Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Preludio (Moderato)
2. Venusto (Allegretto)
3. Piacevole (Allegro Moderato)
4. Risonante (Andante)
5. Amorevole (Allegretto)
6. Risentito (Moderato)
7. Posato (Andante)
8. Agilmente (Allegro Assai)
9. Morbidezza (Andante)
10. Giochevole (Allegretto)
11. Strepitoso (Moderato)
12. Fugato (Allegro Giusto)
13. Frescamente (Moderato)
14. Aria Parlante (Andante)
15. Marziale (Tempo Di Marcia)
16. Precipitoso (Vivace)
17. I. Fantasia
18. II. Pastorale -
19. III. Allegro - Energico

Disc 2:

1. Moderato
2. Allegretto
3. Andante
4. Giocoso
5. Allegro Piacevole
6. Vivace
7. Maestoso
8. Allegro
9. Comodo
10. Strepitoso
11. Dolendo
12. Amabile
13. Andante Sonore
14. Fuga
15. Perpetuum Mobile
16. Allegro Giusto
17. Deciso
18. Comodo
19. Agitato
20. Allegretto Amabile
21. Mormoramente
22. Giocoso
23. Lesto
24. Alla Marcia
25. Doloroso
26. Fuga
27. Perpetuum Mobile

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #110632 in Music
• Released on: 2006-07-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 113 minutes

Customer Reviews

Who Knew Lillian Fuchs Was a Composer, Too?
This was a very good month for lovers of the viola. First, there was the marvelous release of William Primrose's viola transcriptions played by the former principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Roberto Diáz, now the head of the Curtis Institute and a heckuva violist. And now we get a twofer of solo viola music written by one of the last century's great violists, Lillian Fuchs. What's more they're played by her granddaughter, Jeanne Mallow, and on Fuchs's very own huge Gaspar da Salò viola.

I have very fond memories of the playing of Lillian Fuchs. She was a constant figure at the Aspen Music Festival for many years and indeed one year our condo was just above her studio, so we heard perhaps more of her playing (and that of her students) than we might otherwise have chosen. She was a tiny woman and how she managed to play that humongous viola of hers (and in tune, too!) was a bit of a mystery. I will never forget her playing Martinu's 'Madrigals' which had been written for her and her brother, violinist Joseph Fuchs.

All that said, I had no idea Miss Fuchs had composed any music, but here we have two CDs of solo viola music, most of it written for pedagogical reasons but perfectly acceptable as concert music. There are three collections of pieces, all in a very accessible tonal quasi-baroque style. In ascending order of difficulty they are Fifteen Characteristic Studies, Sixteen Fantasy Etudes, and Twelve Caprices. Also included is her unaccompanied 'Sonata Pastorale' for Viola. Like most collections of pedagogical studies, these works, most of them fairly brief (none lasts more than five minutes), require the player to master specific technical aspects of viola-playing. Yet, they are fascinating music qua music and I certainly had no difficulty maintaining my interest over two CDs' worth of music. None of the pieces is without interest but I particularly like 'Maestoso' from the Characteristic Etudes with its solemn opening double-stops leading to a bustling middle section, or the concluding Caprice, 'perpetuum mobile,' that has the violist scampering all over the fingerboard while the bow is going crazy; it is matched by the similar perpetuum mobile that concludes the Characteristic Studies How it could be called, as it is by Mallow in her excellent notes, 'easy', is beyond me! There is much more than these to marvel at.

And the playing of Jeanne Mallow is magnificent; it, dare I say it, reminds me of that of her grandmother. There is impeccable tuning, clean articulation and a muscular deep velvety tone as well as unfailing musicality . This set helps to expand the unfortunately small repertoire of music written specifically for solo viola. It definitely will be of interest to violists, of course, but also for music lovers looking for something a little out of the ordinary.

Recommended.

Scott Morrison