Search - Michelle LaCourse (viola);Martin Amlin (piano) :: Chocolates: Music for Viola and Piano by James Grant

In 1997, I had the good fortune to be invited to present one of the first performances of James Grants new viola concerto, one movement of which was written in a slow jazz torch song style. I was especially taken with this part of the piece, and shortly after meeting Jim in person during the rehearsal period, I asked him to write me a set of Torch Songs for viola and piano. After the performance of the concerto, riding in Jim s car, I insisted that we had to stop somewhere to get something chocolate. Almost anything would do, as long as it was chocolate. He grinned and chuckled, and produced a small bag of luscious, decadent, completely sinful chocolate truffles that had been waiting in the car as a gift. The title of my piece was decided then and there, and a great friendship and musical collaboration had been launched and toasted, as it were with chocolate. Jim is one of those rare contemporary American composers who enjoy a thriving career outside of academia. His music is fresh and eclectic, exploring a wide variety of harmonic and formal approaches to everything from solo instrumental pieces to major works for symphony orchestra and chorus. Violists have a true fan and a friend in James Grant, whose appreciation for the dark, moody, and rich sounds of the instrument has led him to score an impressive number of pieces for viola. These include works of a fanciful nature, and a number of pieces written in a jazzy, bluesy style, which I believe is a welcome addition to viola recital repertoire. I love the viola repertoire, but I must admit that it is dominated by big, heavy, and somber works (and, I would guess, the highest percentage of elegies in any instrument s rep!). What violist doesn t love the chance to sing high drama through the instrument? But I ve often sought new ways to lighten the mood of viola recital programs while including only truly worthwhile compositions. Jazzy, fun, quirky, sultry, or eccentric are adjectives not often used to describe viola pieces, but here we have a wonderful collection of just that sort, with pieces long and short, presenting a variety of styles and moods, and opportunities to explore the luscious and chocolate sound of the viola. MICHELLE LaCOURSE Violist Michelle LaCourse has appeared as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe and in South America, including recent performances in Italy, Spain, and Brazil. She has performed at numerous festivals such as Aspen, Eastern, Interlochen, Skaneateles, Musicorda, the Heifetz Institute, and the International Festivals of Campos do Jordão, Brazil, and of Positano, Italy. As an orchestral musician, she has performed with the Baltimore Symphony and the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and she was formerly principal violist of the Chamber Orchestra of Grenoble France. She holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she studied with, and was for many years teaching assistant to renowned pedagogue Karen Tuttle. Ms. LaCourse currently teaches viola at Boston University s School of Music, where she is also Chair of the String Department. She performs on a viola made for her in 2000 by Steven Keller of Keller and Son in Philadelphia. Pianist MARTIN AMLIN is Chair of the Composition and Theory Department at Boston University and Director of the Young Artists Composition Program at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. His compositions have been performed throughout the world and are published by the Theodore Presser Company. He has appeared as piano soloist with the Boston Pops Orche