Eliesha Nelson

My Thoughts on Porter

There is nothing more musically satisfying than to read a piece never heard before and fall in love with it. That is how the process of choosing this music began. I wanted to do a recording project featuring one composer who had enough compelling music to fill a CD, and although I read lots of interesting pieces, I was struck by the variety and quizzical nature of Porter's music.

I enjoy working with others, so the duos with harp and violin were a nice contrast to the more soloistic pieces. The viola repertoire itself is much larger than most people imagine, and violists have options above and beyond the realm of violin, cello and clarinet transcriptions. Quincy Porter himself was a fine violist, and I hope other violists will find similar satisfaction in performing this music written so well for our instrument. It warrants a more regular presence in our concert repertory.