Album insights
After the success of his orchestral concert in Boston in December 1944, Béla Bartók found himself inundated with composition requests following a period of relative obscurity during his American exile. One such commission came from leading violist William Primrose, who was impressed by a performance of Bartók's Second Violin Concerto featuring Yehudi Menuhin. Bartók agreed to compose a viola concerto for Primrose in mid-January 1945. Despite illness, Bartók began sketching a four-movement concerto in mid-July, emphasizing a recurring introduction in each movement. While the Viola Concerto was left unfinished due to Bartók's death, it became a cornerstone in viola repertoire.
Upon Bartók's passing, the manuscripts for both solo concertos were passed on to Tibor Serly, a close confidant and musician friend of Bartók. Serly focused on completing the Viola Concerto, which had significant compositional gaps. The concerto premiered on December 2, 1949, receiving acclaim as a key addition to solo viola concertos. Although Serly's interpretation has garnered criticism, it remains the preferred version in concert performances. Bartók's vision for the concerto shifted during its creation, resulting in a three-movement structure with distinctive darkness and virtuosic solo passages.
The Viola Concerto, op. 37, composed between 1980 and 1984 by Miklós Rózsa, showcases his adaptability to changing circumstances. Interrupted by film music commissions, the concerto's maturity was marked by darker, deeper themes than originally planned. The four-movement structure mirrors aspects of Ernest Bloch's Suite for Viola and Orchestra. With distinct Hungarian characteristics reminiscent of Bartók, Rózsa's final orchestral work stands out for its individuality and authentic Hungarian essence.
Rózsa's music, deeply influenced by his Hungarian roots, also resonates in his film scores, reflected in renowned works like "Spellbound" and "Ben Hur." Despite his departure from Hungary at a young age, Rózsa's love for strings, especially the viola, shines through in his oeuvre. His Viola Concerto, the last orchestral work he penned, premiered in 1984, proving to be an evocative, distinctively Hungarian musical expression.
With meticulous craftsmanship, Rózsa evokes lyrical, melancholic themes intertwined with energetic rhythms and virtuosic solos in his Viola Concerto, creating a narrative of emotional depth and triumph.