With this unexpected, subtle masterpiece, Walton established himself as a major composing talent; Julian Haylock finds the best recordings of his Viola Concerto <\/p>
Walton\u2019s Viola Concerto established at a <\/span>stroke his unique creative voice. For several <\/span>years he had tried distilling the dazzling stylistic range of his Fa\u00e7ade <\/i>(1921) into a convincing long-range structure. There are <\/span>hints of what was to come in the Portsmouth <\/i><\/span>Point<\/i> overture and orchestral Siesta<\/i>, as well as 1927\u2019s Sinfonia Concertante for piano and orchestra.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Yet, as The Times<\/i> remarked as part of a generally enthusiastic review of the latter, \u2018Mr. Walton has not yet fully found his individuality\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n In 1928, on a winter holiday in Amalfi, Italy, Walton<\/a> <\/strong>began making provisional sketches for the Viola Concerto, but his heart wasn\u2019t really in it. <\/span><\/p>\n It was the conductor Thomas Beecham<\/a> <\/strong>who had first suggested he write a concerto for British viola supremo, Lionel Tertis \u2013 although Walton was at a loss to see why. At the time, Walton could barely stand the instrument, which he thought made \u2018an awful sound\u2019, and could recall only one decent piece of viola music, Berlioz<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Harold in Italy<\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Yet Beecham had clearly spotted something conducive in Walton\u2019s emerging style to the viola\u2019s soulful musical voice \u2013 the sense of a lone introspective pitted against the combined might of a modern symphony orchestra. As the 26-year-old Walton warmed to his task, he discovered this was indeed the perfect vehicle for uniting the seemingly disparate elements in his musical personality. <\/span><\/p>\n The nostalgic longing at the heart of his creative universe became fused with a rhythmic pizzazz, harmonic pungency and melodic vitality that would become indelible trademarks of his later work. Not only that, but he fully immersed himself in the viola\u2019s elusive soundworld, combining its natural flair for bittersweet cantabile<\/i> eloquence with a previously unsuspected penchant for pyrotechnics.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Convinced he had a masterwork on his hands, Walton duly sent the completed manuscript to Tertis for his approval. However, in their enthusiasm, both Beecham and Walton had overlooked Tertis\u2019s conservative nature. <\/span><\/p>\n Declaring the work \u2018too modern\u2019, Tertis flatly refused to play it. It was only after attending the premiere, with \u2018shame and contrition\u2019 (as he put it in his autobiography), that he dramatically revised his opinion and became an enthusiastic advocate.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
When did Walton compose his Viola Concerto?<\/h2>\n
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