York Bowen, William Walton - Viola Concertos Diyang Mei, Brett Dean, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie

• York Bowen (1884 - 1961): Concerto for Viola and Orchestra Op. 25:
• 1 Bowen: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra Op. 25: I. Allegro assai 13:14
• 2 Bowen: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra Op. 25: II. Andante cantabile 10:41
• 3 Bowen: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra Op. 25: III. Allegro scherzando 12:40
• William Walton (1902 - 1983): Concerto for Viola and Orchestra:
• 4 Walton: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra: I. Andante comodo 09:07
• 5 Walton: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra: II. Vivo con molto preciso 04:37
• 6 Walton: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra: III. Allegro moderato 13:52
• Total Runtime 01:04:11

Info for York Bowen, William Walton - Viola Concertos

William Walton and Edwin York Bowen are among the composers who were hardly able to achieve a lasting international breakthrough. The viola also has a similar role to play. It's qualities were simply ignored by many composers, and the solo and concert repertoire for this instrument is correspondingly small. It is thanks to the English violist Lionel Tertis who was famous at the time that Bowen and Walton wrote the concertos featured on this album. The result is an important addition not only to the viola repertoire, but also for all lovers of classical music.

The violist Diyang Mei, first principal violist of the Berliner Philharmoniker, has been steadily advancing his international career since his brilliant success at the coveted ARD International Music Competition in 2018. He has already performed as a soloist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Munich Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie as well as at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Schwetzingen SWR Festival, the Black Forest Music Festival and the Mozart Festival in Wurzburg.His conductor is none other than Brett Dean, who enjoys an international reputation as a violist, composer and conductor.

Diyang Mei, viola
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie
Brett Dean, conductor

Diyang Mei
Winner of both First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2018 ARD International Music Competition, Diyang Mei was born in China in 1994. He started playing the violin at the age of five. From 2005 to 2014, he studied viola with Shaowu Wang at the Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music Beijing. Since October 2014, Mei has been studying viola performance under Hariolf Schlichtig at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.

As a soloist he has performed with many orchestras around the world, including the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Munich, SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Osnabrücker Symphonieorchester, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra, Busan Phiharmonic Orchestra and Bad Reichenhaller Philharmoniker, among others.

As a chamber musician Mei has performed with such artists as Ana Chumachenco, Paul Coletti, Matthias Buchholz, Krzysztof Chorzelski, Wen-Sinn Yang, Martin Ostertag, Dag Jensen, Andrea Lieberknecht, and Michael Schäfer.

Mei’s achievements have already included several first prizes at competitions, including the ARD International Competition in 2018, 52nd Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition in 2017, 24th Kulturkreis Gasteig Music Competition in Munich and International Max Rostal Competition (also Special Prize for gifted young finalists) in Berlin (both in 2015), 19th International Johannes Brahms Competition in Austria, Piła Festival and Academy in Poland, IVC Young Artist Competition of the 40th International Viola Congress (for most musical performer) in Rochester, USA (all in 2012), and 10th Villa de Llanes International Viola and Cello Competition (also Special Award) in Spain (2008).

Since 2016 Diyang Mei has held a scholarship of the Yehudi Menuhin LMN e.V., and since 2018 of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust.

Booklet for York Bowen, William Walton - Viola Concertos