Violinist Mark Kaplan and pianist David Kaplan release their first album together, a recording of the Brahms Violin Sonatas (Nos. 1-3), on June 19, 2026 via Orchid Classics. This album highlights Mark and David Kaplan’s years of shared connection as musicians and as father and son, through their joint exploration of three violin sonatas by Brahms. New single, Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78. III. Allegro molto moderato is out now – listen here.
A soloist of international distinction, violinist Mark Kaplan has performed with nearly every American, European, and Australian orchestra, collaborating with many of the world’s great conductors, from Ormandy to Salonen. His multi-decade career has been equally dedicated to chamber music, and he has built a discography encompassing everything from Sarasate to Beethoven to Nono, as well as two complete recordings of Bach’s solo violin works. David Kaplan is a New York-born piano soloist and chamber musician, widely acclaimed for recital programs artfully connecting new and old music. He has performed concerts at London’s Barbican, Berlin’s Philharmonie, and with the Symphony Orchestras of Baltimore, Hawaii, and San Antonio. His recording of Valerie Coleman’s Revelry was nominated for a 2025 GRAMMY, and his 2024 solo debut, New Dances of the League of David, was lauded by The Financial Times, Gramophone, Fanfare, and more.
In their own unique way, the Kaplans represent a familiar story of musical lineage, with three generations of professional and amateur musicians charting their own paths. Brothers David and Edwin followed in the footsteps of their parents (who met as teenagers studying with Dorothy DeLay) and grew into their own musical success, with David embracing the piano and his brother becoming the violist of the award-winning Tesla Quartet and Duo Kayo. Chamber music, more than most other family pastimes and bonding experiences, was interwoven into the Kaplan family’s everyday life, particularly for Mark and David, who have performed together in various settings over the years.
Mark and David come together in this recording as individuals with their own artistic voices, matching the equality of the roles of violin and piano in these Sonatas. Brahms lets both instruments share the responsibility of conveying the multifaceted emotions and expressions, giving these works a deeper sense of partnership quite fitting for this familial endeavor.
David writes in the liner notes for the album, “In Mozart the violin often accompanies the piano; in Franck the piano mostly accompanies the violin; but in Brahms neither instrument accompanies for more than a few bars. He treats the violin and piano as co-equal actors, each representing diverse voices and characters, engaged in multifaceted conversations, moods, and worlds.”
While any recording in some sense represents a culmination, for David and Mark Kaplan, this recording also represents a beginning. David says, “We hope you hear these performances as if entering into the middle of a decades-long conversation.”
For further information on the artists, please visit the following links:
davidkaplanpiano.com | markkaplanviolin.com | orchidclassics.com
Image provided, courtesy of Jenson Artists
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