For more than two centuries, the viola has struggled to find a role as a solo instrument alongside the violin and the cello. The bulk of the literature written expressly for the viola didn't come into existence until the 20th century. There still exists, however, a good deal of literature from the preceding century that is little known to listeners and is rarely heard on disc or stage. Violist Mark Neumann, along with pianist En-Chi Anna Ho, has set out to rectify this situation on this ACA album. Rather than the norm of ...
Read More
For more than two centuries, the viola has struggled to find a role as a solo instrument alongside the violin and the cello. The bulk of the literature written expressly for the viola didn't come into existence until the 20th century. There still exists, however, a good deal of literature from the preceding century that is little known to listeners and is rarely heard on disc or stage. Violist Mark Neumann, along with pianist En-Chi Anna Ho, has set out to rectify this situation on this ACA album. Rather than the norm of taking works from the violin repertoire and transcribing them for the viola (often with highly unsatisfactory results), Neumann chooses for his program a set of short, Romantic-era showpieces specifically written for his instrument. That so many such pieces exist -- and by composers virtually all listeners will recognize by name -- is somewhat of a surprise. The most striking aspect of this set of seven pieces is how perfectly each of them plays to the strengths of the viola and shies...
Read Less
Add this copy of Romantic Showpieces for Viola to cart. $24.83, like new condition, Sold by First Coast Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eatonton, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Aca Digital.