Bela Bartok 44 Duos for Two Violin, Sz. 98 arranged for 2 Violas (viola duet) or Violin & Viola by Szczepan Pytel - part 1
Selected pieces:
5. SLOWAKISCHES LIED
10. RUTHENISCHES LIED
16. BURLESKE
26. SPOTTLIED
27. HINKE-TANZ
32. MARAMAROSI TANC
1. NECKLIED
2. REIGEN

Hans Werner Henze's output is primarily dominated by large-scale, representative musical genres with a richly differentiated instrumental tonal palette: opera and other forms of musical theatre works, ballet, solo concertos and cantatas and also music for large-scale orchestra or chamber ensemble. In contrast, the chamber music works which Henze has composed throughout his entire compositional career right up to the present day have always remained somewhat on the sidelines. Many of these chamber music works had been composed for specific occasions, chiefly to honour figures who had accompanied him on longer or shorter stretches of his journey through life.

Henze composed An Brenton in July 1993 for an event commemorating the Australian violinist Brenton Langbein who had just died. The violinist had been a long-standing leader of the Collegium Musicum Zurich, the orchestra established and conducted by Paul Sacher, and was subsequently also the leader of the Basel Chamber Orchestra [Basler Kammerorchester].He additionally held a violin class at the Music Academy in Basel for a substantial period of his career. Interestingly enough, this piece is not composed for the violinist's instrument, but instead for solo viola. The work was given its first performance on 15 July 1993 by Jurg Dahler, one of the two viola players of the Chamber Musicians of Zurich [KammermusikerZurich]. This ensemble had been formed by Langbein in 1962: it frequently included compositions by Henze in its programmes and had given the premiere of Henze's music for Volker Schlondorffs Film Der junge Torless in its transformation as the Fantasia of the same name for string sextet (1967) in 1968. Langbein was the soloist in the first performance of Henze's Violin Concerto No. 2 in 1972 which had been commissioned by Paul Sacher. Henze had already made acquaintance with Langbein during the 1960s.

Program note.
Clarinet Quintet, opus 155 is the fourth work I have written for Nancy Braithwaite. The first one was written on the occasion of her sister?s wedding in Vermont. Nancy premiered the solo clarinet piece ?Trinca di Ch�ro? during the wedding ceremony. The second work was ?Yo Picasso? (2007) for clarinet, viola, cello and piano. The work was tailor-made for the Arto Ensemble which consisted of two married couples: Oane (piano) and Nancy (clarinet), and Prunella (viola) and Guus (cello). The third work was ?Octet in D, opus 144? (2012) scored for clarinet, horn, bassoon, string quartet and double bass. Nancy and her Dutch colleagues premiered the work in a program with the Schubert Octet in Bunnik, a small village west of Utrecht in the Netherlands.Many great composers have tackled the clarinet quintet, most notable Mozart and Brahms.
My Quintet is somewhat different in that there are a lot of jazz elements and something new that I have not tackled before: polymeter.

Clarinet Quintet, opus 155 is in seven movements.

I. Largo
II. Allegro
III. Interlude 1 ? Presto
IV. Adagio
V. Reprise ? a bit faster than before!
VI. Interlude 2 ? Adagio
VII. Allegro con moto

The work begins with a clarinet meditation over pianissimo string chords. The music is very static ? not unlike the sacred music of Arvo P�rt. This is followed by an allegro that is in 12/8 featuring a pizzicato jazzy bass figure played by the cello. The third movement is my experiment in polymeter. The ostinato pattern is grouped in a metrical scheme of 4, 3, 4 and 5; but the octave melody in the clarinet and first violin unfolds in standard duple meter of 4. The middle fourth movement is an adagio. This is an example of what I love about music, a soaring melody above slow haunting chords. A reprise of the jazzy Interlude 1 comes next, but in a slightly different guise with new elements, both melodically and harmonically.Interlude 2 is reminiscent of the meditative music of the first movement, but again it is quite different in mood and atmosphere.The finale is another experiment in polymeter. At first the metrical scheme is in a pattern of 4, 3, 4, 3, 2, 3 and 2. But eventually the meters get all scrambled up. Have fun trying to count. You?ll get lost! Above the ?oom-pah oom-pah? accompaniment, the clarinet soars like a flying bird ? diving, hovering, dipping and swooping!!!

ENJOY!!!

Audio link. Copy and paste the URL link into your browser.

https://thomasoboelee.bandcamp.com/album/clarinet-quintet-opus-155-2013

Video link: https://youtu.be/2fByM3tEAqc

Many violists know Garth Knox as author of Viola Spaces (ED 20520), the groundbreaking compendium of modern playing techniques on the viola. In this edition, he applies them to variations on the famous 'Folies Espagne' by the French gamba virtuoso Marin Marais. Each variation is dedicated to a certain technique, such as the generation of harmonics, quarter tones, glissando, tremolo and others.
The piece is ideally suited both for lessons and for concert performances. Performers and listeners are going to enjoy it.
Garth Knox is one of the most distinguished violists of his generation. For many years, he was a member of the Arditti Quartet. Today, he gives concerts and lessons all over the world while always performing works of contemporary music.

Appalachia Waltz MO155

Appalachia Waltz for unaccompanied viola by Mark O?Connor

Viola Solo

Music by Mark O?Connor

3 pages - 5:00 minutes in length



Appalachia Waltz is a piece composed by Mark O?Connor for unaccompanied violin which gained fame as the title track from the album featuring O?Connor, Yo-Yo Ma, and Edgar Meyer. The Sony Classical release remained for many months in the top ten of Billboard Magazine?s Classical music chart. O?Connor originally composed the piece as a solo for unaccompanied violin in 1993 before he brought it to the trio when compiling material for their album. Here, adapted to viola, ?Appalachia Waltz? is very similar to the violin version O?Connor performs in his solo concerts. With the musical influences coming from Scandinavian and Appalachian folk fiddling, it is one of O?Connor?s most beautiful pieces. The music is suited for advanced and intermediate levels.

Goya for Clarinet and String Quartet
This work was Commissioned by Bernardino Assun�ao Sales for the Final work Master. I just have finished the process and it is based on the next five Paintings of Goya.

Corral de locos
Vuelo de brujas
El aquejare
El Coloso
Saturno devorando a su hijo