Henri Vieuxtemps - Music for Viola and Piano (Roberto Diaz; Robert Koenig)

Information

Composer: Henri Vieuxtemps

1. Viola Sonata in B flat major, Op. 36: 1. Maestoso - Allegro
2. Viola Sonata in B flat major, Op. 36: 2. Barcalla. Andante con moto
3. Viola Sonata in B flat major, Op. 36: 3. Finale scherzando. Allegretto
4. Elegie, Op. 30
5. Capriccio for viola solo, Op. posth. 9
6. La Nuit ("Night" from Felicien David's "Le désert")
7. Allegro & Scherzo in B flat major (Unfinished Viola Sonata), Op. posth. 14: 1. Allegro con fuoco
8. Allegro & Scherzo in B flat major (Unfinished Viola Sonata), Op. posth. 14: 2. Scherzo. Grazioso - Trio I - Trio II

Roberto Diaz, viola

Robert Koenig, piano

Date: 2002

Label: Naxos

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Review

Impressive playing from the Philadelphia Orchestra’s first chair violist Roberto Diaz marks this generally fine recording of works by Henri Vieuxtemps. In the B-flat major viola sonata, the best-known work here, Diaz and his accompanist Robert Koenig take the reflective Maestoso preface quite sedately. They’re slower than Nobuko Imai and Roger Vignoles on Chandos, for example, but Diaz’s cavernous tone, especially in the lower registers, is denser and weightier, ideally suited to the music’s serious mood. Later, the main sonata allegro brings effective dynamic contrasts, especially in the second theme, and Koenig is careful to match Diaz’s sensitive con melancholia phrasings during the ensuing Barcarolla.

Although the duo could have managed greater dramatic contrast in the brief animato section part way through, Koenig highlights it later in the reprise, where it’s heard as an accompaniment to the main theme. Both players attack the finale with relish, yet the viola’s taxing figurations are never overshadowed, even when the piano writing becomes similarly complex. The Op. 30 Elegie gets an eloquent performance too, and Diaz’s superbly virtuosic reading of the Capriccio for solo viola isn’t bettered on disc. The 24-bit engineering (produced, incidentally, by guitarist Norbert Kraft) is top-drawer, and Diaz is on masterful form throughout.

— ClassicsToday

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Henry Vieuxtemps (17 February 1820 – 6 June 1881) was a Belgian violinist and composer. A prodigy, he studied with Charles Auguste de Bériot in Brussels, Simon Sechter in Vienna and Anton Reicha in Paris before touring extensively across Europe and the United States. He held teaching positions in St. Petersburg and Brussels. Renowned for his exceptional technical precision and rich tone, Vieuxtemps became one of the leading virtuosos of the 19th century, and his style was widely emulated. As a composer, he was equally innovative, with his violin concertos making important contributions to the development of the form.

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Roberto Díaz is a Chilean-American violist and the president/director of the Curtis Institute of Music. He served as principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1996 to 2006 and previously performed with the National Symphony, the Boston Symphony, and the Minnesota Orchestra. As a member of the Díaz Trio, he performs alongside cellist Andrés Díaz and violinist Andrés Cárdenes. Díaz has earned acclaim for his recordings, including a Grammy-nominated collaboration with pianist Robert Koenig. He currently performs on a 1600 viola crafted by Antonio Amati and Girolamo Amati, formerly owned by William Primrose.

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Robert Koenig is an acclaimed collaborative pianist. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, he studied under Vladimir Sokoloff and later served as a staff pianist at the Juilliard School. He is currently Professor and Head of Collaborative Piano at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Koenig has performed at major venues worldwide and collaborated with leading musicians, including Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn and Elmar Oliveira. His extensive discography includes a Grammy-nominated recording with violist Roberto Díaz. An advocate for contemporary music, he has commissioned and premiered many new works.

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