Airat Ichmouratov Airat Rafailovich Ichmouratov (, Tatar language, Tatar Cyrillic: Айрат Рафаил улы Ишмурат,) born 28 June 1973, is a Volga Tatar born Russians, Russian / Canadians, Canadian composer, conducting, conductor and klezmer clarin ...

's Three Romances for Viola, Strings, and Harp Op. 22, was composed during the summer of 2009. Ateş Orga stated that Three Romances are an affectionate character portrayal of Eleonora Turovsky (1939–2012) to whom the composition is dedicated and was written as a birthday gift. It was first performed at a surprise birthday concert at

University of Montreal A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

on 23 September 2009 by her pupils.

Dedication

Three Romances for Viola, Strings, and Harp are dedicated to Eleonora Turovsky who was a Soviet-born

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists * List of contemporary classical violinists * List of jazz violinists * List of popular music violinists * List of Indian violinists * List of Persian violinists * Li ...

, the

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...

of I Musici de Montréal, the chamber orchestra founded in 1983 by her husband, renown cellist and conductor

Yuli Turovsky Yuli Turovsky OC CQ (Russian: Юлий Туровский; 7 June 193915 January 2013) was a Soviet-born Canadian cellist, conductor and music educator. His name is mostly associated with the I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra, which he f ...

. Airat Ichmouratov collaborated with I Musici de Montréal on multiple occasions. In 2011, replacing Yuli Turovsky on short notice, Ichmouratov conducted the orchestra on tour in USA, Brazil and Peru. Eleonora Turovsky taught violin and viola at the Université de Montréal from 1991 to 2012. One of her viola students was Elvira Misbakhova, a Canadian violist, today the principal viola of

Orchestre Métropolitain The Orchestre Métropolitain (, OM) is a symphony orchestra in Montréal, Québec, formed in 1981. It performs primarily in the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts but also at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier and Théâtre Maisonneuve. Outside th ...

, who premiered Three Romances as soloist at University of Montreal. The Romances had their public première 16 May 2012 by Elvira Misbakhova with I Musici de Montréal conducted by the composer.

Analysis

The work comprises three separate

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

: # Moderato – Andante – Adagio # Adagio # Largo A typical performance of the work lasts around 21 minutes In the first Romance, a graceful and sustained theme evokes the sensation of a spring awakening, mirroring the ebb and flow of a gentle breeze. In the subsequent variation, harp accompaniment enhances the richness of the string texture, while the viola line gradually comes to life. The Second Romance is a slow-moving ostinato. Its main theme rises and as the layers build, a new, more rhythmic theme is introduced. The music becomes more emphatic. After tutti culmination the tension is resolved during a brief recitative and the viola leads into a concluding variation over the opening ostinato sequence. The third Romance was written under the influence of

Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

and

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded ...

. We could see it partly through the atmosphere reminiscent of Mahler's Fifth Symphony's Adagietto and also through the incorporation of expressive long suspensions within the opening motif of the primary theme. According to Keith Horner the notable leap of a seventh in this motif is inspired by one of the themes found in the final movement of Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony. He mentions that Ichmouratov acknowledges this motif as his personal 'Fate' motif, which could be found in such works as his String Octet "Letter from an Unknown Woman", the String Quartet N4 Op.35, Second Cello Concerto, Flute Concerto and Second Concerto Grosso. Airat Ichmouratov with Yuli and Eleonora Turovsky

Airat Ichmouratov with Yuli and Eleonora Turovsky

Instrumentation

Three Romances are scored for solo viola, string orchestra and harp.

Recording

Chandos Records Chandos Records is a British independent classical music recording company based in Colchester. It was founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.

Critical reception

The recording of Three Romances for Viola gained average-to-positive reviews. Carlos Maria Solare of

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello, and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and ...

wrote: "Three Romances for viola, strings and harp creates a rustling accompaniment for the soloist to unfold its carefree song over". Ateş Orga of ClassicalSource.com wrote: "The Three Romances for viola and strings with harp ''obbligato'' – a musical portrait of the violinist Eleonora Turovsky – ravish at every turn". David Guttman of

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

wrote: "The Three Romances for viola and orchestra, Op 22, mine a more wistful seam".

References

External links

Three Romances for Viola, Strings, and Harp Op.22
complete recording
Airat Ichmouratov – Official websiteCanadian Music Centre
{{Portal bar, Classical Music, Canada Compositions by Airat Ichmouratov 2009 compositions Compositions for viola and orchestra Music with dedications 21st-century classical music Compositions for string orchestra Romance (music)