Nils Monkemeyer – Vivaldi – Paganini – Tartini (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Since the viola is currently considered an instrument for soloist in its own right (these days, in the early 21st century) and no longer an auxiliary to fill out the middle range within an ensemble, its thin repertoire is sorely felt. For example, of the five hundred concertos composed by Vivaldi for the most diverse instruments, not one is dedicated to the viola. Only the viola d’amore comes close in terms of its tessitura, but its tuning and the presence of sympathetic strings make it very different from the viola. Violists therefore generally resort to transcription if they want to access the repertoire of their fellow violinists or cellists. This is the project proposed here by the German violist Nils Mönkemeyer. Born in 1978, he studied violin in the city of Bremen before moving on to the viola, not an exceptional path in those days.

His new album is dedicated to Italy, with various arrangements of concertos for bassoon and cello by Vivaldi, and pieces by Rolla and Tartini. The real discovery of this programme is Niccolo Paganini’s Sonata per la Grand’Viola. Paganini, we note, was also a virtuoso violist. The high-wire virtuosity of this work is enhanced in this recording by a slow cadence imagined by this German Paganini. Mönkemeyer knows how to capture the imagination, the technique and the codes of his distant role model, but does so using a radically modern language. The effect is stunning. – François Hudry

Tracklist:
1. Nils Monkemeyer – I. Presto (Arr. for Viola and Chamber Orchestra) (03:20)
2. Nils Monkemeyer – II. Largo ((Arr. for Viola and Chamber Orchestra) (03:30)
3. Nils Monkemeyer – III. Allegro (Arr. for Viola and Chamber Orchestra) (03:00)
4. Nils Monkemeyer – Violin Concerto in D Major, RV 208 “Il Grosso Mogul”: Cadenza (Arr. for Viola Solo) (03:23)
5. Nils Monkemeyer – I. Allegro (Arr. for Viola and Chamber Orchestra) (03:32)
6. Nils Monkemeyer – II. Adagio (Arr. for Viola and Chamber Orchestra) (04:17)
7. Nils Monkemeyer – III. Allegro (Arr. for Viola and Chamber Orchestra) (03:23)
8. Nils Monkemeyer – Arpeggio in E-Flat Major, BI 7 (01:54)
9. Nils Monkemeyer – Variation 1-6 (03:46)
10. Nils Monkemeyer – Variation 7-18 (04:42)
11. Nils Monkemeyer – Variation 23 (05:58)
12. Nils Monkemeyer – 6 Pezzi di Murie Ridotti per Viola Solo: Romanza nell’Otello (03:30)
13. Nils Monkemeyer – Sonata per la Grand’ Viola e Orchestra, Op. 35/MS70: Introduzione – Cadenza by Nils Mönkemeyer (03:37)
14. Nils Monkemeyer – Sonata per la Grand’ Viola e Orchestra, Op. 35/MS70: Cantabile. Andante sostenuto (03:02)
15. Nils Monkemeyer – 3 Notturni Brillanti per Viola Sola: I. Di volo (Cadenza) (01:58)
16. Nils Monkemeyer – Sonata per la Grand’ Viola e Orchestra, Op. 35/MS70: Tema (01:10)
17. Nils Monkemeyer – Sonata per la Grand’ Viola e Orchestra, Op. 35/MS70: Variazione I (01:11)
18. Nils Monkemeyer – Sonata per la Grand’ Viola e Orchestra, Op. 35/MS70: Variazione II (02:24)
19. Nils Monkemeyer – Sonata per la Grand’ Viola e Orchestra, Op. 35/MS70: Variazione III (00:55)
20. Nils Monkemeyer – Sonata per la Grand’ Viola e Orchestra, Op. 35/MS70: Coda (01:40)