JAVS Fall 2008

Knox’s arrangements are utterly convincing, which is also true of his arrangement of Attilio Ariosti’s 1st Lezione . This piece was origi nally written for scordatura violin as a “lesson” for learning to play the viola d’amore. Knox transpos es it from E-flat major to the viola d’amore basic key of D major, and this enables him to add some idiomatic double stopping. It may be argued that this procedure contradicts the piece’s origin as an “etude”; however, the results are stylishly convincing, and anyway there are many examples from the

of Speaking (2006) intriguingly experiment with unorthodox tun ings—even including micro tones—for both the playing and the resonating strings. True to his reputation as a passionate advo cate of contemporary music, Knox performs both these pieces with authoritative aplomb. To cap a most enjoyable recital the viola d’amore sounds unexpectedly convincing in some Celtic tunes, idiomatically arranged by Knox. The recording quality—you can even hear the resonance of the sympathetic strings!—and the presentation do ECM proud.

Dumka (violin, viola, and piano); Two Pieces (viola and cello); String Quartet movement; Adagio; Combined Carols “Get ‘em All Over At Once” (string quartet). Kenneth Martinson, viola; Christopher Taylor, piano; Jay Zhong, violin; Andrea Molina, piano; Moisés Molina, cello; The Julstrom String Quartet. Centaur Records CRC 2847. Ken Martinson has done it again, and twice over. After his beautiful Milhaud CD, published by Centaur in 2001, here we have neatly packaged recordings of the chamber music with viola of, respectively, Bohuslav Martinu and Rebecca Clarke. All of Martinu’s pieces were inspired by his meeting Lillian Fuchs and her brother Joseph in 1947. On the wake of hearing the siblings per forming Mozart’s B-flat Major Duo for Violin and Viola, Martinu came up first with the Three Madrigals (premiered that same year) and then, in 1951, with the Duo, which he tidily numbered No. 2. After the Rhapsody-Concerto , which was commissioned by George Szell, Martinu wrote his last viola piece, the sonata to which he optimisti cally gave the No. 1, in 1955, again for Lillian Fuchs. I suppose it is not quite PC to say this, but yet again I can’t escape the feeling that Czech players have an unbeatable head start when it comes to performing the music of their compatriots. The first move ment of the sonata is quite tricky rhythmically, with 3/4, 5/8, 3/8 etc. constantly alternating. Brilliant as Martinson’s playing is

Baroque age of this kind of arrangement. Klaus Huber’s

… Plainte … was written in 1990 in memory of Luigi Nono. Both this composition and Roland Moser’s even more recent Manners

Bohuslav Martinu: Chamber Music with Viola – Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola ; Duo No. 2 for

Violin and Viola; Sonata No. 1 for Viola and Piano. Felicia Moye, vio lin; Kenneth Martinson, viola; Christopher Taylor, piano. Centaur Records CRC 2852. Rebecca Clarke: String Chamber Music – Lullaby; Lullaby on an Ancient Irish Tune; Morpheus ; Untitled movement; Chinese Puzzle; Passacaglia on an Old English Tune; I’ll Bid My Heart Be Still (all viola and piano);

AVS History & Reference Guide

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