Immerse yourself in the wonderfully rich and varied sound world of music for two violas, an ensemble with a tradition reaching back centuries. With music from Scarlatti to MacMillan via Bridge, Beamish, and others, join BBC Symphony Orchestra violists Peter Mallinson and Matthias Wiesner as they celebrate this remarkable medium and mark the release of their latest CD.
The concert lasts 1hr and there will be an opportunity to talk with the performers afterwards over a complimentary drink.
CDs will be available to buy at a reduced price.
Seats are limited, so book now. You will not be disappointed. We look forward to seeing you there.
The concert lasts 1hr and there will be an opportunity to talk with the performers afterwards over a complimentary drink.
CDs will be available to buy at a reduced price.
Seats are limited, so book now. You will not be disappointed. We look forward to seeing you there.
Programme
Adam Gorb
Duo
James MacMillan
Canon
Peter Walton
Machines
Sally Beamish
Prelude and Canon
Richard Rodney Bennett
Three Duets
Domenico Scarlatti
Sonata in F minor, K466 (arr. John Alexander)
Frank Bridge
Lament and Caprice
Roderick Williams
Allegro non troppo
Duo
James MacMillan
Canon
Peter Walton
Machines
Sally Beamish
Prelude and Canon
Richard Rodney Bennett
Three Duets
Domenico Scarlatti
Sonata in F minor, K466 (arr. John Alexander)
Frank Bridge
Lament and Caprice
Roderick Williams
Allegro non troppo
Peter Mallinson and Matthias Wiesner
Peter Mallinson and Matthias Wiesner are members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and have been giving concerts of music for two violas since 2013, performing regularly both around the UK and in Europe.
They first played duos together as part of an outreach project in South Korea while on tour with the BBCSO and since then have been drawn into its innovative, exciting, and far-more-extensive-than-you-might-think repertoire. Not simply exploring the music for two unaccompanied violas, they also perform repertoire for two violas and piano, two violas and cello, and other combinations where the two-viola sound is to the fore.
Realising that information about this repertoire for viola duo is not easy to follow up, they have recorded (and written detailed liner notes for) a series of CDs on the Meridian Records label. Music for Two Violas and A Tale of Two Violas explore the history of the repertoire with a focus on music that two of the great pioneers of the instrument - England's Lionel Tertis and Russia's Vadim Borisovsky - either influenced, inspired, or wrote themselves. Two Violas Now looks at where this tradition is today, and Two Violas: Regeneration showcases works which (in myriad ways) have been given a new lease of life. Their fifth instalment, Two Violas: Old and New explores the constant intertwining of the past and present.
Not content with leaving the repertoire as it stands, Peter and Matthias work closely with contemporary composers and arrangers. One such collaboration with Simon Rowland-Jones led to the completion of Frank Bridge's duo, Caprice; a work written and performed by Bridge and Tertis in 1912 but then lost except for some sketches. Peter and Matthias “re-premiered” it in 2018.
They have also commissioned a number of original compositions and arrangements by composers including John Alexander, Peter Aviss, Derek Bourgeois, Iain Farrington, Detlev Glanert, John Hawkins, Aleksey Igudesman, Peter Letanka, Deborah Pritchard, Simon Rowland-Jones, Edwin Roxburgh, Michelle Taylor-Cohen, Peter Walton, and Raymond Yiu.
Despite being a medium which has inspired composers for over three hundred years, the repertoire for two violas is still relatively underexplored, and it is expanding all the time. Do join us on our journey!
They first played duos together as part of an outreach project in South Korea while on tour with the BBCSO and since then have been drawn into its innovative, exciting, and far-more-extensive-than-you-might-think repertoire. Not simply exploring the music for two unaccompanied violas, they also perform repertoire for two violas and piano, two violas and cello, and other combinations where the two-viola sound is to the fore.
Realising that information about this repertoire for viola duo is not easy to follow up, they have recorded (and written detailed liner notes for) a series of CDs on the Meridian Records label. Music for Two Violas and A Tale of Two Violas explore the history of the repertoire with a focus on music that two of the great pioneers of the instrument - England's Lionel Tertis and Russia's Vadim Borisovsky - either influenced, inspired, or wrote themselves. Two Violas Now looks at where this tradition is today, and Two Violas: Regeneration showcases works which (in myriad ways) have been given a new lease of life. Their fifth instalment, Two Violas: Old and New explores the constant intertwining of the past and present.
Not content with leaving the repertoire as it stands, Peter and Matthias work closely with contemporary composers and arrangers. One such collaboration with Simon Rowland-Jones led to the completion of Frank Bridge's duo, Caprice; a work written and performed by Bridge and Tertis in 1912 but then lost except for some sketches. Peter and Matthias “re-premiered” it in 2018.
They have also commissioned a number of original compositions and arrangements by composers including John Alexander, Peter Aviss, Derek Bourgeois, Iain Farrington, Detlev Glanert, John Hawkins, Aleksey Igudesman, Peter Letanka, Deborah Pritchard, Simon Rowland-Jones, Edwin Roxburgh, Michelle Taylor-Cohen, Peter Walton, and Raymond Yiu.
Despite being a medium which has inspired composers for over three hundred years, the repertoire for two violas is still relatively underexplored, and it is expanding all the time. Do join us on our journey!