# Most Beautiful Viola Passages



## opusonethirtyone (Apr 23, 2014)

Can be chamber, orchestral, concertante, anything! I just love the viola sound, and would love some nice pieces are excerpts to explore.

Hope it's not too weird for a user's first post to be a new thread. I just made my account a few days, but I've been reading threads here for a few years. I'm also an active poster over at pianostreet, but I'm interested in much more than just the piano!


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Welcome to the forum, and it's a fine topic to start with!

I love the dark passage for violas that opens Mahler's 10th.


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## cjvinthechair (Aug 6, 2012)

Yes, indeed - welcome:

Couple of 'less typical' suggestions you might like to try -

Marjan Mozetich - Viola concerto 



 (1st movement)
Erkki-Sven Tuur - Viola Concerto 'Illuminatio' 



Victor Kalabis - 'Tristium' fantasy for viola & strings 



 (part 1 of 2)

_If _they appeal at all, more ideas available !


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## pjang23 (Oct 8, 2009)




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## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Beautiful viola passages abound in the Sinfonia Concertante K364 by Mozart.


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Bruckner 4 slow mvt - the big viola section solo of all time. Find it at 21:00 and again from about 27:15 in the following


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Max Bruch's double concerto for viola and clarinet. Not sure if it's on YouTube, and can't be bothered to go check right now.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Gubaidulina Viola Concerto - Yuri Bashmet soloist






The more I listen to this work the more I enjoy it. For me it was not an "easy" work at first. Initially I was mostly taken in by the orchestral parts, but more and more I am becoming enamored of the haunting viola parts, often simplistic, sparse, yet beautiful and very expressive. These types of passages are in fact generally some of the most difficult to play convincingly.


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## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

brianvds said:


> Max Bruch's double concerto for viola and clarinet. Not sure if it's on YouTube, and can't be bothered to go check right now.


Seconded! And you can find some recordings on Youtube for sure.

Also, Bartok's Viola Concerto: 



Smetana's String Quartet No. 1: 



Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata:


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## Stavrogin (Apr 20, 2014)

I love Schnittke's Viola concerto.
The passage that starts at 6'15 in this link --> 



 <-- is a sublime juice of lyricism and dissonance.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Enescu's Concert piece for viola and piano.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Bax's viola sonata often flies under the radar but worth a listen


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## aimee (Nov 7, 2013)

Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Fantasie in G minor for Viola and orchestra Op. 94






a piece I'm very fond of, nice viola sounds with ear-catching tunes from Mozart's Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Shostakovich String Quartet No.13.

The beginning and the end.


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## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante! Maybe my favorite piece ever and I don't say that lightly. 

Also the great Harold In Italy


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Britten's Lachrymae (after Dowland), whether with piano or string orchestra.


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## JCarmel (Feb 3, 2013)

Berlioz Harold in Italy....


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

JCarmel said:


> Berlioz Harold in Italy....


I've got to hear it. Thanks.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Marschallin Blair said:


> I've got to hear it. Thanks.


I _love_ Harold! Just avoid the John Eliot Gardiner. It's boring. Unlike his _Symphonie Fantastique_, which is fascinating.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*William Schuman Symphony No. 3*

I have always been partial to opening of William Schuman's _Third Symphony._

Schuman also composed a wild concerto for viola, women's chorus and orchestra.

I have the LP. It has never been released on CD.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> I _love_ Harold! Just avoid the John Eliot Gardiner. It's boring. Unlike his _Symphonie Fantastique_, which is fascinating.


Which ones do you like?


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Marschallin Blair said:


> Which ones do you like?


I have the old Imai/Davis and like it. The Penguin Guide says the newer Zimmermann/Davis is even better. There's another exciting oldie under Bernstein which I haven't heard in years. The Primrose/Munch is a classic; I like Munch's Berlioz in general. I don't know what's really recent and am too old to care. :lol:


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

The viola and Brahms were made for each other. The two viola sonatas, his very successful transcriptions of his clarinet sonatas, are glorious, as are the two songs for contralto, viola and piano.


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## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

I struggle to hear the violas in an orchestral setting, tbh. The only obvious one I can think of is the opening of Mahler 10.


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## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

In orchestral settings, a couple examples that I know of:
The opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, 2nd mvmt., along with the cellos
Near the beginning of the Elgar Cello Concerto (directly after the ad lib by the solo cello)


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Yes. I have to agree with the beginning of the second movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Musical greatness for the lower strings.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> I have the old Imai/Davis and like it.


Yup, I like this the best too - and I also have a version with de Pasquale, Philadelphia Orch, Ormandy and another with Primrose RPO and Beecham, but the Davis version iis streets ahead.

Marchallin hasn't heard this piece??? Shock horror!!!  Thought she'd heard everything!!! You're in for a treat, flower! (PS, how did you get on with the Davis Troyens?)


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

Alassio!






Best recording available on YouTube, 10:30 is the viola solo -- but, please, experience the entire piece. One of Elgar's best, as well as one of the great (yet rarely performed) 20th Century tone poems.


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## Guest (May 4, 2014)

Marschallin Blair said:


> Which ones do you like?


I really like this one with Tabea Zimmermann, LSO, Colin Davis conducting:









For some reason the second movement on this version is just magical for me. It definitely does not sound like it was written in the nineteenth century.

In fact I'm gonna re-listen right now!


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