JAVS Fall 2012

N EW M USIC R EVIEWS

by Daniel Sweaney

Auerbach is a great composer to watch who will hopefully contribute many more works to the viola repertoire.

Monologue for Viola-Solo (April 1997) By Lera Auerbach Published by Sikorski; http://www.sikorski.de/1240/en/0/a/0/solo_works /1032929_monologue_for_viola.html I had never heard of Lera Auerbach until I heard a performance of her Twenty-Four Preludes for Cello and Piano this past summer. I was immediately taken back by the emotional depth in her writing and had to know if she had written a piece for viola. As I researched her more, I realized that to call Lera Auerbach simply an accomplished composer would be only part of the picture. Her accomplishments encompass a range of artistic forms from visual art, music, and literature. She is a prize-winning poet who regularly contributes to the Best American Poetry blog and writes her own librettos to her operas. Her work in visual art includes paintings, sculpture, and photography. Monologue for Viola-Solo is a rather short work that reminds me of other short works for viola such as Britten’s Elegy for Solo Viola and Penderecki’s Sarabande (transcribed by the composer from his suite for solo cello). The piece explores emotional pain and passion but also has several high sections that depict sweetness and innocence. In several sec tions she creates counterpoint between various voices by using two staves, which is very similar to Penderecki’s Sarabande. This is a relatively early work for her but shows the emotional depth of her artistry. Of the few works I’ve encountered by her, I find a resemblance to Shostakovich in her writing. Auerbach has also created a transcription of Shostakovich’s Twenty-Four Preludes for Piano, op. 34, for viola and piano. A new work for viola and piano is to be premiered during the 2012–13 season by Kim Kashkashian and the composer. Lera

The first performance of Monologue for Viola-Solo was given in 2001 by Vladimir Mendelssohn.

Walimai for Viola and Piano (2011) By Michael Djupstrom

Walimai was originally composed for alto saxophone and piano and was commissioned by the Michigan Music Teachers Association and saxophonists Donald Sinta and Brian Sacawa. After Djupstrom received the 2005 Music Teachers National Association Shepherd Distinguished Composer of the year award for Walimai , it quickly became a staple in the American classical saxophone repertoire. The viola version was written in 2011 for Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (first-prize winner of the 2010 Lionel Tertis Competition) and premiered with the composer on May 8, 2011, in Philadelphia. The viola and piano version was awarded the Delius International Prize and won the 2012 Maurice Gardner Composition Competition. Michael Djupstrom performed the viola version at the 40th International Viola Congress in Rochester, New york, with Ayane Kozasa, the first prize winner of the 2011 Primrose Competition. They will also be performing it at the British Library in the upcoming season. Having heard Walimai at the congress and listened to it several times (a recording is available through the Maurice Gardner Competition website), I am confident that it will soon enjoy the same level of popularity as the saxophone version. A viola adapta tion of the piece is a logical choice because of the similarities between the two instruments. Recently we’ve seen a growth in the number of works that have been written or commissioned for viola and saxophone. Violist Timothy Deighton (Penn State University) and his saxophone duo partner Carrie

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