Suite in Old Style

This suite was written as an homage to Rameau, the theatre of his ballets and condensed short movements bursting with drama and decoration have long captured my imagination. Therefore I set out to present a series of glimpses from the life of an imagined 18th century aristocratic household, not too distant from the surroundings that Rameau himself might have found himself whilst under the protection of his wealthy financiers.

A structural symmetry was important for me, so the opening fanfare returns as a postlude. The solo viola is at first offstage and enters with an elaborate solo marking a ‘return from hunting’. Then follows a waltz through the opulent corridors of the imagined stately home. The slow movement at the heart of the Suite presents duets between the solo viola and members of the orchestra, in the spirit of the concerto grosso, The riddle of the following fugato movement centres around the use of Rameau’s name to make the main melody and then appear in a number of different guises. After a reprise of the hunting material, this time accompanied by the strings the soloist joins the ensemble for a final rendition of the fanfare.

This is the second in a series of suites written for Maxim Rysanov- the first being Pirin for solo viola and most recently Suite in Jazz Style for viola and piano.