At the turn of the year 2026 I wrote four unaccompanied solos, two each for viola (nos. 2 and 3 in the video below) or ‘cello (1 and 4). Then I transposed the former down an octave and the latter up an octave for the other instrument, providing thus each a suite of four numbers. I shared the one for viola with my friend Scott Slapin, an American expatriate in the north of England.
Op. 94 begins with a piece whose melos is so overtly Russian that I gave it the title Melodiya. The first phrase ends with a quick transitional figure which I followed my ear to answer at the end of the second phrase. Suddenly I realized that the new figure was the four-note motto Shostakovich derived from his Cyrillic initials: D–S (Eb)–C–H (B). When the opening music returns, the D–S–C–H fragment unexpectedly takes over and drags the serene melody into a robust climax, which just barely settles back down as the piece concludes.
That piece was written first for ‘cello, the next two are the ones I wrote first for viola. That Pug Nose! is a musical portrait of the Frenchie companion to my friend, violist Jesús Rodolfo. The Scary Part! is a mock thriller movie soundtrack, which starts innocuously enough but is driven gradually into a blood-curdling climax! Finally I wrote the characteristic piece Marche interrompue, first for ‘cello. In ternary form, its A-section shows soldiers marching in formation; the B-section takes them off the base on a Latin-tinged furlough.
A few days after I shared the whole with Scott, he had a video ready to share with the world, seeking my approval which I gladly gave. (My momma didn’t raise no fool!)
Op. 95. Scott and his wife Tanya Solomon form what is probably the world’s best-known viola duo. To thank him for his championship, I wrote a set of Eight Little Pieces for them to perform together. I wrote these in four pairs of dances (Valses, Allemandes, Bourrées, Gavottes) such that the numbers in each pair can be performed separately (as in the subjoined video), or in ternary (A-B-A) form. Of course, the stalwart pair put out a video as their printer’s ink was still drying. My career has so careened my whole life: boom or bust. This Interlude has all been about boom!
