Artist: Antoine Tamestit, Cédric Tiberghien
Album: Bel Canto: The Voice of the Viola
Genre: Classical
Release Date: 2017
Audio Format:: FLAC (tracks) 24bit, 96 kHz
Duration: 01:05:13
Total Tracks: 10
Total Size: 1,16 GB

Tracklist:

Henri Vieuxtemps (1820-1881)
Viola Sonata in B-Flat Major, Op. 36
1 I. Maestoso – Allegro 11:37
2 II. Barcarolla. Andante con moto 06:30
3 III. Finale scherzando. Allegretto 04:05

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
4 La Fille du Régiment, Act I, Scene 11: Air de Marie “Il faut partir” (Arr. for Piano & Viola) 05:54

Henri Vieuxtemps
5 Elegie in F Minor, Op. 30 06:47

Gaetano Donizetti
6 La Favorita, Act III, Scene 4: Air de Léonore “Ô mon Fernand” (Arr. for Piano & Viola) 03:40

Jacques-Féréol Mazas (1782-1849)
7 Le Songe, Op. 92: Elégie sur un thème de La Favorite 11:58

Casimir Ney (1801-1877)
8 Prelude No. 15 for Solo Viola 04:58

Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
9 Norma, Act I, Scene 1: Air de Norma “Casta Diva” (Arr. for Piano & Viola) 06:15

Henri Vieuxtemps
10 Capriccio for Solo Viola, Op. 55 03:25

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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. (Text from harmonia mundi label)