L'alto lyrique

The viola is the only instrument to be named after a vocal range.

We often think of it as a lower voiced violin, but the meaning of its name would suggest a cello that tends towards the treble, like the baroque male alto voice, the first lyric voice.

In this programme, we wish to showcase all the voices of the viola, to which the piano adds its crystalline presence, and the orchestra its depth. By opting for this duality, we offer the viola the opportunity to seduce, as a confirmed chamber musician, but also in the too long neglected role of solo instrument in its own right.

It was the Romantics who discovered the powerful chiaroscuro lyricism of this magnificent instrument, capable of expressing the most subtle of nuances and of communicating with our most sensitive side.

It is through three Romantic composers, three marked and charismatic identities that we summon this lyrical power.

Russian Romanticism with Rachmaninov, Italian "Bel Canto" with Paganini, German lyricism with Bruch - these are just a few examples of the viola's versatility, and of the need to explore its entire range, from the highest to the lowest notes, and all the colours in between, from the most dazzling to the most dulcet...

Reviews on... -> Radio Coteaux - Froggy's delight

Niccolò Paganini  Sonata per la Grand Viola, MS 70

Sergei Rachmaninov  Sonate pour violoncelle, op.19

Max Bruch  Romance, op.85

Loan Cazal, viola

Guillaume Masson - piano
Nicolas Krüger - conductor
Ensemble Libertalia