From the tenderness of Fauré's songs to the famous Sonata by Franck, via Honnoré, Büsser and Enescu, the viola here champions the French School in its widest sense: full of lyricism, sophistication and intensity, here is a programme to match the abilities of Timothy Ridout and his partner at the piano, Jonathan Ware.

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1

Honnoré: Morceau de concert, op.23
2

Fauré: Mai, op.1 no.2 (transcr. Ridout)
3

Fauré: Le Papillon et la fleur, op.1 no.1 (transcr. Ridout)
4

Büsser: Appassionato in C sharp minor, op.34
5

Fauré: Les Berceaux, op.23 no.1 (transcr. Ridout)
6

Fauré: Clair de lune, op.46 no.2 (transcr. Ridout)
7

Enescu: Concertstück
8

Fauré: Après un rêve, op.7 no.2 (transcr. Ridout)
9

Fauré: Nell, op.18 no.1 (transcr. Ridout)
10

Franck: Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8 (transcr. Ridout): 1. Allegretto ben moderato
11

Franck: Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8 (transcr. Ridout): 2. Allegro
12

Franck: Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8 (transcr. Ridout): 3. Recitativo-Fantasia. Ben moderato Molto lento
13

Franck: Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8 (transcr. Ridout): 4. Allegretto poco mosso

Europadisc Review

The artistry, technical accomplishment and expressive engagement that are hallmarks of Timothy Ridout’s playing made his disc of music for solo viola by Telemann, J.S. Bach, Britten and Caroline Shaw a worthy winner of our 2025 Disc of the Year. His latest release on the Harmonia Mundi is no less engrossing, although it has a narrower historical and geographic focus. Entitled ‘Alto appassionato’, it contains a similar mix of original works for viola and arrangements by Ridout himself. Three test pieces composed for Paris Conservatoire exams and awards alternate with arrangements of songs by Fauré, and the recital is capped by a fearless account of one of the classics of the violin sonata repertoire.

First of the three test pieces is the Morceau de concert, op.23 (1904), by the all but forgotten Léon Honnoré (1859–1930), which starts with the piano in media res, as if we’d leapt into the finale of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, before the viola is put through its paces with a cadenza-like section featuring double stops. The work soon takes on a more lyrical dimension, and builds to a climax full of rich resonance even at the top of the range. It is the more introspective passages, including the very close, with harmonics that earned the scorn of one contemporary critic (‘The viola… has no business playing harmonics, which are not its province but that of the violin’), which stay in the memory, particularly in Ridout’s tender account.

Dating from six years later, the Appassionato which lends the disc its title is by Henri Büsser (1872–1973), now best known for his orchestrations of Debussy’s Printemps and Petite Suite. This is another piece that begins in the thick of things, more contemporary sounding but still steeped in musical Romanticism. Here again the viola’s expressive capabilities are tested, particularly its rich lower register, while pianist Jonathan Ware creates some limpid textures when the music takes a more Impressionistic turn. The haunting central section is particularly captivating, and the range of Ridout’s expressive arsenal elevates this work, too, far above its academic roots. Enescu’s Concertstück of 1908 is another test piece, again combining virtuoso and lyrical demands, and at eight-and-a-half minutes it is the most ambitious of the three. Its expansive tone, with frequent sustained double stops, suits the warmth and depth of Ridout’s playing, yet he is also capable of exquisite delicacy and laser-like focus when the music demands it.

Woven between these test pieces are arrangements of six mélodies by Fauré, in lovingly tender transcriptions which range from the delightful waltz-like Le Papillon et la fleur, written at the age of just sixteen, to the fragile beauty of Clair de lune, where both Ridout and Ware achieve a tone that is both refined and gently yet exquisitely touching. These performances exploit the viola’s unique cantabile qualities, guaranteed to disarm anyone who still thinks of the instrument as simply the workhorse of the orchestra and string quartet. Listening to Ridout’s rapt account of Après un rêve, which starts in the viola’s lower register but eventually transports the tune an octave higher, one is carried away as much as by any vocal performance, and any text seems (dare one say it?) superfluous. The poetic ardour and delight in nature of Nell is just as engaging, while in Les Berceaux the warm, introspective tenor-register melody is underpinned by a gently rocking piano accompaniment.

The disc is crowned by an extraordinary performance of César Franck’s great Violin Sonata of 1886, which keeps not only to the original key but also, for much of the time, to the same register as the violin version. What the music gains from this adaptation (which requires absolute command of the viola’s higher reaches) is a fuller resonance which perfectly suits the music’s full-bodied qualities. The opening movement has more reflective depth in this viola transcription, while the urgently impulsive Allegro of the second movement suggests, even more than usual, an emotional maelstrom, full of passionate yearning. The soulfulness of the Recitativo-Fantasia third movement is intensified both by the arrangement and by Ridout’s deeply engaged and finely nuanced playing, ranging from full-blown abandon to astonishing refinement.

Resolving all the work’s varied emotional undercurrents, the closing Allegretto has a smile to it that would be hard to achieve in quite the same way on the violin (or, for that matter, the cello). In the upper register, there’s an unforgettable ringing quality to the playing which banishes forever memories of strained viola sections in school orchestras. Between them, Ridout and Ware deliver a transcendent performance which, quite apart from its jaw-dropping technical aplomb, deserves to stand alongside any of the great performances of this music on disc.

As a journey into the tightly-knit world of late 19th- and early 20th-century Paris, this is a thoroughly absorbing album, vividly recorded in the Yehudi Menuhin School at Stoke d’Abernon by producer Andrew Keener and engineer Dave Rowell. It’s yet another superb addition to Timothy Ridout’s burgeoning discography, and is thoroughly recommended to all lovers of top-quality string playing.

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Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Alto appassionato: French Music for Viola and Piano

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