JAVS Summer 1998

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huge. He expanded his program by inserting Viola Duet by George Ben jamin, which he performed with Garth Knox. The piece was origi nally written for Yuri Bashmer and obuko Imai. The two violas seemed to be doing about the same thing, bur not at the same rime-a complex counterpoint, using mostly motives based on "extended tech niques. " It's hard to make much of such a work with one hearing, bur it was more musical and interesting than a good deal of composition. The even ing concert was devoted to baroque music featuring the viola, performed on reproductions of period

Jonn White and Tully Potter

come ro mind: "A great character of the British viola Renaissance"; "a constant thread in the tapestry of British musical life for sixty years"; "He never got on with Terris"· "Forbes was a large man ... an imposing physical presence," and, quoting Forbes, "My mother was meticulous and my father had the Aair. " Marcin Outram, the violist of the Mag gini Quartet, and Julian Rolron, pianist of the Chagall Trio, presented rhe morning recital , listed as 'A Tribute to Warson Forbes. " Obvi ously the rwo have worked rogether a good deal as their sense of ensemble was faultless. The program included rwo Forbes editions of ardini and Rameau works, a Viola Fantasy by Sebastian Forbes written some time ago and dedicated to his father, and sonatas by Alan Rawsthorne and Lennox Berkeley, who are earlier t\ventieth-cenrury composers. The sonatas are attractive works in the academic style Tully Potter labels "British Renaissance," that often evoke memories of music by Elgar, Frank Bridge, Vaughan Williams, Charles Stanford, and Delius. The recital dosed with a Forbes transcription of a wonderful aria thar J. S. Bach used at least twice, as the Sinfonia in Camara 156, and in various concertos. It's a fine encore piece. imon Rowland-Jones, professor of viola and chamber music at the Royal College of Music in London, began his 2:35 p.m. lecture on his experience of publishing a new edition of the Bach Cello Suites for viola! which he worked on for about ten years. He described it as "a very trying experience," bur the result

instruments. Katherine McGillivray directed the ensemble of young players and singers. Although the period instrument phase is em braced more enthusiastically by some than others, it's fair to say that this performance was more in rune than is often heard and was given even more sonic vitality than is often associated with performances that use a G-sharp for tuning, rather than an A. The programming was interesting too, with names like Castello, Biber, and Kinderman, along with Telemann and Bach. Friday, 17 July, began at 9:00 a.m. with a Paul Silverthorne master class on Max Bruch's Romance, Opus 85. Mr. Silverthorne demon strated that he is a perceptive reacher, spend ing the hour talking about bow distribution, sustaining phrases, and, in general, providing a gende and musical approach ro perfor mance. At 10:00 or so, John White gave a brief remembrance of Warson Forbes, who had a strong influence on White's personal development, as wel l as his musical career. T he main speaker was Tully Poner, who again illustrated his talk with historical recordings. Sometimes the sound quali ty of these illu strations leaves much to the imagination, and Mr. Porter's sound equipment was simplici ty itself. Scill, these sessions about Primrose and Forbes did bring these personalities ro life. A few verbatim Potter quotes about Forbes Friday's Events