Performers
Martin Ruman viola
Alena Hučková piano
Program
Johannes Brahms
Viola Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1
Darius Milhaud
Visages (4) for viola and piano, Op. 238
Daniel Rumler
Ciaccona (first performance)
Dmitri Shostakovich
Viola Sonata, Op. 147
Principal viola player of the Slovak Philharmonic Martin Ruman together with his court pianist Alena Hučková last performed publicly in recitals in 2020, during a series of concerts without an audience, during the pandemic. He wants to win the favor of the audience by choosing the most significant works from the viola repertoire. The viola sonata by the experienced sixty-year-old Johannes Brahms was originally composed for clarinet and piano. However, the sonata was reworked by the author and became an essential gem for all violists. At the end of his life, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his swan song in the form of the Viola Sonata. The parade of his role models, encoded in quotations of motifs from their works, was implanted into the personal confession of a person contemplating eternal rest. Jazz and polytonality are hidden in four sketches by Darius Milhaud. In an effort to innovate and expand their own as well as the viola repertoire, Ruman challenged his fellow musician, violinist, and composer Daniel Rumler to compose a new work. The technical challenge of Rumler's Chaconne will be seen in its premiere at the concert.