McKinley: Concerto No. 3 for Viola and Orchestra (1992)

I. Lamento
II. Largo (06:48)
III. Prestissimo e diabolico (13:33)

Commissioned by violist Karen Dreyfus for the Manhattan School of Music Orchestra and conductor Glen Cortese. The concerto was premiered on February 22, 1993 with Ms. Dreyfus and the Manhattan School of Music orchestra under the direction or Mr. Cortese. Heard here from a 1995 recoding with the Silesian Philharmonic under the direction of Jerzy Swoboda, and Ms. Dreyfus as viola soloist. The video shows a scan of the pencil on paper original manuscript.

PROGRAM NOTES:
"I have had the good fortune to have worked with and composed for some of America's finest violists, among whom several stand out: James Dunham of the Cleveland Quartet, Marcus Thompson, Walter Trampler, Sol Greitzer, and, most recently, Karen Dreyfus, who will give the world premiere of my Viola Concerto No. 3. It is to the many lessons and experiences taught me by these wonderful violists that my new concerto owes its creative and spiritual stimulus. My third concerto seeks to compress the most resonant tonal areas inherent in the viola, and at the same time, expand these areas into a romantic weave of dialogue and argument. Cast in three movements, there are strong Baroque and Classical reminiscences which nourish the musical narrative in traditional fashion. Throughout the Concerto's extended development, the intrinsic difficulties of balance and compatibility between the solo viola and the orchestra are compensated for in several ways. There are many interspersed cadenzas of varying length, as well as antiphonal passages between solo and tutti and strong orchestral developments which allow the viola to remain silent from time to time. I was not content with 'baby-fied' accompaniments behind the soloist. Rather, I sought a rich and texturally interesting orchestral backdrop, giving the orchestra players an interactive role in the narrative. At the same time, I hoped to preserve and showcase the richness of the viola's most sonorous properties, or dramatis personae if you will. Beyond all explanation, the Concerto strives for direct and visceral communication, so as to draw the listener into its action and emotional drama."
—William Thomas McKinley (© 1993), from 22 Feb 1993 and 23 Feb 1993 programs.

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