JAVS Fall 2000

VOL. 16 No.3

72

jOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY

Desnuda; Cage: Freeman Etudes; Patch: Samhain; SNE 654 Review: Back when I was a student of music at the University of Illinois, the students had to attend convocations when certain artists came to perform at the university. I remember in quite clear detail when John Cage came, set up eight tape recorders (the eighth played a tape made up of scraps from the first seven) and set up speakers all around the auditorium. We then had to listen to the most excruciating noise we ever heard. One staid professor got up, walked over to a speaker, gave a Bronx cheer and walked out, to tumultuous applause. Later in a separate lecture where he (Cage) answered questions he was asked about how he felt and he said he thought it was wonderful since the professor was giving an honest opin ion of how he felt at that particular time. Later on in the year at a faculty year-end concert, a parody of Cage's concert was given that had two titles-one was "John in the Cage" and the other was "Cage in the John", naturally with appropriate sounds. I never did ask two of my fellow students how they felt about the original concert-they were George Crumb and Michael Colgrass. The hits on this record are the Schumann and Brahms; the errors are the Barroso, Cage and Patch. Be forewarned. Shostakovich: Sonata for Viola; Rubenstein: Sonata for Viola: other works by Taneyev and Glinka; Thomas Reihl, viola; Cordelia Hoefer, piano; Pan Classics 510111 Review: ... the slightly resonant recording is very listenable and the few occasions when Riebl and Hoefer pull out all the stops are quite thrilling. -Tully Potter, Strad Tepper: Sonata for Viola; Trio Barocco; The Toy Flute; Three Inventions on DBA; A Shakespeare Garland; Moorish Drone Dance;American Cens 4THY CD4014. Lois Martin, viola; other members of the American Chamber Ensemble (in residence at Hofstra University) Review: The levels of recording are so blatantly high ... this Tepper release is, nevertheless, recommended. -William Zagorski, Fanfare

al. 13 viola pieces with five compositions arranged by Tertis. Recordings from 1922 1927. The ones recorded in 1927 were done electrically. Lionel Tertis, viola; Ethel Hobday, piano; Frank St. Leger, piano; Wing (Japan) WCD 24 Review: I recently received this recording and an extraordinary one it is. Hear why most vio lists owe a debt of gratitude to this wonderful violist. Unfortunately, I have been told that this recording may have already been discon tinued. If you have any connection to second hand recording shops in Japan, give them a try. Vanhal: Concertos for Viola in F and C; Double Bass Concerto; Pierre Henri Xuereb, viola; Ovidiu Badila, double bass; Prussian Chamber Orchestra, Hans Rotman, conduc tor Review: I think the French violist Xuereb, who always impresses me, produces the best per formance (of the C Major) so far, with some very individual tone colors. -Tully Potter, Strad Walton: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra; Bruch: Concerto for Violin and Viola and Orchestra; Kol Nidre; Romance for Viola and Orchestra; Yuri Bashmet, viola; Victor Tretiakov, violin; Andre Previn, conductor; Neeme Jarvi, conductor. London Symphony Orchestra; RCA Victor Red Seal 09026 63292 2 Review: I was most fortunate to have heard Bashmet play the Walton with the NYP under Kurt Mazur a few years ago. It was stunningly played with all the intensity of brilliant tech nique and tone quality. It is just as beautifully played here under Andre Previn's direction. The Bruch Concerto for Violin and Viola is an alter nate version, of the concerto for clarinet and viola. While I rather liked the original version, I can see how an additional composition for vio lin and viola might gain additional respect for the work. Kol Nidre, originally for cello, displays Bashmet's lyrical gifts to the maximum.

Wolf-Ferrari: String Trios; 2 Duos; German String Trio; CPO 999 624 (Naxos)

Tribute to Lionel Tertis; T chaikovsky; Schubert; Grainger; Liszt; Mendelssohn; et

Note: Individual artists were not mentioned.