Frank Viola

In their debut recording for harmonia mundi, the young viola prodigy Timothy Ridout and his musical accomplice Frank Dupree celebrate the power of love, with selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, performed in Borisovsky’s popular arrangement, and with their own transcription of Schumann’s Dichterliebe. The voice of the heart and the soul of candour, here the viola displays an astonishing range of emotions and expressive colours – from boisterous to tender or introspective in the Prokofiev excerpts, while also mirroring the myriad nuances of Heine’s poems in Schumann’s sublime musical love letter to his Clara.

Lionel Tertis (1876-1975), a great genius of the viola, is little known to today’s public. Timothy Ridout pays tribute to this key figure in his instrument’s history with a flamboyant programme featuring music by Tertis’s friends, teachers and students alongside some of his own original works and transcriptions. A marvellous musical journey, rich in discoveries.

Chamber music meanders throughout Frank Martin’s career in a multitude of different ensembles and titles, ranging from the classical to the more unexpected, such as the Rhapsodie for string quintet with double bass, the Sonata da chiesa for viola d’amore and organ, the Ballade for trombone and piano or the Petite fanfare for brass sextet. Within this abundance, the composer approached only sparingly the most historically established genres. His only string quartet is a late work, his last chamber music piece. On the contrary, the Quintet for piano and strings and the Pavane couleur du temps are among his earliest contributions in this field.

Lionel Tertis (1876-1975), a great genius of the viola, is little known to today's public. Timothy Ridout pays tribute to this key figure in his instrument's history with a flamboyant program featuring music by Tertis's friends, teachers and students alongside some of his own original works and transcriptions. A marvelous musical journey, rich in discoveries.