Why I chose this project
To Explore and Promote Great American Classical Music
There are several reasons why the Quincy Porter: The Complete Viola Works project is deserving of support. To me, the most important reason is the one closest to my heart: preserving and promoting great music. Europe today and in the past, has always been aggressive in promoting their own composers, and extolling their musical talent. This is a trend I wish to emulate with the great American classical composers.
Quincy Porter is a Neglected Master Composer
Quincy Porter was part of a generation of composers that can arguably be considered America's greatest writers of modern classical music. This generation includes the symphonists Walter Piston, Roy Harris, Paul Creston, Peter Mennin, William Grant Still and many others. These composers have never been given their full due nor had their works fully explored. The world premiere pieces of this recording show a composer from the beginning of his musical style to a fully self realized master composer of a deeply philosophical bent.
Expanding the Viola Repertoire.
Additionally, I hope to greatly expand the known repertoire of the viola, to inspire other violists to find and ferret out neglected masterworks for our instrument, and to encourage all musicians to celebrate our American masters by researching and performing them at every opportunity. The viola repertoire is steadily growing with new compositions, but there is renewed interest in repertoire from the early to mid 20th century. Most of this interest stems from Europe, but no one has yet looked sufficiently at the great American viola music of that time.