Sonata (Piano/Viola)
Viola and Piano
By Dmitri Shostakovich

The work is known. No need to comment. You need to have a good professional level for a good performance

Shostakovich certainly decided to go out with a "bang"! Kind of. It isn't as bang-y as a lot of his other music is, but this piece is gorgeous. It starts out so eerie and sinister and then Restless through the second movement, but the third movement offers a...

certain closure that makes you want to believe that this great composer died in peace (he died mere days after completing this piece!). As for playability, there is certainly a difficulty with playing this piece, but its pretty easy to make sound good just as soon as you get the notes down. Some of the double stops are pretty tricky! I love this piece!! Recommend it to any violist who is willing to take the time to learn it!

The music capitalizes on tonal color and strengths of the viola. Not only is it technically challenging, but the wide array of emotions throughout make the final product rewarding to have learned and to listen to. The first movement glides ethereally along, setting a grim tone for the work (Shostakovich...

's last). The second movement is a quicker and somewhat ironic dance. The last movement is mournful and elegiac, quoting Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. This is truly a great piece that every violist should play.