Finale: Sonatas for Viola

Ah the viola -- the oft maligned and derided member of the string family. Amid all of the "viola jokes," we may lose sight of the fact that there have been a great many works written for the instrument that are equally deserving of attention and admiration. Perhaps most notably is the Shostakovich Viola Sonata, the final work he composed. Shostakovich makes excellent use of the dark, somber tone of the viola in this mysterious and sometimes haunting bookend to his venerable career. The other composers on this album, ... Read More

Ah the viola -- the oft maligned and derided member of the string family. Amid all of the "viola jokes," we may lose sight of the fact that there have been a great many works written for the instrument that are equally deserving of attention and admiration. Perhaps most notably is the Shostakovich Viola Sonata, the final work he composed. Shostakovich makes excellent use of the dark, somber tone of the viola in this mysterious and sometimes haunting bookend to his venerable career. The other composers on this album, Bacewicz, Khachaturian, and Martinu, likewise take advantage of the viola's unique timbre. Violist Paul Cortese, whose academic and orchestral accolades are extensive, does not always rise to the occasion in these performances, however. Playing on the C and G strings is sufficiently dark and warm, but the upper two strings often deliver a rather brash, forced sound that is not pleasing. Intonation is sometimes approximate and other times downright careless, an especially surprising... Read Less