For the Record, Op. 151: Juilliard String Quartet first recording with Areta Zhulla; Elizabeth Chang

April 1, 2021, 3:32 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 Juilliard String Quartet. Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco.

Beethoven, Bartók, and Dvorák Quartets
Juilliard String Quartet

The Juilliard String Quartet celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding with a new recording from the heart of the quartet repertoire, featuring works by Beethoven, Bartók, and Dvorák. This recording is the first by the Juilliard String Quartet to include Areta Zhulla, who became its first violinist in 2018. Like her colleagues – Ronald Copes, second violin; Roger Tapping, viola; and Astrid Schween, cello – Zhulla also teaches at New York’s Juilliard School of Music, where the ensemble is in permanent residence. Works include Beethoven's String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59 (Second “Razumovsky” quartet); Bartók's String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 87; and Dvorák: String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96 "American." BELOW: a trailer for the new album:

Transformations: music by Kirchner, Sessions, and Schoenberg
Elizabeth Chang, violin
Steven Beck, piano
Alberto Parrini, cello

For violinist Elizabeth Chang, this album is all about her musical lineage, with works by Leon Kirchner (1919–2009), Roger Sessions (1896–1985), and Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951). Chang was a student at Harvard of Leon Kirchner; Kirchner, in turn, studied with both Sessions and Schoenberg. "Both Sessions and Schoenberg were pioneers in seeking a new compositional language in the post-tonal world while being deeply rooted in the Germanic tradition," Chang said. "Kirchner’s voice reflects both the thorny complexity of modernism while palpably reaching for the sensuality of the musical language of a previous era." The album includes Kirchner’s Duo No. 2 for Violin and Piano (2002), a tribute to Felix Galimir; Sessions’ Sonata for Violin (1953); and Schoenberg’s Phantasy for Violin with Piano Accompaniment, Op. 47 (1949).

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.

You might also like: