JAVS Spring 2020

News &Notes

Review of the 46th International Viola Congress

Christine Rutledge

Lowell Dykstra. The duo finished their program with an arrangement of Message in a Bottle by The Police. The day continued with a lecture, Concerts of 20 th Century Polish Composers, by Stefan Kamasa, former principal viola of the Warsaw Philharmonic. Kamasa discussed the important concertos by Aleksander Tansman, Grażyna

The 46 th International Viola Congress took place on September 24–28, 2019 in the historic city of Poznań, Poland. The congress was co-hosted by Boguslawa Hubisz-Sielska, Lech Balaban, and Ewa Guzowska. Though attendance numbers were light, enthusiastic violists and lovers of the viola from around the world gathered for four days of lectures, recitals, master classes, and presentations. Locations for the congress were spread around Poznán at Hotel Ikar, Stanisława Moniuszko Grand Theater, Poznań Mieczysław Karłowicz General Secondary Music School (POSM), Music Salon of Feliks Nowowiejski, and Henryk Wieniawski Music Society. Day One The first day began with a formal greeting by the congress hosts and IVS president Carlos María Solare, who reminded the congress participants that the legendary violinist, Henryk Wieniawski was a Poznań native and musical hero, who also played viola! The day continued with a lecture by Jadwiga Stanek about the Variations for Solo Viola by Gordon Jacob. This lecture was followed by a wonderful presentation by Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, discussing Sola for viola and electronics by composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir. The piece was written to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of the 1919 Berkshire Composition Competition, which introduced two of the giants of the viola repertoire, Bloch’s Suite for Viola and Piano and Rebecca Clarke’s Sonata for Viola and Piano. Dr. Lanzilotti talked about the compositional process and demonstrated the various techniques used in the work, and then performed the work in its entirety. The next recital, Related Souls: A Canonical Sister Act, was presented by the very talented Dutch sister-duo of Sunniva and Ursula Skaug. Their program included Lutoslawski’s Bucolics for 2 violas (arranged by Hubisz Sielska), and Related Souls by Dutch-Canadian composer

Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti performing Sola for viola and electronics by composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir. Photo by Dwight Pounds.

Bacewicz, Tadeusz Baird, and Krzysztof Penderecki, recalling his experiences performing these concertos and working with some of the composers. The students of US violist Hillary Herndon at the University of Tennessee presented Jorge Variego’s etude collection, 18 + 3. The venue then changed over to the POSM School of Music for a mixed recital. Bogusława Hubisz-Sielska performed Vieuxtemps’ Romance on the Theme of Halka, arranged by Stanisław Moniuszko. Kathryn Brown, with pianist Théo Narayan, performed Sanctum for viola and piano by American composer Adolphus Hailstork. Brown briefly discussed the composer and his work after her performance, stressing the importance of championing works by African American composers.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 36, No. 1, Spring 2020

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