Antoine Tamestit - Bel Canto. The Voice of the Viola (2017/2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Here the diva is the viola! How did the viola move from the status of ‘dramatic contralto among instrumental voices’ (to quote the critic Henri Blanchard) to ‘a character of nobility and languor’, according to Georg Kastner’s treatise on instrumentation (1837)? Going well beyond mere historical interest, this album answers the question by unveiling the charms of a repertory that delighted Parisian concert halls and salons throughout the 19th century. It tells the story of an instrument that at last emerged from the violin’s shadow thanks to immense virtuosos; and now the talent of two great musicians of our time brings back to life these pieces which offer much more than the exquisite languors of bel canto. The diva is the viola; its servant is named Antoine Tamestit.

TRACKLIST

01. Antoine Tamestit - Viola Sonata in B-Flat Major, Op. 36: I. Maestoso-Allegro
02. Antoine Tamestit - Viola Sonata in B-Flat Major, Op. 36: II. Barcarolla. Andante con moto
03. Antoine Tamestit - Viola Sonata in B-Flat Major, Op. 36: III. Finale scherzando. Allegretto
04. Antoine Tamestit - La Fille du Régiment, Act I, Scene 11: Air de Marie "Il faut partir" (Arr. for Piano & Viola)
05. Antoine Tamestit - Elegie in F Minor, Op. 30
06. Antoine Tamestit - La Favorita, Act III, Scene 4: Air de Léonore "Ô mon Fernand" (Arr. for Piano & Viola)
07. Antoine Tamestit - Le Songe, Op. 92: Elégie sur un thème de La Favorite
08. Antoine Tamestit - Prelude No. 15 for Solo Viola
09. Antoine Tamestit - Norma, Act I, Scene 1: Air de Norma "Casta Diva" (Arr. for Piano & Viola)
10. Antoine Tamestit - Capriccio for Solo Viola, Op. 55



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