Laszlo Tihanyi

Frieze - for viola and ensemble (2015) Op 70

The title of the work refers to the ornament-like musical motifs of the solo part. These open the piece and later, during the elaboration of the form, they provide for building blocks. The composition, lasting approximately 12 minutes, includes 13 small formal sections. The first three of them serve as an introduction the presentation of the solo viola, accompanied by percussion istruments, is broken by the interjection of the winds and the piano. The strings appear in Section 4, the first pure Tutti for the first time: the solo instrument is silent here. This is followed by two longer joint sections of the solo and the ensemble in these a classical, responding-contrapuntalrelationship comes to effect between soloist and ensemble players. Section 7 is the first cadenza of the viola, answered by the ensemble alone in Section 8. The next section is a sort of an 'accompanied Toccata', featuring the rapid figurations of the solo instrument. Sections 10 and 12 are further viola cadenzas, with a Tutti between them, 'accompanied' by the viola. In the concluding section musical ideas with farewell or coda-like character, played by the full ensemble, prevail. (László Tihanyi)The piece was premiered by Péter Bársony and the THReNSeMBLe (conducted by the composer) on 3rd May 2016 in Budapest