To me, this is an alternative way of practising instead of using the metronome.įor the left hand, it’s good to play glissando in the different phrases: glissandi are important in Walton as it is part of his style.
This way, you get a reality check on whether the rhythms are played accurately. By doing this you get an awareness of how the beats are conducted, particularly when time signatures change (which happens quite a few times in Walton!), so you achieve a greater understanding of how the pulse is taken forward. Something I’ve tried to do every time I practise a concerto is to actually conduct the piece as well. One can easily fall into practising the concerto with lots of rubato, without knowing what the other orchestral voices do in the accompaniment. Something that should not be forgotten is the pulse. Dynamics are not only a description of volume but should also be considered a character description. What is important in Walton (and all other viola concertos) is to simply change all the dynamics one-two steps up. Walton orchestrates with density, therefore the balance becomes difficult. The violist is notoriously challenged with regard to carrying the sound out to the concert hall with an orchestra behind them. The big challenge in Walton, as in most concertos, is the balance between soloist and orchestra. Balance between the soloist and orchestra So my first advice is to make sure you look at Walton’s markings in the viola part – you will find many interesting new things and a greater understanding of the work.ġ. What naturally happens is that one starts to focus on Riddle’s markings and forgets to look at Walton’s. There are two sets of tempos the one with a strong text is Riddle’s tempo and Walton’s is soft. In addition to these markings one can also see soft markings in the solo part. Dynamics, slurs, tempo changes and fingerings are clearly marked in the viola part. In the Oxford edition, Riddle made a lot of new markings to the solo viola part. In my opinion it is a good edition because Riddle worked with Walton himself and made the first recording of the concerto with the composer conducting. The viola and piano reduction was published by violist Frederick Riddle. The edition that most violists have today is from the publisher Oxford University Press. It’s written for a big orchestra where all the parts are very demanding. In addition to the demanding solo part, the concerto also has a broad symphonic character. It has everything from slow alluring melodies to fast and virtuosic passages. Walton’s Concerto for Viola is today considered a standard work for the violist as it shows many sides of the instrument, both technically and musically.
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