An evening of orchestral brilliance, with the spotlight on the viola: lyrical Brahms, early Britten and a brand new concerto from Wigglesworth for the incomparable violist Lawrence Power

Britten was a lifelong champion of the viola, an instrument that could often be misunderstood and sometimes ridiculed. It was his own instrument, along with the piano, and in his Elegy (written only a few days before leaving school in 1930) he leans into the viola’s soulful qualities in a surprisingly affecting solo piece. The viola takes even more of a lead in the world premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth’s Viola Concerto, written for the glorious talents of the composer’s regular collaborator, Lawrence Power and commissioned by Britten Pears Arts.

Brahms had a partiality for the mellow, “inner” instruments of the orchestra, such as violas, clarinets and horns; an affinity, perhaps, with their dark and plangent tones. Symphony No. 2 is generally considered his sunniest work, yet he wrote jokingly to a friend beforehand that “The new symphony is so melancholy that you won’t stand it. I have never written anything so sad, so minor-ish: the score must appear with a black border”. While the Symphony is generally upbeat – with some glorious tunes for violas and cellos – there are some darker portents hovering at its margins via timpani rumbles and low trombones.  Brahms was, as he once confessed, “a severely melancholic person”: this Symphony is – mostly – a delightful respite.

Knussen Chamber Orchestra
Lawrence Power viola
Ryan Wigglesworth conductor