel Kennedy, violin
In celebration of his 60th birthday on Dec. 28, Nigel Kennedy released his first album of his own compositions, which combine his many musical interests of a lifetime. The album is a collection of short pieces that mix jazz, classical, folk music, pop, world music and other influences to pay tribute to specific mentors and influences in his life, including dedications to jazz fiddler Stéphane Grappelli, Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, Mark O'Connor and others. Accompanying him are the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra as well as a jazz band. Nigel Kennedy talks about his project:

Hans Zimmer - The Classics
Hans Zimmer, film composer
If you like movie music, here is a compilation of Hans Zimmer's movie themes, performed by some familiar artists: Maxim Vengerov, Lindsey Stirling, pianist Lang Lang, cellist Tina Guo, The Piano Guys and more. Zimmer has scored more than 120 films, many of them runaway hits. This recording includes arrangements of his themes from The Dark Knight Rises; Interstellar; Pirates of the Caribbean; Gladiator; Man of Steel; The Lion King; Inception and more.

Mstislav Rostropovich: Complete Recordings on DG
Mstislav Rostropovich, cello
This 90th birthday tribute to the great Russian cellist and conductor includes 30 CDs recorded between 1960 and 2002 by Deutsche Grammophon, Decca and Philips. Some of the highlights: 1968 Dvorak Cello Concerto performance with Herbert von Karajan; three versions of the Schubert String Quintet (with Taneyev, Emerson & Melos); and recordings he made with Martha Argerich, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Benjamin Britten, Sviatoslav Richter, Rudolf Serkin and Galina Vishnevskaya.

If you have a new recording you would like us to consider for inclusion in our Thursday "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.