The concerto repertory for the viola is not large, and the Naxos label figures to do well among violists themselves with this trio of concertos from the late 18th century. The reason for the paucity of Classical-era viola concertos, at least, was that then as now there were few specialist viola virtuosos. The exception to the rule, however, was composer Carl Philipp Stamitz, whose Viola Concerto No. 1 in D major of 1773, heard here, is one of the standards of the repertory. Stamitz also apparently composed music for viola d ...
Read More
The concerto repertory for the viola is not large, and the Naxos label figures to do well among violists themselves with this trio of concertos from the late 18th century. The reason for the paucity of Classical-era viola concertos, at least, was that then as now there were few specialist viola virtuosos. The exception to the rule, however, was composer Carl Philipp Stamitz, whose Viola Concerto No. 1 in D major of 1773, heard here, is one of the standards of the repertory. Stamitz also apparently composed music for viola d'amore, which would be nice to hear sometime, but Baltimore-based violist Victoria Chiang and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra under Markand Thakar deliver a decent performance of the viola concerto here, with a feel for its most distinctive quality: its large, discursive structure. This concerto, composed in Mannheim, comes from a different world from Mozart's Vienna; in place of Viennese compactness there is a large orchestra (perhaps reflecting the continuing influence of the...
Read Less
Add this copy of Hoffmeister & Stamitz: Viola Ctos to cart. $32.47, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Naxos.
