Program Notes for Recital No. 2 “Wild Purple”

If you are a subscriber to my recitals (i.e. attended the last one) you know that I like to share some musings about the pieces. So sit back, relax, and get ready for a wild…purple ride.

Pochon Passacaglia-

Picture it, Columbia, 2024. Its a beautiful spring day. My first DMA recital is over and I can breathe. The days of awkward clarinet writing are behind me and new projects are in store. My wonderful professor takes me out for coffee to discuss the next year. Iced latte in hand, we head back to his office and are discussing repertoire. “Have you ever heard of the Pochon Passacaglia?” He asks.

 “No! What is that like” thinking to myself, how could I not know a piece of viola repertoire written before 1950? That's kinda my jam. We make it back to his office and he pulls up a youtube recording of Polish violist Marcin Murawski playing the piece. I knew the violist… more on that later… but not the piece. I was blown away that a really romantic work existed that I didn’t know anything about as I pride myself on having “An encyclopedic knowledge of viola repertoire”- Kate Lewis (Real quote, I swear) . I take a scan of my professor's part, since ordering ended up taking months to arrive, and got to work. It has taken me months of work on and off to wrap my head around this piece. It is very challenging for the violist, but well worth the effort. It's reminiscent of other famous passacaglias and chaccones, shifting to a meditative major in the middle. A rewarding work that I hope to play for many years to come.  Alfred Pochon was a violinist in the Flonzaley Quartet and eventually became the director of the Lausanne Conservatory. He is best known as a quartet musician as well as the Author of a progressive method in string quartet playing. 

I had met Marcin several years before when he was on tour in the United States after recording all of Michael Kimbers works for viola. He was doing a recital tour of Kimbers works as well as playing Kimbers viola ensembles with the composerr and local violists wherever he was. I played in a masterclass for him and may have gotten some interesting advice. I also joined him on several works for multiple violas with my professor at the time, Kate Lewis. I was blown away by his playing and enjoyed performing with him and Mr. Kimber. 

Wild Purple- Joan Tower

I have known about this piece for a long time and have been afraid of it for an equal amount of time. The piece was written in 1998 for violist Paul Neubauer. I remember coming across his video on the youtubes and was in shock and awe of the piece. I always felt that the sound of the viola had a purple quality. If you poll violist, many of their favorite color is purple. Since this recital is a celebration of the viola, hence the title Wild Purple. Here are some words from Joan herself:

“I always thought of the viola sound as being the color purple. Its deep resonant and luscious timbre seems to embody all kinds of hues of purple. I never thought of the viola as being particularly wild. So I decided to try and see if I could create a piece that had wild energy in it and meet the challenge of creating a virtuosic piece for solo viola.”

She has said in interview that she apologies to all violist who play the piece for the last page…. If you know, you know. She has gone on to write other works for viola including Simply Purple for solo viola and Purple Rhapsody for viola and orchestra.

Schumann- Adagio and Allegro

I am not sure when I heard this piece for the first time, but I do remember my first time hearing it live. It was on a senior recital by one of my colleagues at University of Tennessee. Akilah, wherever you are, thanks for the inspiration.  I have always loved Schumann and his works for viola. I played the Fairytales in my masters program.  This was technically written for Horn and Orchestra but Schumann being a businessman did versions for violin, viola, and cello. I do remember hearing Geraldine Wather play this piece at a faculty recital. I briefly saw a post on social media with a link to a live stream and I happened to be free. She started her program with the work and was flabbergasted at the incredible sound that she had. She was the violist of the Tacas quartet for many years in residence at CU-Boulder. I think this piece really captures some of the unstable personality that plagued Schumann for most of his life. 

Sonata for viola and piano- Rebecca Clarke

I still remember the first time I heard this piece. I was a junior at the South Carolina Governor’s School and Hillary Herndon came to do a recital and masterclass. She played a concert of works by female composer that was to be featured on her upcoming album “La Viola”. I remember being blown away by the piece as it is filled with passion and really captures the essence of the viola and what it can do. I have wanted to play it ever since. I ended up going to study with Hillary at the University of Tennessee and she had other plans for me in my degree so I did not get to study it. Then in my masters, my professor had a policy that she tried to avoid assigning significant works at the same time so again my plans were foiled. In the first year of my DMA, again it was being played beautifully by another graduate student. I finally got my chance this year and It has been a real journey. The piece sits very well in the hand for a violist. 

This piece was the runner up work in the 1919 Berkshire Festival Competition Sponsored by Elizaveth Cooledge. Bloch was declared the winner by Coolidge, with reporters speculating that ‘Rebecca Clarke’ was a pseudonym for Bloch himself. It was not believed, at the time, that a woman could write music as challenging and powerful as the sonata. While both are wonderful works, Becky's is better in my opinion. Rebecca Clarke was one of the first professional women violist working in London. She studied with Lionel Tertis, one of the most important viola figures of the 20th century. Unfortunately, she stoped composing and performing after she got married. Apparently she was encouraged by her husband who was also a composer. A quote from french poet Alfred de Musset is included on the inside cover of the score.

“Poète, prends ton luth; le vin de la jeunesse – Poet, take up your lute; the wine of youth

Fermente cette nuit dans les veines de Dieu. – this night is fermenting in the veins of God.”

Song for Viola and Piano- Aaron Gomez

Song was written for me by my dear friend Aaron Gomez. I think he wrote it trying to shut me up and my incessant nagging for him to write me something. When you have composer friends, that's what they should do, right?..... Anyways, Aaron and I first met when we were both Masters Students at Illinois State University. He was a cellist, conductor, and composer. We were quick friends, bonding over our love of opera, cocktails, and chinese food. He was the only person I would do shots with, to varying degrees of excess. There is a story involving a halloween party, libations, and ABBA’s Dancing Queen… well you can talk to me about it later. While we were both conducting students with Dr. Glenn Block,  I conducted the workshop version of his thesis piece “Vitrales”, for orchestra. We had a standing lunch appointment every Tuesday at this little hole in the wall Szechuan style chinese restaurant in Uptown Normal, Il. They had a daily lunch special that was written in Chinese but since we were there so often, our favorite waiter would translate for us and we got to try some really unique, authentic food. We also played in a chamber music ensemble together over our years exploring most of the significant sextets for strings. He is currently doing a Fulbright in Taiwan studying traditional chinese art music and incorporating it into western art music. Song was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “A Dream”
In visions of the dark night

I have dreamed of joy departed—

But a waking dream of life and light

Hath left me broken-hearted.

Ah! what is not a dream by day

To him whose eyes are cast

On things around him with a ray

Turned back upon the past?

That holy dream—that holy dream,

While all the world were chiding,

Hath cheered me as a lovely beam

A lonely spirit guiding.

What though that light, thro' storm and night,

So trembled from afar—

What could there be more purely bright

In Truth's day-star?