Fall Concert Program Notes: Bruch’s Romanze for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85

Posted on November 3, 2016

Samuel Zacharia will perform Max Bruch‘s Romanze for Viola and Orchestra at PYP’s Fall Concert on Saturday, November 12, 2016. Click here for more information and to reserve your seats today!

Born in 1838, Max Bruch was known largely as a choral composer during his lifetime. Today, he is remembered by two works for violin and orchestra, his Violin Concerto in G Minor and his Scottish Fantasy. Bruch wrote several pieces for viola near the end of his lifetime, including a Concerto for Clarinet and Viola (commonly played with violin and viola), and the Romanze. A delightful work, it displays two conflicting aspects of love.

The solo viola opens with a tender melody, which gradually expands, leading to a brilliant orchestral interlude. In this lushly lyrical section, the solo viola leads into a new phrase every time it reaches the end of one, conveying an underlying theme of sweet passion. After the interlude, the solo viola rejoins with confidence. A string of triplets leads to a restatement of the theme, and once again the orchestra interjects, now even more strongly. When the solo viola returns, its sixteenth notes belie the orchestra’s peaceful mood. The sweet passion from the opening appears again, yet the sweetness is restricted to the orchestra, leaving the solo viola with only passion; the viola soon leads the orchestra into a tumultuous minor section. The passion is consuming, as the viola seems lost in a world of violent sadness. Yet the solo viola starts to calm, eventually restating the opening, this time with a sense of maturity. The viola and orchestra repeat the previous sections, leading to a transcendent coda. The solo viola diminishes in volume, accompanied by soft chords; with a final twist in tonality, the solo viola exits. It has accepted the darkness of love, and can return to the sweetness without fear.

Program notes by Fall Concert soloist Samuel Zacharia