A Voice of Velvet

The programme showcases the distinctive character of the viola—rich, soft, and profoundly expressive—performed by Timothy Ridout, DVCO Artist-in-Residence and a leading contemporary violist. Ridout, a former BBC New Generation Artist, Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellow, and First Prize winner of the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, as well as recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award, delivers nuanced interpretations featuring remarkable sensitivity and tonal beauty. He performs Bruch's Romance for Viola and Orchestra, brimming with lyrical warmth, and Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata, presented here in Tabakova's orchestral arrangement for viola and strings. The evening also features the forceful Quartettsatz from Schubert's String Quartet No.12, and Joseph Vella's Rapsodija Maltija, which draws inspiration from Maltese folk music. The concert culminates with Mendelssohn's String Octet, arranged for string orchestra—a remarkably sophisticated work composed when Mendelssohn was merely sixteen years old, closing the programme with youthful vitality and virtuosic flair. Carmine Lauri, Music Director Timothy Ridout, Viola, DVCO Artist-in-Residence Programme: Max Bruch: Romance for Viola and Orchestra in F Major, Op.85 Franz Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D.821, arr. D.Tabakova for Viola and String Orchestra Franz Schubert: String Quartett No.12 in C minor, D.703, "Quartettsatz" Joseph Vella Rapsodija Maltija for Violin and String Orchestra, Op.26 Felix Mendelssohn: Bartholdy String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20