MUSIC
In this program, I have chosen works by G. Enescu, V. Gaigerova, H. Vieuxtemps, and P. Hindemith. Each of these composers had already developed a deep understanding of their own instrument before turning to composition and was an outstanding performer in their own right. They also share a common thread: while remaining rooted in their national traditions, they each sought to expand and transform these traditions into new musical languages. In their respective eras and cultural contexts, they played vital roles whose efforts and artistic messages continue to inspire us today.
Bringing together the works of these four composers has prompted me to reflect anew on the themes of tradition, innovation, and culture. In each piece, one can feel the composers’ pride in their cultural heritage and their sincere dedication to the evolution of music. In this sense, their voices transcend the boundaries of time, nation, and language — resonating with one another, and with us who continue to live and create in the present day.
G. Enescu: Concert Piece for Viola and Piano
In Romania, a distinct national musical culture emerged relatively late compared to other European nations. G. Enescu, with his international outlook and openness to diverse styles, greatly contributed to the development of Romanian music as a composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, and educator.
The Concert Piece overflows with the youthful passion of the composer. Ever-changing in character, fuses French lyricism with Romanian folk-like melodies, blending inner poetry and energy. Within its refined beauty lies a vibrant strength that embodies the Romanian spirit.
V. Gaigerova:
Suite for Viola and Piano, Op. 8
V. Gaigerova was born on October 17, 1903, in the Moscow region of western Russia, and studied at the Moscow Conservatory. Although much about her life remains obscure, she lived through the turbulent social and political transformations of early 20th-century Soviet history and must have witnessed the uncertainties and hardships of that time.
In this Suite, one can hear a wide range of influences—Scriabin, opera, and beyond—revealing her insatiable curiosity. Gaigerova was deeply interested in the cultures of ethnic minorities within the Soviet Union, collecting, transcribing, and studying folk songs, which she often incorporated into her works. This piece frequently evokes melodies reminiscent of Russian folk songs resonating across vast plains. The choice of the title Suite, rather than Sonata, is meaningful: each movement is brief and vividly contrasting in character.
The first movement of the Suite opens with dramatic piano chords in D minor, followed by a passionate viola melody that seems to struggle to escape from desolation. The second movement is gentler and less tragic, suggesting the warmth of walking with a dear friend or loved one under the summer sun. The third movement is a lively scherzo, evoking hunting scenes or galloping horses, with a heartfelt, lyrical trio section inserted as a brief respite. The fourth movement recalls a funeral march, returning to the desolate atmosphere of the first movement. It ends quietly with an open fifth, D–A, as if accepting an inevitable fate from which there is no escape.
79e CONCOURS DE GENE ` VE
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION Programme note
H. Vieuxtemps: Capriccio in C minor for Viola Solo, Op. 55
H. Vieuxtemps was an exceptional musician, composer, and educator. As the founder of the Franco- Belgian violin school, he profoundly influenced the development of violin pedagogy at the Paris Conservatoire—a legacy later inherited by G. Enescu. Through his teaching at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, he also played a crucial role in the formation of the “Russian Violin School.” The Capriccio for solo viola reflects Vieuxtemps’ outlook on life in his later years. Written in a free, rhapsodic style and in a strict C minor, the piece is imbued with a deeply emotional atmosphere, filled with a sense of solitude and resignation.
P. Hindemith: Sonata for Viola and Piano (1939)
Among P. Hindemith’s sonatas for viola, this final work feels like a culmination of his creative journey. Hindemith was one of the composers who re-examined and revived the tradition of Bach. In his early years, he embraced Bach’s contrapuntal ideals, later passing through an experimental and modernist phase before achieving a personal synthesis between innovation and tradition. The Viola Sonata (1939) embodies his mature artistic vision, combining traditional forms with his characteristic humor and modern sensibility. The first movement features symphonic harmonic development and a fugal middle section; the second, a canon; and the fourth, two variations on a theme reminiscent of an early music dance. Upon this classical framework, Hindemith layers his distinctive harmonic language, the jazz-like rhythmic vitality of the second movement, and the mysterious, fantastical atmosphere of the third. Through this synthesis, we sense his search for a new universality in music.
Ayaka Taniguchi