Charlotte Gardner hears the recital of Bridge, Bowen and Bax by the winners of the Lionel Tertis and Cecil Aronowitz international viola competitions at London’s Wigmore Hall on 3 October 2025
This year marks an exciting new chapter for the Lionel Tertis (18s and under) and Cecil Aronowitz (ages 19–30) international viola competitions, which in January ran concurrently for the first time at Gateshead’s Glasshouse (see the May issue’s Postcard from Gateshead).
The winners’ tour, of which this Wigmore concert was a part, featured a warmly received Tertis-inspired programme from CAIVC winner Xunyu Zhou from China, now studying with Tabea Zimmermann, and the LTIVC winner Sam Rosenthal, an American Kronberg Academy student under the tutelage of Nobuko Imai.
Bridge’s 1912 Lament for two violas began wonderfully, with Rosenthal’s second viola line filling the hall with dark soulfulness. The lighter-toned Zhou brought songful technical accomplishment to the table, although apparently less understanding of the piece’s emotional world. Her ensuing, rhythmically assured account of the York Bowen Viola Sonata saw her relishing its virtuosities, and in the central movement there were some nice cantabile moments. It was a reading that showed her gifts, yet with space to build further in tone and interpretational thought.
In Bax’s Viola Sonata, Rosenthal exhibited a true chamber dynamic with pianist Sophia Rahman, over a mature, dynamically wide-ranging exploration of its shadows, its elfin and pastoral elements equally beautifully brought out.
CHARLOTTE GARDNER
Read: Results announced for the 2025 Tertis and Aronowitz International Viola Competitions
Read: Winners of the 2025 Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition announced
Read: Seeking Utopia: celebrating the friendship between Lionel Tertis and Ralph Vaughan Williams
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