JAVS Fall 1998

15

ROCHBERG's SONATA FOR VIOLA AND PIANO An Interview andAnalysis by LeeAnn J Morgan INTRODUCTION & INTERVIEW George Rochberg's Sonata for Viola and Piano is a beautiful neo-Romantic work which con trasts long flowing lines with sections of sharp articulation. There are elements of surprise, as in the second movement with the use of jazz harmonies. The Sonata presents many technical de mands on the violist and it takes an experienced performer to execute it well. It is a wonderful contribution to the viola repertoire and well worth taking the time to explore. The Sonata was commissioned to commemorate the 75th birthday of violist William Prim rose.1 In 1979 Joseph de Pasquale and Vladimir Sokoloff premiered the work at the VII Inter national Viola Congress held at Brigham Young University. 2 This article will focus on three major sections: an interview with de Pasquale, Rochberg's aesthetics and an analysis of the Sonata. At the XXV International Viola Congress, held in Austin, I was privileged to meet Joseph de Pasquale, who graciously consented to an interview about his premiere of the Sonata. Morgan: What were the circumstances surrounding your giving the premiere? de Pasquale: Primrose called me on the phone and said, "Joe, I want you to play the first perfor mance of the Rochberg." I was busy with the Philadelphia Orchestra and did not know how I could do it. Rochberg writes difficult music, and I was concerned about whether I had the time to work on it and to perform it at the congress, which commemorated Primrose's 75th birthday. So I said, "I would rather you get someone else because I just don't have the time to work on it." Primrose said, "I want you to play it!" He was pretty insistent. Finally, I said, "Ok. Fine." It is a difficult piece, but it is also a beautiful piece. Morgan: After the Sonata was complete, did you do the editing? de Pasquale: Yes, and I worked closely with Vladimir Sokoloff, the pianist who premiered the Sonata. We also played it for Rochberg for any suggestions he had. Some people asked why I indicated slides between the notes. That is the way I felt it when I learned it. It is my interpretation of this basically Romantic piece. Morgan: Having heard a tape recording of the premiere, I appreciated your interpretation of this neo-Romantic work. What approach did you use to create this interpretation? de Pasquale: After working on it, you hear the harmonies and you decide the musical content of it through those harmonies and your part. That is how I went about interpreting it. Morgan: How do you prepare a work for a world premiere, compared to performing a well known piece? Are there differences and what are they? de Pasquale: One difference between a premiere and a well-known piece is that with a new piece I have to put in the fingerings. Also, I may disagree with some of the legato or slurred markings of the composer. I ironed these concerns out with Rochberg saying, "I would like to do this and I would like to do that." For example, in measures 74 and 75 I think those notes should be separated. I told him I am going to do it this way and he said, "Why not? As long as it sounds legato. You don't want to make it sound too detached." As long as it sounds legato, it gives you more breadth in phrasing when you change your bow from slur to separate. Morgan: That's such a dramatic part there, too, the molto expressivo. de Pasquale: That's right. And after the third bar when you go from the F to the E, you need to take another bow. Rochberg was very receptive, and we did play the Sonata for him many times. I naturally had to dissect and figure out the notes. If it is something I know, I don't have to do that. But this really had to be dissected. At the first hearing there are strange notes. That is an other problem with a new work, seeing that you play the right notes. You do not want to learn