Viola Concertos

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) was one of the most under appreciated composers of the 20th century. Talented and prolific, he was also a viola virtuoso of the highest order and premiered William Walton's Viola Concerto. More than any other composer, Hindemith understood the viola and wrote some of its most challenging repertoire. 'Der Schwanendreher' is a delightful viola concerto with themes based on old German folksongs.

On his death-bed Béla Bartók (1881-1945) left a draft of what appears to be almost all of the solo viola part of his concerto. The orchestration of the first version prepared for performance is largely Tibor Serly’s although Bartók left fairly frequent short-hand prompts to what he had in mind. The revised edition, by Peter Bartók and Nelson Dellamaggiore, has restored many original features, but has not fundamentally challenged the orchestration.

Nobuko Imai is considered to be one of the most outstanding viola players of our time. After finishing her studies at the Toho School of Music, Yale University and the Juilliard School, she won the highest prizes at both the Munich and the Geneva international competitions. She combines a distinguished international solo career with teaching at the Conservatories in Amsterdam and Geneva, where she is a Professor.