Lionel Tertis, a tireless proponent of the viola and the first virtuoso to gain a wide following for the instrument, encouraged composers to write for it and was behind all three works on this album.
Historical Context
The viola, long overshadowed by the violin, gained prominence as a solo instrument in the mid-20th century due to new repertoire and increased audience appreciation.
Composition History
William Walton's Viola Concerto was initially rejected by Lionel Tertis, who later expressed 'shame and contrition' for not understanding its innovative musical language at the time.
Critical Reception
Bax's music, once considered harmonically innovative, fell into neglect after his death as neo-Romantic styles became unfashionable, but recordings are now re-establishing his reputation.
Performer Biography
Hong-Mei Xiao, the violist on this album, was a first-prize winner of the Geneva International Music Competition and has been honored as a United States Artistic Ambassador.
Recording & Production
This recording features the world premiere of the 1929 orchestration of Walton's Viola Concerto in a new edition by Christopher Wellington, which also incorporates edits by violist Frederick Riddle.
Composition History
Arnold Bax's Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra is dedicated to Lionel Tertis, a viola professor at the Royal Academy of Music where Bax studied.
You might also enjoy...
York Bowen - Viola Concerto Op. 25
Corp: The Ice Mountain
After The Requiem
Taylor: String Quartets Nos. 5, 6 and 7
Salzedo: String Quartets Nos. 1, 5 & 10
Blackford: Violin Concerto - Clarinet Quintet - The Better Angels of our Nature - Goodfellow
Brass Links
Nixon: Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Parry: The Wanderer (The Complete Works for Violin & Piano)
