Dimitri Murrath

Upcoming performances

February 15th, 3pm
Recital in Reston, VA with Pei-Shan Lee, piano
Viola and piano works by Bach, Schubert, Hindemith, Takemitsu, Debussy
More details

February 22nd, 4pm
Walden Chamber Music players, Hingham, MA
Hindemith, Bach, Beethoven, Devienne
More details

Posted at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

In recent weeks, I found myself revisiting the Walton Concerto, both in teaching and my own practice. It has a special place in my repertoire: it was the first piece I learned after making the jump from being a violinist who also plays the viola, to a fully committed viola player.

From my background as a violinist, the first thing that struck me regarding this piece was how similar it is to Prokofiev's first violin concerto. In overall structure, in textures, in characters and even in the way the various themes and motives are built, the resemblance is so striking that it simply cannot be coincidence. Here is a very interesting article on the subject by Atar Arad. In it, Mr. Arad suggests that Walton hid his mischief of copying Prokofiev, by adding an even more direct quote from Hindemith's Kammermusik No. 5.

Besides this, what is helping me to forge a personal interpretation of this work is to look at other works of the composer. Much of Walton's music is theatrical and dramatic. That is of course the case of his oratorio Belshazzar's Feast, one of his most acclaimed and popular works. His film scores can also provide a great source of inspiration, for those who work well with images. First of all, there is this, from the movie "Battle of Britain". Then, the score of Lawrence Olivier's "Henry V". The Agincourt battle scene has got something of the second movement.

Posted at 08:50 PM in Techniques | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Dimitri Murrath - Biography

First prize winner at the 2008 Primrose International Viola Competition, Belgian violist Dimitri Murrath has had his debut recitals in Jordan Hall (Boston), Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and Royal Festival Hall (London), and Palais des Beaux Arts (Brussels).

Born in Brussels in 1982, Dimitri began his musical education at the Yehudi Menuhin School studying with Natalia Boyarsky, and went on to work in London with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He graduated last year with an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory as a student of Kim Kashkashian.

He has won numerous awards, including Verbier Festival Academy's Viola Prize, New England Conservatory's Presidential Scholar Award, and a fellowship from the Belgian American Educational Foundation.

With repertoire extending from Bach to contemporary music by Ligeti, Kurtag and Sciarrino, Dimitri is particularly keen on performing new works. He has taken part in the Park Lane Group New Year Series in London to great critical acclaim, as well as commissioned and given the world premieres of several solo works.

As a chamber musician, Dimitri has collaborated with violinist Gidon Kremer, whom invited him to his festival in Lockenhaus, Austria and to the Kronberg Academy's Chamber Music Connects the World project. Other artists with whom Dimitri has worked with include Menahem Pressler, Donald Weilerstein, Laurence Lesser, Paul Katz and Kim Kashkashian. In the spring 2008, he was invited to be part of the Ravinia Rising Stars Chamber Music Tour with violinist Miriam Fried.

Other festivals include IMS Prussia Cove (UK), Ravinia's Steans Institute for Young Artists (Chicago), Verbier Festival Academy, Gstaad Festival (Switzerland) and Marlboro Music Festival.

Posted at 11:39 PM in Biography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Dimitri Murrath - Repertoire

Viola and piano

Johann Sebastian BACH
Sonata for viola da gamba in G major, BWV 1027
Sonata for viola da gamba in G minor, BWV 1029

Ernest BLOCH
Suite Hebraïque

Benjamin BRITTEN
Lachrimae

Johannes BRAHMS
Sonata in F minor Op. 120 No. 1
Sonata in E-flat major Op. 120 No. 2

Rebecca CLARKE
Sonata (1919)

Claude DEBUSSY
Première rhapsodie pour clarinette (tr. Viola)

Antonín DVORÁK
Sonatine for violin and piano in G major, Op. 100

George ENESCU
Concert Piece

Paul HINDEMITH
Sonata Op. 11/4
Sonata Op. 25/4
Sonata (1939)

Joseph JONGEN
Allegro Appassionato

Sergei RACHMANINOFF
Cello sonata

Franz SCHUBERT
Sonata ‘Arpeggione’

Robert SCHUMANN
Adagio und Allegro, Op. 70
Märchenbilder, Op. 113
Fantasiestücke, Op. 73

Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH
Sonata, Op. 147

Toru TAKEMITSU
A Bird Came Down the Walk

Henri VIEUXTEMPS
Sonata, Op. 36

Solo

Atar ARAD
Tikvah

Johann Sebastian BACH
Suite for violoncello solo No. 1 in G major, BWV1007
Suite for violoncello solo No. 2 in D minor, BWV1008
Suite for violoncello solo No. 3 in C major, BWV1009
Suite for violoncello solo No. 5 in C minor, BWV1011
Partita for violin solo No. 2 in D minor, BWV1004

György KURTÁG
Signs, Games and Messages

György LIGETI
Sonata (1995)

Nicolo PAGANINI
Caprice No.13

Max REGER
Suite No. 1 in G minor, Op.131d
Suite No. 2 in D major, Op.131d
Suite No. 3 in E minor, Op.131d

Paul HINDEMITH
Sonata Op. 31/4
Sonata (1937)

Edwin ROXBURGH
Soliloquy 2

Salvatore SCIARRINO
Tre Notturni Brillanti

Igor STRAVINSKY
Elegie

Christopher THEOFANIDIS
'Flow, my Tears'

Henri VIEUXTEMPS
Capriccio

Eugène YSAŸE
Sonata for violoncello solo, Op. 28

Concerto