William Primrose | Viola Transcriptions

Roberto Díaz viola · Robert Koenig piano

These arrangements for his own instrument by the viola virtuoso who commissioned Bartok's concerto are heard literally on that instrument. Diaz used to be principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and there came into possession of Primrose's Amati. It was restored to a pitch of perfection Primrose would not have known, and its tonal richness is superbly demonstrated. The tone changes subtly from piece to piece. The haunting quality of Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras No 5 is not the same as that of Tchaikovsky's None but the Lonely Heart, and different again from Traume, one of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. There's plenty of Spanish fun too. The Sunday Times, London

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