Viola Spaces (eight concert studies) (2007)
Nine fingers (3:35)
Garth Knox with Johannes Eva and Julien Heichelbech on violas
One finger (3:36)
Garth Knox with Cyprien Busolini and Aurélien Grais on violas
Beside the bridge (2:52)
Garth Knox with Aurélien Grais on violas
Ghosts (2:04)
Garth Knox with Johannes Eva and Julien Heichelbech on violas
Harmonic horizon (4:47)
Garth Knox with Johannes Eva and Julien Heichelbech on violas
Rapid repeat (4:03)
Garth Knox with Johannes Eva, Julien Heichelbech and Marie Petit on violas
In between (4:07)
Garth Knox with Johannes Eva on violas
Up, down, sideways, round (3:05)
Garth Knox with Cyprien Busolini and Aurélien Grais on violas
Viola Spaces Variations on Marin Marais for 4 violas (2007) (9:55)
Garth Knox with Johannes Eva, Julien Heichelbech and Marie Petit on violas
La Valse de la Vineuse for viola d’amore, clarinet, violin and cello (2005) (8:52)
Carol Robinson, clarinet
Nathalie Chabot, violin
Agnès Vesterman, cello
Jonah and the Whale for viola and tuba (1996) (10:54)
Gérard Buquet, tuba
Ockeghem Fantasy for viola d’amore and 5 violas (2001) (10:19)
Garth Knox with Johannes Eva, Julien Heichelbech, Marie Petit, Cyprien Busolini and Aurélien Grais on violas
* FIRST RECORDINGS
Garth Knox is known as a viola player and a champion of new music, having played with the Arditti Quartet and the Ensemble Intercontemporain for seven years each before emerging as a soloist on both viola and viola d’amore in recent years. On this CD we hear not only his distinctive performing style but also his original compositions.
In each of the eight studies that make up “Viola Spaces”, the music is based on a simple concept – a particular way of causing the strings to resonate. Although conceived as a series of concert studies, these pieces soon take on a life of their own, creating vast musical (viola) spaces to which you can bring your own stories and pictures. From a clearly defined constraint, the music bursts out of the instruments.
These techniques include studies in sul ponticello, glissandi, tremelo, etc., but all the while entertaining to listen to.
In addition to the viola ensemble etudes, the CD features Knox’s compositions “Jonah and the Whale” for the unusual duo of viola and tuba, and “La Valse de la Vineuse” for clarinet, violin, viola and cello.
Garth Knox’s fantasy on “Malor me bat” by Johannes Ockegem features his performance on the viola d’amore together with 5 violas. Knox was inspired to work on this due to Luigi Nono’s Ockegem quotation in his string quartet “An Diotoma”.
This release coincides with Schott’s publication of the scores to the “Viola Spaces” etudes, of great interest to violists and for educational purposes.
The CD will be mentioned in Schott’s publicity and advertising for the etudes.
Liner notes by Garth Knox and Jane O’Leary.
Defective Recall:
The initial pressing of this CD has a defect on Track 12, where 2 tracks are heard simultaneoulsy. You can identify these copies by their CD label: the background of the photo is transparent to the disc surface; the corrected pressings will look more photographic and the label serial number will read “mode 207A”. Defective pressings may be returned to Mode for exchange.