Concert Music

In April 1988, Richard Lane composed Concert Music for two violas and piano for Emanuel Vardi and his wife Lenore Weinstock. Emanuel was one of the great masters of his instrument during the 20th century. At age twelve Vardi entered The Juilliard School of Music; he became the Principal Violist of the NBC Orchestra under maestro Arturo Toscanini, and later Viola Professor at the Manhattan School of Music. Emanuel was also a well-known jazz artist, playing with the likes of Quincy Jones and Louis Armstrong.

Likewise, Lenore was a versatile orchestral, chamber and recording artist as well as a successful private teacher of viola. She premiered Concert Music with Rosemary Glyde, founder and first President of the New York Viola Society, and the one to introduce Lane to the Vardi couple.

Concert Music is characterized as a one-movement sonata with three sections attacca. The first part evokes a slow, yet insisting and echoing melody. The second part is a free quasi-recitative. The third part is a cheerful presto showcasing a balanced dialogue between the viola and piano parts.