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.