For the Record, Op. 230: Christine Bernsted's Lera Auerbach 24 Preludes; cellist Camille Thomas's Chopin Project

March 18, 2023, 3:03 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!

Violinist Christine Bernsted. Photo by Julia Severinsen.

Lera Auerbach: 24 Preludes for Violin and Piano
Christine Bernsted, violin;
Ramez Mhaanna, piano

Lera Auerbach's 24 Preludes for Violin and Piano is a cycle of compact works that follows the key scheme of Chopin’s 24 Preludes, while exploring stark contrasts that range from primordial darkness to naive innocence. Danish duo Christine Bergsted and Ramez Mhaanna have been working together since 2019 and were recognized with a Rødovre Music Prize for their work as performers and communicators of music via their Danish language podcast about music, Clash. BELOW: Trailer for the album:

The Chopin Project: The Franchomme Legacy
Camille Thomas, cello

Chopin’s sonata for cello and piano was dedicated to his friend, the French cellist and composer Auguste-Joseph Franchomme. Franchomme also transcribed the Chopin’s piano pieces for cello after knowing Chopin found no objection to this. For this album, Franco-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas performs Chopin's sonata as well as many of Franchomme's transcriptions of Chopin's piano works. Further connecting her performance to these works, Thomas plays them on Franchomme’s cello - the 1730 ‘De Munck, Feuermann’ Stradivarius. BELOW: Camille Thomas plays Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2: III. Marche funèbre

...and one more from the same album because it's such a beautiful piece - BELOW: Chopin: 24 Préludes, Op. 28 - No. 4 in E Minor (Arr. Franchomme for Cello - adapted for 4 Cellos by Matthias Spindler):

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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