Richard Lane

Aria and Allegro

Richard Lane composed Aria and Allegro for solo viola and string orchestra (as well as with piano reduction) in December 1990. Viola virtuoso Emanuel Vardi (1915-2011, Principal Viola in the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini) recommended that the American Viola Society commission Lane to write Aria and Allegro as the competition piece for the Primrose International Viola Competition held June 12-16, 1991 at the Ithaca College School of Music (New York) during the XIX International Viola Congress. The 1st prize honors included a solo performance with the U.S. Air Force String Orchestra for the world premiere of this major new work for viola and orchestra by the eminent American composer Richard Lane. The 1st prize winner of the 1991 competition was Kirsten Docter, a student at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Ohio), now Associate Professor of Viola at that institution and formerly the violist with the Cavani String Quartet. Docter commented that 'Aria and Allegro is a beautifully rhapsodic piece with sections of rhythmic excitement. Lane took full advantage of the complete viola range, featuring the richness of the lower strings and the singing quality of the higher registers. Lane's use of scales and arpeggios, as well as 3rds and 6ths are utilized in a virtuosic way in this piece.'

Note to performers:
While Richard Lane notated articulations in his manuscripts, he was also known for giving performers much freedom to explore other possibilities. In the spirit of Richard Lane's approach to articulations, performers are also encouraged to find appropriate alternative interpretative solutions.
This publication was made possible with support from the American Viola Society.
Demosthenes Dimitrakoulakos, February 2017, Luxembourg