Composer Kurt Schwertsik's "Haydn lived in Eisenstadt" for Solo Viola

Violist, VC Artist Timothy Ridout premiered the piece on May 10, 2021 at Wigmore Hall as part of the Live at Wigmore Hall Series

The Violin Channel recently talked with Kurt Schwertsik about his new work.

"This piece was a commission from the BBC and presents three movements, 1. À la recherche d’une cantilène perdu, 2. Soliloque, and 3. Non réconcilié," Kurt told The Violin Channel.

"Joseph Haydn, the freest spirit, wrote his wildest symphonies in Eisenstadt in the service of Prince Esterházy. His trust in God helped him to celebrate the status quo with his great oratorios 'Creation' and 'The Seasons.' In this way he was able to find an open musical language that left struggle and disputes behind.

"I, a tiny particle of a human race whose members try to destroy each other with increasingly sophisticated means, cannot achieve reconciliation either with myself or with humanity — hence the name of the third movement, 'non réconcilié!'

"I hope to take listeners through a musical landscape that has enough features to interest, move, or entertain them," he added.