Nils Mönkemeyer reviews
Paganini • Tartini • Vivaldi: Concertos, etc
Nils Mönkemeyer (viola), Massimiliano Toni (harpsichord); L’arte del mondo/Werner Ehrhardt (Sony Classical)
Nils Mönkemeyer explores works for viola by Bruch, Pärt and Walton
Walton’s vibrant Viola Concerto is best heard in his final, pared-down 1961 scoring. That’s the choice of viola player Nils Mönkemeyer and conductor Markus Poschner, whose wonderfully clear account is gilded by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra’s spangled brass and refined winds. The German virtuoso lavishes affection on the opening Andante commodo, bringing out all its sensuous melancholy in one, long-breathed utterance.