More Viola Fun

Romances - Six short pieces for Viola and Piano by Poul Ruders. Programme note According to tradition a mid- or late-19th century instrumental Romance - or Romanza - is a shortish composition of predominantly melodic nature with a slight leaning toward the sentimental.In several European languages such as German French and Danish the word for navel i.e. an unfolding drama in writing is Roman and although there's nothing literary about my Six Romances for viola and piano each piece tells its own story open to individual inner interpretation. Portal forms the opening chapter so to speak pavingthe way for the second movement named Even Song. Maybe it's just a simple tune heard at sunset perhaps the melody is carried from far away over the hills from inside the village church...Titles such as Ballad and Dirge (song of mourning) immediately reveal the nature and mood of the music to come where-as the concluding piece Duet is slightly more 'mysterious.'In a classic duet the two instruments in question or more likely voices complement each other benevolently. In the present case however the viola and the piano both stand firm protection their own turf - and - 'the twain shall never meet!'The piece is very short indeed it just stops leaving the listener to finish the 'story' in his or her own imagination. A true open ending. (Poul Ruders)

Into the faded air was commissioned by Britten Sinfonia for first performance at Filharmonic Hall Krakow Poland on Sunday 13th January 2008 with Jacqueline Shave (Violin) Miranda Dale (Violin) Clare Finnimore(Viola) Catherine Musker (Viola) Caroline Dearnley (Cello) and Banjamin Chappell (Cello).Scoring: String Sextet (2 Violins 2 Violas and 2 Cellos)Duration: 10 minutes Composer'sNotes 'Into The Faded Air is cast in four movements although the last three movements are played without a break.In the first movement the sextet is divided into twogroups. The first group consisting of violin viola and cello plays a sustained melody while the second group (also violin viola and cello) contributes more jagged and intricate material. The second movement is an extended duetfor two violas accompanied by the other instruments. As the movement progresses the accompanying instruments become more prominent. The third movement is the only fast movement in the piece with rapid semiquavers and much useof pizzicato throughout. This leads into a serene chorale where the three upper instruments (two violins and first viola) are set against the second viola and two cellos.' - HelenGrime

The famous opera by George and Ira Gershwin from the novel 'Porgy' by DuBose Heyward. George and Ira Gershwin joined DuBose Heyward in Charleston to write the opera which had been germinating in George's imagination for several years. Porgy and Bess was George Gershwin's longest and most ambitious creation but it was not truly successful during his lifetime. Some of the songs had achieved popularity before Gershwin's death in 1937 but the work earned real approval and favor only after the 1940 Theater Guild presentation of a slightly revised version. For years it was performed more frequently in Europe where it was considered a true American opera. Arranged for viola andpiano by Alan Arnold.

Instrumentalists will love this jam-packed collection of 101 timeless pop hits and favorite standards: The Boxer · City of Stars · Daughters · Every Breath You Take · Gabriel's Oboe · Have I Told You Lately · Just Give Me a Reason · Love Me Tender · Michelle · Never Enough · Perfect · River Flows in You · She's Always a Woman · Strangers in the Night · Three Times a Lady · What a Wonderful World · Your Song · and more.

Par WORTH MARILYN. Une collection complète de 64 tours disposées spécifiquement pour alto solo ou ensemble. Idéal pour la salle de classe ou de la leçon privée ! Solos sont cambriolés Freshman, Sophomore, Junior et Senior niveau répertoire. / Niveau : Débutant à Intermédiaire / Classic - Ensemble / Recueil / Alto

Commissioned by the Wigmore Hall for the composer's 60th birthday with funds from ACNI.'viola:piano is one of a set of 6 pieces which I wrote in 2008 and 2009. Two of the others violin:piano and cello:piano requirethe instrumentalists to play at different tempi from each other throughout. In this piece the players are playing together but their material is for the most part quite different and for the first 12 minutes the two partshave little in common. It is only after this that they begin a more conventional contrapuntal relationship. This is the first of these pieces to be premiered. It was commissioned by the Wigmore Hall with funding from the ArtsCouncil of Ireland. The piece is dedicated to Mary R?rich.'????????????- Kevin Volans

Instrumental Solos-Since its opening in 1957 the musical West Side Story has been a hit on Broadway. Made into a successful film starring Rita Moreno Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer in 1961 this tale of star-crossed lovers caught between feuding New York gangs has been gripping audiences for decades. The arrangements in the West Side Story: Instrumental Solos series remain faithful to Bernstein's original score. In this edition the pieces have been idiomatically adapted for the solo Viola. This book features 10 of the best-known songs from the musical including Maria Tonight America I Feel Pretty and more. West Side Story:Instrumental Solos - Viola comes with an enhanced CD featuring Piano accompaniments for all tracks. Playable on both CD player and computer tempo adjustment software is also included for CD-Rom computer use only.

Arrangeur: Elizabeth Stuen-Walker. Par STUEN-WALKER ELIZABETH. Violas in Concert is a collection of viola ensembles arranged and composed by Elizabeth Stuen-Walker. The classical collection includes pieces by Bach - Beethoven - Corelli - Dvorak - Seitz - Shostokovich and others. The uniqueness of this collectionat the melodic material is shared among the different parts equally, making them more enjoyable to play and perform. / Méthode / Méthode / Alto

To see the summer sky for Violin and Viola falls into four movements. The first movement opens with the two instruments sounding almost as one playing very high glassy harmonics. Gradually an expressive viola solo emerges withboth instruments descending to their lower ranges. A livelier quasi scherzando solo for violin accompanied by viola pedal notes leads to a chorale like passage the violin at the top of its range whilst the viola is at itslowest. The movement ends with the two instruments coming together once again on a unison Bb and fades away almost as it has begun but this time in the husky lower registers.The second movement is much faster and openswith a downward flurry for both instruments. A continuous pizzicato line for viola is interrupted by more violent passages in the violin. The two instruments come together in a dance-like passage before the roles are reversed.Finally an ecstatic melody surfaces in the viola and is later continued in the violin before the movement closes with the spiky figures of its opening the two instruments ending in unison.The third movement encompasses isthe most delicate and still music of the piece. After a very tranquil opening an expressive violin melody is accompanied by a gentle rocking figure in the viola. Tentative at first intensity and speed gather until the violinreaches stratospheric heights. Both of the instruments play at the extremes of their registers before moving to common ground for a more lively textural passage. This is followed by a passionate reminder of the movement’s opening gradually fading away to nothing.The piece ends with a Moto Perpetuo. The instruments begin by dovetailing a single line which develops into two strands before a more violent section appears punctuated by strident doublestops. Both instruments have slightly manic solo episodes before the movement quickly dies away in the single line of its opening

A viola method for children The leading German viola method now available in English. For more than three decades the Sassmannshaus Tradition has been the household name for excellence in beginner string methods in German-speaking countries. More than half a million students have successfully learned to play string instruments using this publication. The publication of the four violin books in 2008 in a fully adapted English version has been a big success. On the back of this success story Bärenreiter published the four books for cello in 2009 and now presents the four books for viola in a newly adapted version for today’s English speaking children. What makes this viola method so unique? - Large print notes and texts as well as many colourful illustrations are ideal for pre-school as well as school children. - Note reading is emphasised from the first lesson, encouraging ensemble playing from the very beginning. - Songs and scales in different positions are easily mastered within the first year of playing to ensure that children are not confined to first position playing. - Advanced viola techniques such as varied bow strokes and shifting are introduced in a basic form. The new English viola method for children 4 years and older “The early emphasis on ensemble playing and the many duos in this method are so much fun for the kids. They pick up important chamber music skills right from the beginning! (Peter Winograd and Laurie Carney, American String Quartet)

For Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (Clarinet in A Viola Cello and Double Bass).This extended version of a knot of time was commissioned by Faith Wilson. First performance on 10th OCtober at the CBSO Centre Birmingham by Sarah Leonard (Soprano) and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group conducted by Richard Baker.''a knot of time' began its life in 1992 as a piece for the Composer's Ensemble for Clarinet Viola Celloand Bass with Mezzo Soprano. It was originally the title of only one setting using the poem 'Cada cancion' by Lorca. The tessitura of the vocal line always seemed generally too low for the music and there were also problems withthe clarinet writing so I changed the mezzo-soprano to soprano. I also felt that I should add more settings for the piece to have more of a life and so was thrilled when Faith Wilson asked me for some music to celebrate her 60thbirthday in 2008. I decided immediately to add two more Lorca settings to this first setting. I wrote 'El grito' and 'El silencio' quite quickly in June 2008. I added 'Aire de Nocturno' in October of the same year but stilldidn't feel that it was complete and so added a brief and rather explosive setting to close in April 2010; 'El puñal en el corazon'. The whole piece will be premiered in October 2010 with the soprano Sarah Leonard and membersof the BCMG eighteen years after the initial response to Lorca's texts.'     - Simon Holt