CD Review: Going Solo—Unaccompanied Works for Violin and Viola
Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, violin and viola. (MSR Classics)
Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, on the faculty at the University of Nevada–Reno, and artistic director of Cactus Pear Music Festival in San Antonio—where she was formerly the symphony’s concertmaster—continues her string of CD successes with a fascinating recital mixing solo music for violin and viola.
This time around, she tackles a diverse program of chestnuts and contemporary works that include Telemann’s Fantasia
No. 7 for solo violin; Vieuxtemps’ Capriccio, Op. Posth. No. 9 for solo viola; Ysaÿe’s Sonata, Op. 27, No. 4, for solo violin; Kreisler’s Recitativo and Scherzo Caprice, Op. 6, for solo violin; Augusta Read Thomas’ “Incantation” for solo viola (2006); James Winn’s “Pibroch” for solo violin (2008); Erwin Schulhoff’s Sonata for solo violin (1927); Quincy Porter’s Suite for viola alone (1930); and Astor Piazzolla’s Three Tango Études for solo violin.
After four precise, rational movements of the Telemann for solo violin, Sant’Ambrogio rockets into high gear with three and a half minutes of intense Vieuxtemps for solo viola. The force with which her amber-toned solo viola enters the fray is a stunning reminder of just how dramatically different the timbre of the two instruments can be without the viola having to go into full
Lionel Tertis mode. Each composer receives his or her full due, whether it be August Read Thomas’ elegant “Incantation,” James Winn’s bagpipe-laced elegy, Erwin Schulhoff’s populist Sonata, or Quincy Porter’s persuasively reasoned Suite.
Sant’Ambrogio ends the recital with a display of brilliant fiddling in three Piazzolla tangos originally for flute.
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