Broadcast E-News

Volume 5, Number 11 – December 2008

AVS Broadcast ENews is an official publication of the American Viola Society. The focus of this publication is to announce upcoming events and opportunities for violists. Reviews of past chapter events will continue to be highlighted in the “At the Grassroots” department of the Journal of the American Viola Society and will not be duplicated here. Submissions should be in prose format and sent in the body of an email or as a Microsoft Word attachment to Sue Temple, Editor, at [email protected] by the 5th of each month for publication later that month. Comments and ideas are welcome.

IN THIS ISSUE: ♪ New Work for Viola “Lament with Ghosts” ♪ New Viola Concerto ♪ World Premiere CD ♪ Stolen Instrument ♪ Le Domaine Forget Music and Dance Academy ♪ Alturas Duo in Concert ♪ Victoria Miskolczy in Recital ♪ 2009 International Viola Congress

New Work for Viola ‘Lament with Ghosts’ 'Lament with Ghosts' was written for Helen Callus and her viola studio by UCSB Professor of Composition, Joel Feigin. "Lament is a wonderful addition to the viola repertoire and what made this project and this work so special was its unusual beauty, drama and effectiveness in performance. The first movement is a highly developed solo work for viola soloist and the second is the work repeated again but in a more concerto-like form with the 'Ghosts' being the 6 viola chamber players responding and communicating with the solo Lamenter. We performed it with special lighting and the entire project was a great joy!'

For more information about how to order the music please contact Nenge Publications [email protected]

New Viola Concerto Todas as Rosas sao Brancas (for Viola and String orchestra), a new viola concerto by a brazilian composer Gulherme Nascimento, ([email protected]) was performed by the brazilian violist Prof. Carlos Aleixo dos Reis (http://www.musica.ufmg.br/carlos.html) on:

*November 29th:Historical City of Mariana *November 30th: 2008:Auditorium of Fundacao de Educacao Artistica, Belo Horizonte/Brazil

From the composer: Todas as Rosas sao Brancas (All roses are white), is a one movement viola concerto for solo viola and string orchestra. This composition is a long and virtuoso cadenza along with brief speeches of the orchestra. The title, taken from a poem by Frederico Garcia Lorca, makes clear the source that inspired the composer: Spain and its charms.

In this work the composer didn't use folklore themes, or the traditional forms from Spanish melodies. He tried to capture a bit of Spanish music and culture in a modern structure. The orchestra is treated, sometimes as a percussion instrument, sometimes like a guitar, and even includes the clap of the hands as in a flamenco dance. In turn, the soloist in his "gypsy like" cadenza, is responsible to interpret the widest range of Spanish music. All of this is inspired by the atmosphere: the melancholy of some "dragged", melodies played on the lower register, with no metric, which take us back to the gypsy songs; to the brightness of the themes and rhythms (this played in a high register of the viola). All of this takes us in a journey of the songs that remind us of bullfighting.

World Premiere CD Internationally acclaimed British violist Roger Chase’s latest recording showcases two rare and fascinating concerti by British composers whose names and works are virtually unknown in this country: Stanley Bate (1911 -1959) and William Henry Bell (1873 - 1946). The CD with the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Stephen Bell is available on the Dutton Epoch label (CDLX 7216).

Stanley Bate’s Concerto for Viola & Orchestra dates from 1944-46 when he was living in the USA; the work was dedicated to Vaughan Williams, written for William Primrose, and performed by Emanuel Vardi in a broadcast with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. The New York Sun then wrote it is "... a score of much skillful design and expressive meaning, particularly in the well-written modal slow movement and swift moving finale."

W.H. Bell’s Concerto, subtitled Rosa Mystica, was composed in 1916. Bell studied composition with Sir Charles Villiers Stanford and later became professor of harmony at the Royal Academy of Music. He emmigrated to South Africa in 1912.

Both concerti are described as “heart-warming and tuneful scores oozing popular appeal”. Filling out the disc is Chase’s own orchestration of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Romance; Bate studied with Vaughan Williams when he attended the Royal College of Music. Roger Chase plays all the works on legendary Lionel Tertis’s own Montagnana Viola, which Tertis purchased in pieces during one of his concert tours to Paris in 1920.

For further information about Roger Chase, see www.rogerchase.com 2

Stolen Instrument Yesterday evening (29-11-08) my trial-violin and 3 bows were stolen while travelling from Dordrecht to The Hague after a concert. The violin is labelled Georg Klotz, Mittenwald, 1770 and has a lion head-scroll and a rather large corpus. The bows are: a modern bow (unlabelled, attributed to Tourte) with tortoiseshell frog, a classical bow by Keith Sleeman with ivory frog, and a baroque bow (unlabelled, by Percy Bryant), also with ivory frog. All this was in a dark blue square violin case with brown edges. If you happen to come across one of these things or have a useful clue about it, could you PLEASE let me know asap?

Also, I'd like to ask you to forward this mail to as many musicians as possible.

Many thanks, Cecilia Bernardini [email protected]

Address untill Jan. 14th, 2009: Address after Jan. 14th, 2009: Chasséstraat 76 Goodenough College/ London House, room 454 2518 SB Den Haag Mecklenburgh Square The Netherlands LONDON WC1N 2AB Tel.: +31 (0)70 4274822 UK Mob.: +31 (0) 645 916 575 Tel.: +44 (0)20 7837 8888- 2454 Mob.: +44 (0)77 85945481

Le Domaine Forget Music and Dance Academy Le Domaine Forget Music and Dance Academy announces the Viola 2009 Strings session at Le Domaine Forget, Québec from July 12th to August 8th.

Faculty: Yizhak Schotten Antoine Tamestit Atar Arad James Dunham

This program is offered to intermediate, advanced level students and professionals. It includes private lessons, masterclasses, chamber music and orchestra excerpt classes.

Deadline for scholarship application : March 1st

Deadline for application: April 1st

For more information, contact: Mélodie Champagne-Desbiens Agente aux communications Domaine Forget

Tel: 418.452.8113, poste 243 Télécopieur: 418.452.3503

www.domaineforget.com

Alturas Duo in Concert Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center PRESENTS:

Alturas Duo

Tuesday, December 16, 2008 2:00 pm | purchase tickets

Single Tickets: $15

The only group of its kind, the Alturas Duo plays South American and classical music by bringing together the unusual combination of the viola, charango and guitar, creating fiery programs that move at ease between Johann Sebastian Bach, South American folk rhythms and new music written for them. The Duo won First Prize at the 2006 New England International Chamber Music Competition and was recently honored with the “Hispanic Excellence in Music” award.

www.alturasduo.com

Victoria Miskolczy in Recital Two Premieres of Southern California Composers

On Thursday, December 18th, 2008, at 7PM, violist Victoria Miskolczy will present a recital at the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church at 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena. Featured works will include Bach's powerful Suite #6 in D, "Viola Viola" for two violas by George Benjamin, and a wonderful mix of new works by Southern California composers - "Musings" for solo viola by Cameron Patrick; "Victim to Unity; Four Stages of Consciousness," for viola and piano by Randy Kerber; and "Bungalow Boogie" for solo viola by Bevan Manson.

The compositions of Kerber and Manson were written especially for Ms. Miskolczy, and will be given their world premieres at this concert.

This event is free and open to the public, but those attending are asked to make a donation to support "Viola Fest," the Southern California Viola Society's annual program for over 100 Southland children and teens who play the viola. * Ms. Miskolczy has been an active member of SCVS for many years, and has performed on many of the Society's concerts.

Ms. Miskolczy will be assisted by pianist/composer Randy Kerber in the Kerber premiere and by violist Robert Brophy in the Benjamin duo.

For more information, contact:

Jennie Hansen SCVS President (310) 998-1136 [email protected]

*The Southern California Viola Society is a chapter of the American Viola Society, a 501-c3 coprporation. Donations to SCVS for the support of ViolaFest are tax-deductible.

2009 International Viola Congress Make plans now to attend the 2009 International Viola Congress which is going to be held in Stellenbosch, South Africa. For more information, visit:

http://www.miagi.co.za/viola%2009.html

Happy Holidays

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