The instrument in the centre: The viola in solo and orchestral works

In 2020/21, Tabea Zimmermann was the first violist to be Artist in Residence with the Berliner Philharmoniker – a welcome occasion to dedicate a playlist to the violin’s bigger and darker timbred sister. It includes concertos by Bartók and Hindemith plus works by Mozart and Richard Strauss, in which the viola shares the role of the protagonist with a second instrument. Symphonic works also show the viola as the soulful heart of the orchestral sound.