Viola Concerto (Kernis)
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Aaron Jay Kernis's Viola Concerto was composed between 2013 and 2014 for the violist Paul Neubauer on a commission from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Idyllwild Arts Academy, the Chautauqua Institution, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Its world premiere was given by Neubauer and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by Roberto Abbado in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on April 24, 2014. The score is dedicated to Neubauer "with deepest admiration."[1][2]
Background
The concerto was written especially for Paul Neubauer, with whom had Kernis previously collaborated on his 1993 piano quartet Still Movement with Hymn. In the score program note, Kernis wrote, "In some ways this new concerto follows up on the tone of that piece. I have always been drawn to the soulful character of the viola, and have been excited to write this work from the moment Paul requested it."[1]
Structure
The piece lasts about 27 minutes and is cast in three movements:
- Braid
- Romance
- A Song My Mother Taught Me
The first movement is named for a series of weaving harmonies and melodies. The second movement is named after a series of piano pieces written by Clara Schumann titled "Romanze." The final movement contains musical quotes from Clara's husband Robert Schumann's 4 Klavierstücke, Op. 32, No. 4 and the popular Yiddish folk song "Tumbalalaika," which the composer's mother sang to him as a child.[1]
Instrumentation
The work is scored for solo viola and an orchestra comprising two flutes (1st doubling two anvils; 2nd doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets (1st doubling E♭ clarinet; 2nd doubling bass clarinet), two bassoons (2nd doubling keyboard melodica), two horns, two trumpets (both doubling keyboard melodicas), two percussionists, and strings.[1]
