Episode 18: Voilà Viola

It’s “Voilà Viola” on this episode, celebrating great viola works and the great violists who perform at the Heifetz Institute. Roberto Diaz, Nobuko Imai, students, and alumni artists put the viola front and center in Heifetz performances that have to be heard to be believed.

This Episode’s Playlist

J.S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012: I. Prelude
Andy Park, viola
Virtual Performance – Pasadena, CA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.30.2020

Telemann: Viola Concerto in G Major, TWV 51:G9
I. Largo
II. Allegro
Steven Baloue, viola | Allison Freeman, piano
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 12.16.2021

Niccolo Paganini: Quartet No. 15 in A minor
III. Recitativo: Andante sostenuto con sentimento
IV. Adagio Cantabile
V. Rondo: Allegretto
Roberto Díaz, viola | Diana Do Hyung Kim, violin | Mo Mo, cello | Robby Brown, guitar
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.12.2017

Mozart: Duo in B-flat for Violin & Viola, K. 424 [excerpt]
I. Adagio
Rachell Ellen Wong, violin | Andrew Gonzalez, viola
Blackfriars Playhouse, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 05.21.2020

Max Bruch, arr. Emil Ludmány: Romance, Op. 85 (arr. viola + string quartet)
Nobuko Imai, viola | Francesca DePasquale, violin | Kae Tanimura, violin | Hsuan-Min Chang, viola | Benjamin Francisco, cello
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.14.2017

Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64 (arr. viola & piano)
I. Introduction [excerpt]
En-chi Cheng, viola | Anton Smirnoff, piano
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | June 29, 2015

Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Matt Cohen, viola | Carlos Avila, piano
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.30.2017

Go Deeper

• “One of my greatest triumphs was being the violist of the Vermeer Quartet for five or so years in my early thirties. Every single day taught me so much. Its founder, [Heifetz Institute faculty member] Shmuel Ashkenasi, is a sensational musician and a wonderful person…” Check out Life Lessons, an interview with viola legend Nobuko Imai (featured in this episode) in the English journal The Strad.
• “By the turn of 19th century, and quite all along Paganini’s life, the guitar was a very trendy instrument, which was particularly en vogue in bourgeoisie and aristocracy in Europe. Check out the fascinting article Niccolò Paganini – The Guitar Behind The Violin about the legendary violin virtuoso’s second-favorite instrument. 
• Dueling lists: Check out BBC Music magazine’s take on the Twelve Best Pieces Written for Viola, (Hint: One of them is in this playlist!) – and then how eleven top viola professionals rate their favorites in Strings Magazine. Roberto Díaz‘ nomination? “It’s the one I’m playing!’ as Slava [Mstislav Rostropovich] used to say.”

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