Hindemith: Scherzo for viola and cello

Duos for viola and cello are not exactly a typical chamber music genre - at first glance, the contrast between the two instruments, which play in a similar register, seems too small. However, it is this lack of a clearly dominant voice that compels both composer and listener to concentrate on this intimate chamber music. On their new CD Katrin Melcher and Martin Ostertag explore this distinctive sound world with a series of original compositions.

Some composers have left us an extensive catalogue of recorded performances, most notably Edward Elgar, Igor Stravinsky and Benjamin Britten. Others like Olivier Messiaen, Heitor Villa-Lobos and William Walton have left us significant, although limited, editions. All too many, however, have merely left us a mere fraction of their output and it was to bring these recordings to the record-buying public that the EMI Classics series COMPOSERS IN PERSON was planned and researched by Ken Jagger (1945-2007). He did include representative issues for five the above named composers in the series so as to provide a total of 20 releases.

Most composers are found as either conductors or pianists (so sometimes both) although some appear on other instruments – Hindemith as violist as well as conductor and Messiaen, Widor, Vierne and Dupré as organist.