The orchestra of clarinets, horns, and strings starts off this concerto's infectiously happy opening Allegro with several glidingly lyrical ideas. Strings are always in the lead with the winds providing coloristic sustained notes. The opening tutti has the breadth and sweep if not the key scheme of a symphonic exposition. The viola enters with an embellished version of the opening idea and proceeds to hold forth in solo passages that combine singing melodies and virtuosic passage work. There is an extended tutti passage in the middle of the movement, and near the end there are two short ones framing the cadenza. The subsequent Andante moderato consists mostly of a wistfully introspective cantilena for viola with a few interjections from the tutti. The concluding rondo resumes the tone of the first movement. The soloist starts off with a gracefully elegant tune and eventually moves on to more virtuosic matters. There is a pensive digression to the minor mode along the way, and there are several short tutti passages throughout the movement.

© Aaron Rabushka, Rovi