William Alwyn
Pastoral Fantasia
Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra
William Alwyn
Pastoral Fantasia
Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra
- Composer William Alwyn
- Edition Piano reduction with part(s)
- Publisher Corda Music Publications
- Order no. CMP-601
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Description:
Some forty years since his death, Alwyn is now being acknowledged as a composer with an individual yet still distinctly English style, whose music is rightly being re-discovered and more widely performed. This rhapsodic soliloquy for solo viola and string orchestra was composed in 1939 and performed in wartime Britain by Watson Forbes. It disappeared after World War 2 and came to light again only at the end of the 20th century.
This is the first published edition of the work. It was first recorded by Stephen Tees and the City of London Sinfonia directed by Richard Hickox on Chandos CHAN 9065 CD and by several other artists subsequently. Full score and orchestral parts are available to purchase. The piano reduction was made by Alwyn himself at the time of composition. The original manuscripts were used to compile this edition, overseen by John White. It can be performed in a solo recital with viola and piano, or the piano reduction can be used for rehearsal with the soloist. Duration 13 minutes.
All the string parts are divisi, sometimes into as many as 4 parts. Minimum forces as suggested by William Alwyn himself would typically be 6 x Violin I, 6 x Violin II, 4 x Viola, 4 x Cello, 2 x Double Bass. The first performance in 1940 had larger forces than this. It is just possible (with some creative re-allocation of parts) to perform the work with 4-4-3-2-1, but this is not always ideal.
A minimum set of parts for orchestral performance is therefore suggested as: 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 - 1 = 11 orchestral parts. However, you can order different quantities if forces available are going to be different. Please specify exactly what you need, or contact us if in doubt.
This is the first published edition of the work. It was first recorded by Stephen Tees and the City of London Sinfonia directed by Richard Hickox on Chandos CHAN 9065 CD and by several other artists subsequently. Full score and orchestral parts are available to purchase. The piano reduction was made by Alwyn himself at the time of composition. The original manuscripts were used to compile this edition, overseen by John White. It can be performed in a solo recital with viola and piano, or the piano reduction can be used for rehearsal with the soloist. Duration 13 minutes.
All the string parts are divisi, sometimes into as many as 4 parts. Minimum forces as suggested by William Alwyn himself would typically be 6 x Violin I, 6 x Violin II, 4 x Viola, 4 x Cello, 2 x Double Bass. The first performance in 1940 had larger forces than this. It is just possible (with some creative re-allocation of parts) to perform the work with 4-4-3-2-1, but this is not always ideal.
A minimum set of parts for orchestral performance is therefore suggested as: 3 - 3 - 2 - 2 - 1 = 11 orchestral parts. However, you can order different quantities if forces available are going to be different. Please specify exactly what you need, or contact us if in doubt.