JAVS Spring 2025

Recording Reviews

distinct voices-that of the higher register or harmonics, and that of a low bass line response, ending with a soft plaintive whisper. Rose Wollman’s Giga may be the most connected to the initial Bach source material but mixes many styles within a complex counterpoint. I heard echoes of Hindemith, Piazzolla, Bach, Ligeti, amongst others in the texture. Atar Arad’s Ciaccona finishes the album, and I enjoyed hearing both the repeated harmonic material as well as textural elements of the Bach Ciaccona , including arpeggiations, barriolage, extended double stops, but all within a widely different harmonic and musical context. The EP on a whole is a really unique creative project and a marvel to see the compositional prowess and vibrant performances of all five of these violists.

PARTITA PARTY : A Collaborative Work for Solo Viola, Atar Arad and Friends Atar Arad, viola Yuval Gotibovich, viola Duncan Steele, viola Melia Watras, viola Rose Wollman, viola Available: https://sbovmusic.com/partita-party This new album is a unique project inspired by the Bach D minor violin partita, in which five violists wrote and performed their own Baroque dance suite movements, creating a composite new collaborative partita. The project is anchored around Atar Arad’s Ciaccona, and the four other performers are former students of Arad, each bringing a unique background as performer and composer. The partita feels distantly related to Bach structurally, while each movement has a distinct character and harmonic approach connected to the performer/composer. Duncan Steele’s Allemande combines lyricism with accelerating complexity and dissonance, while holding true to the open string minor key essence of the Bach Allemande . Yuval Gotlibovich’s Corrente feels like a raucous devil’s dance, punctuated with harmonics, left hand pizzicato, and ponticello sound effects. Melia Watras’ Sarabande starts simply, much like the initial Bach movement, but intensifies into an apex with two

Viola Fantasies by Georg Philip Telemann, Misha Galaganov Misha Galaganov, viola Available: https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6692/ While most violists are well-acquainted with the violin fantasies by G.P. Telemann, this album takes listeners into a less-trodden yet equally fascinating realm: the Fantaisies pour la Basse de Violle . Originally composed in

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 41, No. 1, Spring 2025

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