Instrument: Viola
Hometown: St. Paul, Minn.
Piece: Henri-Gustave Casadesus/Handel — Viola Concerto in the Style of Handel I. Allegro moderato
Why did you choose this piece?
I chose this piece because it was a technical challenge, and I found the origin interesting. The fact that Casadesus wrote such a Baroque-sounding piece, claiming it was a long-lost work of Handel, and got away with it for as long as he did was amusing to me. I also enjoy listening to and playing Baroque music. The technical bits that were most challenging were coming in accurately after the rests and the higher positions. For example, it was difficult after several measures of rests to accurately play a B in 6th position on the first note. The phrasing was also a challenge, but eventually developing a sense of the emphasis on the 1st and 3rd beats did help with the rest of the technical work. This piece also required me to trust myself. Even on the recording, I got stage fright; I had to overcome doubts several times (say, about a fingering that I had even practiced several times) to push through the music and continue playing as melodically as possible.
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