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Back to life: an 18th-century viola concerto rediscovered

2026-03-27T09:56:00

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When writer and music director Gerald Elias was looking for a work to include in a recent concert, he and violist Devan Maria Freebairn unearthed a rare viola concerto by 18th-century composer Markus Heinrich Graul. They explain how they prepared for its performance and first ever recording

It started with ‘Chaos’. Literally. That’s the name of the first movement of the ballet suite Les élémens by the Baroque composer Jean-Féry Rebel. His musical depiction of the Biblical Creation story is one of the craziest pieces of music you’ll ever hear. For one thing, the first chord contains all twelve notes of the scale with the entire orchestra playing fortissimo with a fermata…

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