Vamoosh Christmas for young Violists. 12 well known Christmas items arranged for Viola duo with optional accompanying backing-track or piano. Books are compatible with Vamoosh Christmas for Violin, Cello, Double Bass, Flute and Recorder so you can join friends for a Christmas feast of music making. Backing-tracks are available on many online platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, GooglePlay and YouTube. Search for Vamoosh Christmas Backing-tracks./ Recueil / 2 Altos

Par BERIO LUCIANO. This set of arrangements of Luciano Berio’s “Duetti”, originally for two violins, represents a fascinating expansion of the limited repertoire for two violas. Berio originally conceived these duets as a collection of occasional pieces, each dedicated to someone who was close to him, rather like Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations, but they eventually developed into a full compositional project with pedagogical overtones. As such, there is a wide variation in technical demands, from pieces playable by beginners up to a duet that foreshadows the skills required for Berio’s “Sequenza” for the viola. Taken as a whole, over some years of study, the “Duetti” can gently lead players into the mysteries of contemporary music; however, the composer also envisaged them in a concert performance of the complete cycle with at least 24 players of differing abilities taking turns to play. In this guise, it might be an intriguing idea to mix them with the original version for two violins (UE17757), although it must be understood that the two versions are not mutually compatible to be played as violin/viola duets./ Répertoire / 2 Altos

Par COHEN MARY. Carol Stringfest presents popular carols in flexible arrangements for string quartet, beginner strings and duet. The books in the series can be used independently or in conjunction with one another. The inclusion of very simple parts for absolute beginners and an optional piano accompaniment, to support less confident groups, makes the series valuable to a wide range of abilities. Lyrics are also provided, so there is something for everyone, a must for Christmas!/ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Béla Bartók composed his 44 Violin Duos in 1931, at the urging of the German violin pedagogue Erich Doflein. With two exceptions, all the pieces are based on original folk music themes, most of which the composer himself collected in the course of his numerous collecting trips to the Carpathian Basin and in Algeria. Although conceived as parts of a pedagogically motivated set, these little pieces are highly effective in concert performance as well. The viola transcriptions follow Bartóks original faithfully. / 2 Altos