Music for Viola & Piano by Reinecke, Schumann, Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, Sibelius and Bridge

Featuring

Massimo Piva
Inessa Filistovich
Carl Reinecke
Robert Schumann
Henri Vieuxtemps
Henryk Wieniawski

Jean Sibelius
Frank Bridge

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Compositional Technique

Henri Vieuxtemps' Elegy Op.30, dedicated to cellist Matvei Wielhorski, showcases the viola's melodic capabilities with operatic theatricality, including sensual grace notes, trills, and extensive solo cadenzas.

Composition History

Schumann's Märchenbilder Op.113, featured on this album, were composed in March 1851 and dedicated to his pupil Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski, who premiered them with Clara Wieck.

Performer Biography

Inessa Filistovich, the pianist on this recording, is of Belarusian origin and serves as Accompanist and Lecturer at the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

Performer Biography

Massimo Piva, the violist on this recording, has played first viola with several prestigious orchestras, including the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Compositional Technique

Carl Reinecke's Fantasiestücke Op.43, inspired by Schumann, uses the viola and piano to evoke folk scenes with bagpipes, drones, and barrel organs, portraying them with 'civilized detachment'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The concept of an 'imaginary journey' or Fantasiereise was a central idea in German Romanticism, where artists explored interiority due to disenchantment with contemporary life.

Composer Biography

Robert Schumann's literary education was shaped by the fantastic tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann and the novels of Jean Paul, featuring bizarre characters and surreal situations.