
The Human Viola
Violist Ruth Gibson stands up for her overlooked and underestimated instrument - its vocal qualities, its ability to represent human emotions, and its unapologetic rebelliousness.
Violist Ruth Gibson explores her instrument's unique voice across three programmes full of intriguing musical choices. The viola may have less solo repertoire than its string siblings, the violin and the cello, and its awkward mid-range sound might be harder for listeners to hear, but Ruth believes it’s undoubtedly the unsung hero of orchestras and chamber ensembles. This butt of musical jokes has a long history of being overlooked, and Ruth will be encouraging it into the limelight at last.
In this first episode, she unpicks the viola’s human qualities, admiring how composers write for it in ways that highlight the different sides of its personality. Her choices include one of the first viola concertos, film music that makes the most of voices in the middle of the texture, an improvisation featuring a viola d’amore, and an extremely demanding duet for two violas.
There’s also a piece by Morton Feldman where the viola’s voice adds pathos to a tragic story, and a set of variations by Paganini arranged for viola that brings out the instrument’s agility and playfulness.
A Tandem Production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 3
Last on
Music Played
-
Georg Philipp Telemann
Viola Concerto in G major, TWV 51:G9 (II. Allegro)
Performer: Antoine Tamestit. Orchestra: Academy for Ancient Music Berlin.- HARMONIA MUNDI.
-
Johannes Brahms
String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111 (I. Allegro non troppo, ma con brio)
Performer: Thomas Kakuska. Ensemble: Belcea Quartet.- WARNER CLASSICS.
-
Keaton Henson
Supernova
Performer: Hélène Clément. Performer: Reinoud Ford. Ensemble: Studio-Ensemble.- LAKESHORE RECORDS.
-
Richard Strauss
Don Quixote (III. Maggiore - Sancho Panza)
Performer: James Ehnes. Orchestra: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Andrew Davis.- ABC CLASSICS.
-
CaoimhÃn Ó Raghallaigh
Blindsight
Composer: Garth Knox. Performer: Garth Knox. Performer: CaoimhÃn Ó Raghallaigh.- DIATRIBE RECORDINGS.
-
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581 (IV. Allegretto con variation)
Performer: Jörg Widmann. Ensemble: Arcanto Quartett.- HARMONIA MUNDI.
-
Morton Feldman
Rothko Chapel 5
Performer: David Abel. Choir: UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus.- NEW ALBION.
-
Hector Berlioz
Harold in Italy, Op. 16 (III. Sérénade d'un montagnard des Abruzzes à sa maîtres)
Performer: Timothy Ridout. Orchestra: Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg. Conductor: John Nelson.- ERATO.
-
Edward Elgar
Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84 (II. Adagio)
Performer: John Bingham. Ensemble: Medici Quartet.- WHITEHALL.
-
Niccolò Paganini
Variations on "O mamma, mamma cara" (Il carnevale di Venezia, Op. 10)
Performer: Dana Zemtsov. Music Arranger: Michael Kugel. Orchestra: Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Daniel Raiskin.- CHANNEL.
-
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, BWV 1051 (II. Adagio ma non tanto)
Orchestra: Academy of Ancient Music. Director: Richard Egarr.- HARMONIA MUNDI.
-
Sir George Benjamin
Viola, Viola (1997)
Performer: Sachiko Suda. Performer: Shota Yanase.- BIS.
Broadcast
- Sun 9 Apr 2023 23:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 3