JAVS Fall 2024

Recording Reviews

Women Violists Championing Women Composers

beautifully rhapsodic moments, while inti figgis-vizuela’s Shapes in Collective Spaces offers an exploration of timbre, sound, and silence, both contemplatively and with outcries of emotion. Gala Flagello’s work, Burn as Brightly, gives another driving rhythmic interlude between more contemplative movements by Ravaei and Akshaya Avril Tucker. The album closes with silhouette, mirror by Leilehua Lanzilotti, which takes some of the rhythmic and melodic momentum and slowly unravels it with harmonics, pizzicati, col legno twinkles, and whispers of sound. This album argues not only that viola duos can be a wonderful ensemble to write for in terms of range and sonic possibility, but also introduces listeners to young composers (all under 40) that are worth learning more about. There is a wonderful range of compositions, styles, and characters, which speaks highly to the connection of interplay between Aria and Lauren, who bring these works to life in a compelling way. Not only is this viola duo a wonderful pairing of sounds, but also a magical pairing of two people exploring the potential of expression and timbre within two violas.

Tallā Rouge, Shapes in Collective Spaces Bright Shiny Things, September 20, 2024 Aria Cheregosha, viola Lauren Spaulding, viola https://tallarouge.bandcamp.com/album/shapes-in collective-space Tallā Rouge, a viola duo consisting of Aria Cheregosha and Lauren Spaulding, brings a collection of new inspiring works to life with their album, Shapes in Collective Spaces (Bright Shiny Things, 2024). Given that there are few regularly performing viola duos to begin with, an album of contemporary works for two violas is unprecedented and a delight to delve into. The album opens with a joyful fiddling-inspired duo by Karl Mitze that has an incredible playfulness to it. The four improvisatory movements of Kian Ravaei’s Navazi woven throughout the album offer space for reflection between more rhythmic works. Gemma Peacocke’s Fluorescein combines pulse pattern minimalism with

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This year, we see the release of three different viola/piano albums that feature works both famous and little-known by women composers of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first century. Each album is a musical journey into and of itself, with skillful and nuanced performances, characteristically diverse repertoire, and chamber music we think you will love.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 40, No. 2, Fall 2024

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