Tring Chamber Music 2018- Viola, Viola

Many composers turn to the viola when they require a voice of melancholy but as the saying goes, ‘one for sorrow, two for joy’. In this programme we celebrate not least the joyful richness that violas offer. Mozart loved to write an extra viola voice in his works and many consider his string quintets to be the pinnacle of his chamber music output. One of the outstanding British composers of his generation, George Benjamin finds dynamic features in his fascinating ‘Viola, viola’ duo. A fiery and energetic character imposes itself resulting in an almost orchestral depth and variety of sound. With the heavenly vision that is the Adagio movement from Bruckner’s Quintet and the imaginative flair and youthful vitality of Mendelssohn, we have a programme of riches indeed