Viola Concerto (Walton)

The Viola Concerto by William Walton was written in 1929 for the famous violist Lionel Tertis. The concerto was modelled on Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto, which he admired. Tetris shunned the work and the premiere was done by Paul Hindemith, who later championed the work.

Related Topics:
William Walton - Lionel Tertis - Prokofiev - First Violin Concerto - Paul Hindemith

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The work follows the standard three movement format for a concerto:

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• Andante comodo
• Vivo, con molto preciso
• Allegro moderato

The work is generally considered one of the more difficult in the reportoire, as the intonation and notes tend to be awkward for even the most accomplished violist. Numerous recordings have been made of the piece, including ones by such violists as Yuri Bashmet and violin/viola player Nigel Kennedy.

Related Topics:
Yuri Bashmet - Nigel Kennedy

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