A quick characterization drill: Trying to match the personality and picture of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Rolla

Antonio Rolla

Vieuxtemps - Capriccio in C minor for viola

Paganini - Sonata per la Gran Viola

K. Olencková, viola
H. Bente, pianoforte

Johann Baptist Vanhal (Jan Křtitel Vaňhal) - Sonata in E-flat major for viola and pianoforte

Sydney Hodkinson, Drawings Set No. 13, 2. Sandpiper's Trot

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: "Rosenkranz" Sonatas, No 16 - Passacaglia. Maria Bader-Kubizek, violin. paladino music pmr 0034

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: "Rosenkranz"-Sonaten - Passacaglia

Christine Rutledge (UI viola professor) and Manuel Tábora, violas. November 2, 2014.

Frank Bridge- Lament

Hao-Sheng YU Violas © H.Y studio
Leclair was born in Lyon, but left to study dance and the violin in Turin. In 1716, he married Marie-Rose Casthanie, a dancer, who died about 1728. Leclair had returned to Paris in 1723, where he played at the Concert Spirituel, the main semi-public music series. His works included several sonatas for flute and basso continuo.

In 1730, Leclair married for the second time. His new wife was the engraver Louise Roussel, who prepared for printing all his works from Opus 2 onward. Named ordinaire de la musique by Louis XV in 1733, Leclair resigned in 1737 after a clash with Guidon over control of the musique du Roy.

Leclair was then engaged by the Princess of Orange – a fine harpsichordist and former student of Handel – and from 1738 until 1743, served three months annually at her court in Leeuwarden, working in The Hague as a private maestro di cappella for the remainder of the year. He returned to Paris in 1743. His only opera Scylla et Glaucus was first performed in 1746 and has been revived in modern times. From 1740 until his death in Paris, he served the Duke of Gramont.
Leclair was renowned as a violinist and as a composer. He successfully drew upon all of Europe's national styles. Many suites, sonatas, and concertos survive along with his opera, while some vocal works, ballets, and other stage music is lost.

Jean Marie Leclair Viola Duet No.1 Allegro ma poco

© H.Y Studio
Hao-Sheng YU arr. for viola quartet 
The Rosary Sonatas (also known as the Mystery Sonatas or Copper-Engraving Sonatas) by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber are a collection of 16 short sonatas for violin and continuo, with a final passacaglia for solo violin. Each has a title related to the Christian Rosary devotion practice and possibly to the Feast of the Guardian Angels.

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber - The Rosary Sonatas No.4 The Presentation

©H.Y Studio
Hao-Sheng YU Viola Solo
Johan Helmich Roman Assaggio BeRI 320 for Violin solo(arr. for Viola solo by Hao-Sheng YU)
 con spirito - commodo - Bourrée
Johan Helmich Roman was the central figure in the musical life of the Swedish era of peace following this country's decline as a great power, and is regarded as one of the foremost composers Sweden has ever had. During his years of study in England 1716-21 and in the course of a journey to England, France, Italy and Germany 1735-37 he absorbed detailed knowledge of the musical trends of the period. As conductor of the court orchestra he did important work from the 1720's to the 1740's. Amongst other things he introduced George Frideric Handel's music in Sweden and took active part in the development of public concert life in Stockholm in the 1730's.
Roman's compositions for solo violin for an interesting group of works in his instrumental production. He was himself an accomplished violinist, especially in his younger years, before increasing deafness precluded the possibility of further activity as performer. He was also pedagogically active. In his "assaggi" (essays, experiments, studies) with several movements and small pieces of the nature of etudes for solo violin he left a contribution to the 18th century repertoire for unaccompanied violin that is perhaps without parallel as regards quantity. Many of these are musically rich compositions, and they must still be acknowledged to have great didactic value, not least for the study of the violin playing and the technique of the late baroque. From stylistic point of view thwy have little in common with Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions for solo violin, with which Roman was not aquainted. Rather it appears that Geminiani was one of his chief models; there are too certain resemblances with Locatelli's violin style and Telemann's "fantasias" for the instrument.

Johan Helmich Roman Assaggio BeRI 320 for Violin Solo (arr. for Viola solo)

A live bite of Contrapunctus @Radialsystem V Berlin!
Assaggio by Johann Hemlich Roman (Allegro)

Jorge Jimenez, violin 

Jean Marie Leclair Viola Duet No.1 Allegro ma poco

Yu Hao-Sheng

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