A viola concerto is a concerto contrasting a viola with another body of musical instruments such as an orchestra or chamber music ensemble. Throughout music history, especially during the Baroque, Classical, Romantic eras, viola was viewed mostly as an ensemble instrument. Though there were a few notable concertos written for the instrument in this time period, these instances were quite rare and the instrument continued to be ignored. However, during the 20th century, the instrument was revitalized thanks to the work of a number of violists and composers, which led to the commission and composition of many more viola concertos, expanding the repertoire significantly.
A number of violists and composers are credited with revitalizing the viola concerto and expanding its repertoire, with much of it centralized in Britain in the early 1900s.
British violist Lionel Tertis is often credited with popularizing the viola as a solo instrument in the early 20th century through advocating for the composition of new pieces, as well as arranging works for the viola. A number of works were dedicated to Tertis including concertos by William Walton and Edwin York Bowen, and other concertante works such as Arnold Bax's Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra. Tertis also commissioned pieces such as Ralph Vaughan Williams' Flos Campi and Gustav Holst's Lyric Movement for Viola and Small Orchestra, in addition to gaining permission to transpose works for the viola, such as Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto and Frederick Delius's Caprice and Elegy for Cello and Orchestra.[1]
William Primrose was also an important figure in establishing the role of the viola as a soloist, having a number of concertos dedicated to him by composers like Quincy Porter and Darius Milhaud. He also commissioned works as well, with the most famous being Béla Bartók's posthumously completed Viola Concerto.[2]
Other contemporary composers, such as Alfred Schnittke and Krzysztof Penderecki, have also composed pieces for Viola and Orchestra. Orchestrations of accompaniments from chamber works into concertante works have also become more popular, with more well known transcriptions being those of Shostakovich's Viola Sonata or Rebecca Clarke's Viola Sonata.
^Transcription of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 13 by composer and pianist Alexander Tchaikovsky.
^Transcription of Shostakovich's Sonata for Viola and Piano by violist and composer Vladimir Mendelssohn.
^Version of the Ballad for Clarinet and Orchestra Op. 28. May also be found as part of the Clarinet-Piano version numbered Op. 8. Premiered by Ilari Angervo & Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. by Ernest Martinez-Izquierdo.
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^Potter, Tully (2010). "Real or Fake? Famous Musical Hoaxes: The Great Baroque Swindle" (PDF). The Strad. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
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^Fleshler, David (March 11, 2015). "Diaz and Spano bring Higdon's new Viola Concerto to Miami". The Classical Review. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
^"JACOB, Gordon :Gilder-MusicWeb Dictionary of composers". www.musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
^Group, Ondine Oy, A. member of The Naxos Music. "Ondine Release". www.ondine.net. Retrieved 2023-07-22. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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^"Lukas Zdenek". zdenek-lukas.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
^"BEHIND THE WAVES for viola and string orchestra ( contemporary viola concerto ) ( modern viola concerto ) ( new music viola concerto )". PETER MACHAJDÍK. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
^"IN FRONT OF THE WAVES for viola and string orchestra (contemporary viola concerto) (modern viola concerto) (new music viola concerto)". PETER MACHAJDÍK. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
^"Milhaud.htm". 2004-08-29. Archived from the original on 2004-08-29. Retrieved 2023-07-22.