Sonata
for viola solo

The Sonata for viola evolved from a great deal of improvisation, in addition to musical ideas and technical combinations acquired through years of daily contact with my Nicolo Amati viola. Only when the piece began taking shape did I realize that its blend of Middle-Eastern and Balkan flavours was a reflection of great longing for my childhood, and for the music of 1950's Israel.
The first movement, "Melancholia", makes use of the wistful, soulful quality of the viola sound. It is played with "expressive intonation". Notes marked with – are lowered almost (but not quite) a quarter tone, thus enhancing the melancholic character of the movement and, also, hinting at Middle-Eastern music. Other expressive devises such as some rubato flautanto sound, and various amounts and types of vibrato should be sparingly applied as well.
The second movement, "Alla Bulgrarese", relates more to music I heard as a child in Tel-Baruch – a community of immigrants from Bulgaria – than to the scherzo from Bartok›s String Quartet No. 5 from which I have borrowed the title (and maybe a little more).
The third movement, "Finale sul ponticello", is a caprice in which I attempt to shake away some of "nostalgia" previously reveraled.
I premiered the Sonata for viola Chicago, at the 22nd International Viola Congress, June 1993.

Atar Arad