John Woolrich(1954)
∗in Cirencester, England
maleComposerGB
Konrad Ewald
The composer on his Farewell: «There is no hidden programme for this little trio, but the title, used by John Dowland for consort and viola music, has its own resonance.» The difficulties are especially in ensemble playing, thus the edition contains plenty of helpful cues. It is (ilke many of John Woolrich's works) a calm, unobstrusive composition. In The Death of King Renaud, he combined the viola with a string quartet, in Ulysses Awakes with an Ensemble of 10 string players. It is «based on music from Monteverdi's opera 'Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria' ... Woolrich's Stravinskian desire to practice the art of loving recomposition on his favourite music».
Out of the «Three Pieces» for viola solo, John Woolrich says: «I drew these 3 pieces from the viola concerto I wrote for Paul Silverthorne in 1993. The Concerto is a cycle of seven bleak and brooding songs-without-words. Each 'song' contains an allusion, sometimes hidden, to an opera, song or madrigal...» In 2002 , John Woolrich also wrote a competition piece for the «Linoel Tertis International Viola Competition» 2003: Through a Limbeck, obviously for professionals.
Out of the «Three Pieces» for viola solo, John Woolrich says: «I drew these 3 pieces from the viola concerto I wrote for Paul Silverthorne in 1993. The Concerto is a cycle of seven bleak and brooding songs-without-words. Each 'song' contains an allusion, sometimes hidden, to an opera, song or madrigal...» In 2002 , John Woolrich also wrote a competition piece for the «Linoel Tertis International Viola Competition» 2003: Through a Limbeck, obviously for professionals.