Recital Proposal

Miguel Erlich | Viola
Tiago Rosário | Piano

JOHN DOWLAND
(London, England, 1563 - London, 1626)
If my complaints could passions move (1597)(4’)

BENJAMIN BRITTEN
(Lowestoft, England, 1913 - Aldeburgh, England, 1976)
Lachrymae, Op. 48 (1950)(16’)

GEORGE ENESCU
(Liveni, Romania, 1881 - Paris, France, 1955)
Konzertstück (1906)(10’)

FERNANDO LOPES-GRAÇA
(Tomar, Portugal, 1906 - Parede, Portugal, 1994)
Quatro Peças em Suite (1978)
I. Introdução
II. Corrida
III. Diálogo
IV. Capricho(12’)

PAUL HINDEMITH
(Hanau, Germany, 1895 - Frankfurt, Germany, 1963)
Sonate, Op. 11 No. 4 (1919)
I. Fantasie
II. Thema mit Variationen
III. Finale (mit Variationen)(20’)(Total: 62’)

This recital presents an odyssey throughout the rich panorama of viola repertoire, spanning over four centuries and encapsulating diverse musical traditions and expressions. The program aims to showcase the evolution of music for this instrumental pairing, while also highlighting the emotional depth and technical versatility inherent to the viola. After performances in Germany, including at the Berliner Philharmonie / Musikinstrumenten Museum, this projects now seeks to bring the same recital to audiences in the U.S.

We begin with John Dowland's "If my complaints could passions move," a piece that originates from the late Renaissance period. Dowland, primarily known for his lute works, here provides a melancholic and introspective piece that serves as a delicate opening, setting a reflective tone for the recital. Its theme of unrequited love and longing establishes an emotional foundation that resonates through the ages.

Transitioning into the 20th century, Benjamin Britten's "Lachrymae, Op. 48" directly connects to Dowland, both geographically and musically. Britten, a pivotal figure in British music, pays homage to Dowland through this set of variations based on "If my complaints could passions move". "Lachrymae" not only revisits the emotional depth of Dowland's work but also explores new textures and harmonic landscapes, demonstrating the evolution of musical expression over the centuries.

The recital continues with George Enescu's "Konzertstück," a work that showcases the composer's deep understanding of both the viola's lyrical qualities and its capacity for virtuosic display. Enescu, a Romanian composer living in Paris, bridges Eastern European folk influences with Western classical traditions, offering a piece that is both vibrant and intricately detailed, highlighting the technical capabilities of the viola.

Fernando Lopes-Graça's "Quatro Peças em Suite" introduces a different geographical and cultural perspective. This suite, composed in the late 20th century, reflects Lopes-Graça's commitment to incorporating Portuguese folk elements into classical forms. Each movement, from the energetic "Corrida" to the conversational "Diálogo" and the whimsical "Capricho," presents unique challenges and opportunities for the performers to explore a wide range of sentiments, textures and techniques.

Finally, Paul Hindemith's "Sonate, Op. 11 No. 4" brings us to the Germanic tradition. This sonata is emblematic of Hindemith's early 20th-century style, combining a rigorous structural form with expressive melodic materials. The piece's three movements, from the free-flowing "Fantasie" to the thematic variations encapsulate Hindemith's belief in music's power to communicate profoundly and directly with the listener.

Together, these pieces form a compelling narrative of the evolution of the viola as a solo instrument and its role in chamber music. This recital not only celebrates the rich history and cultural diversity of music for viola and piano but also highlights the emotional depth, technical prowess, and expressive possibilities that this combination can achieve.

Recital Teaser: Berlin Philharmonie / Musikinstrumenten Museum

Miguel ErlichPortuguese violist Miguel Erlich has recently been performing as soloist, chamber musician and in orchestra across Europe, America and the Middle East, in venues such as Lincoln Center, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Berliner Philharmonie, Dubai Opera and NCPA Beijing.Miguel is a frequent guest of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and has been solo viola of Ensemble Resonanz, the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra, along with other ensembles and orchestras.As an avid chamber musician, he has played in numerous festivals in Europe. He is also a founding member of Stravinstrio, which was awarded 1^st prize in Portugal’s national radio competition Prémio Jovens Músicos and in Concorso Internazionale Saverio Mercadante, among other awards. Stravinstrio premiered dedicated works on radio and television.Miguel studied with Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, in the National Conservatory in Portugal with Anne Victorino D’Almeida and with António Pereira, and took part in masterclasses with Lawrence Power, Ettore Causa, Lars Anders Tomter, Gérard Caussé, Tatjana Masurenko, Leo De Neve, Pauline Sachse and Christophe Desjardins, among others.Miguel is currently based in Berlin.

Tiago RosárioHailed by Jerome Rose as “one of the finest young pianists of his generation”, Tiago Rosario has an extensive performance experience, having played in worldwide acclaimed venues, such as the Carnegie Hall and the Merkin Hall, and embarked in extremely challenging projects, such as the recording of the Complete Chopin Etudes and the Brahms-Paganini Variations.
With a bachelor diploma at ESMAE (Porto) and a Master diploma at Musikhochschule Muenster (Germany), Mr. Rosario has participated in various competitions, having won several prizes, including the 1^st prize in the Czerny Competition 2014, the 2^nd and 3^rd prizes in the international competition Cidade do Fundão, 2^nd prize at the Prémio Jovens Músicos 2014 and an honourable mention for outstanding performance at the NTD piano competition 2022 in NYC.

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PRESS KIT

Contraband song
No Pulse
No Pulse?
At the edge of silence

The voices that defied silence.

Programme

About the programme

This recital explores the profound impact of the Holocaust on 20th century music. It not only features Jewish composers whose lives and careers were shaped — or tragically cut short — by the Holocaust, but also Hindemith, whose music was branded as “degenerate” by the Nazi regime, making exile his only path forward. The recital uncovers a historical and stylistic journey, showing how the voices silenced by the Holocaust left a long lasting mark in music.

The programme opens with Mosaic (2025), a powerful tribute by Ido Ramot to the resilience and diversity of the Jewish people. Drawing on Yiddish songs and Iraqi-Jewish traditions, this piece serves as a musical prologue — a reflection on identity, memory, and resilience that sets the emotional and historical tone for what follows. With its colourful mosaic of influences, it opens the recital with a contemporary voice looking back, stitching together the fragments of a culture marked by displacement and survival.

The recital then unfolds in time — beginning in an era before fascism, persecution, and exile would later reshape the musical landscape. Schulhoff’s Sonata for Cello and Piano (1914), arranged here for viola, blends late-Romantic lyricism with a youthful energy. The piece’s romantic melodies make us feel the uncomfortable contrast with the tragic fate of its composer.

Hindemith’s Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11, No. 4 (1919), creates a bridge between tradition and modernity with its harmonic language and folk-like themes. It was composed during a period of artistic freedom, before his music was banned by the Nazi regime, forcing him into exile.

The intermission signals a historical braking point — from a Europe before catastrophe to one already engulfed in it. In 1939, László Weiner composed the Sonata for Viola and Piano as anti-Jewish laws spread across Hungary and deportations soared. He would be murdered five years later. This work bears the weight of what was still possible to say — before the silence came.

Milhaud’s Quatre Visages (1943), composed while he was living in exile in the United States, offers a moment of vivid character and subtle irony. Unlike the weight of silence or lament, his music turns outward — offering four vivid character portraits: La Californienne, La Wisconsinienne, La Bruxelloise, and La Parisienne. Beneath their charm lies a subtle nostalgia, a longing for a Europe he was forced to abandon. Written at a time when the old continent was turning to ruins and the war was fully underway, the work seems to float above the wreckage: an act of defiant elegance amid the catastrophe.

The recital concludes with Ligeti’s Sonata for Viola Solo (1994), a work that, decades after the Holocaust, still carries the imprint of tragedy and loss. Ligeti, a Holocaust survivor, lost his close family in a concentration camp, and although his music does not explicitly narrate these events, it is undoubtedly shaped by the fractured world left in their wake. His Sonata — and the recital — does not close with an apotheotic statement but rather an intimate reflection — the viola, alone, playing in a space emptied by history.

This recital does not offer resolution or closure. It invites the listener to witness, through sound, how the Holocaust shaped the voices of composers before, during, and long after its horrors.

About the artists

Miguel Erlich

Viola

Portuguese violist Miguel Erlich has recently been performing as soloist, chamber musician and in orchestra across Europe, America and the Middle East, in venues such as Lincoln Center, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Berliner Philharmonie, Dubai Opera and NCPA Beijing.He has performed at festivals including Krzyżowa-Music, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, IMS Open Chamber Music, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, NUME, Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Festival de Pâques, and the Alderney Chamber Music Festival.Miguel has been solo viola of Ensemble Resonanz, the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra among other orchestras, and is a frequent guest with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Luxembourg Philharmonic.He was also a founding member of Stravinstrio, which won 1st prize in Portugal’s national radio competition Prémio Jovens Músicos and the Concorso Internazionale Saverio Mercadante, among other awards. Stravinstrio has premiered works dedicated to the trio on radio and television.Miguel studied with Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, in the National Conservatory in Portugal with Anne Victorino D’Almeida and with António Pereira, and took part in masterclasses with Lawrence Power, Ettore Causa, Lars Anders Tomter, Gérard Caussé, Tatjana Masurenko, Leo De Neve, Pauline Sachse and Christophe Desjardins, among others.He is currently based in Berlin.

Ido Ramot

Piano

Born on July 24th 1994, German-Israeli pianist Ido Ramot gave his public debut at the age of nine with the Johannesburg symphony orchestra. Since then, he has collaborated with Orchestras worldwide. In addition, he has performed as soloist in Israel, Germany, Spain, Italy, Scandinavia, the Middle East and the United States, taking the stage in some of the most prestigious halls; the Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, the Tel Aviv Museum and the Dubai Opera to name a few. Ramot also performed frequently on Israeli, German and Italian Radio and Television.A celebrated virtuoso, Ramot has been a critical figure in the revival of the lost art of improvisation, integrating his own personal creations into his solo performances and giving masterclasses.A prizewinner of many national and international competitions; including the first prize in the Chopin competition in Tel Aviv, and twice the winner of the "Piano For Ever" competition in Ashdod. Internationally, he is a gold medalist at the “Maria Canals” Piano Competition in Barcelona (2014), prize winner in the "European Piano Competition" in Bremen (2016) and received the third prize at the international “Les Etoiles du Piano” in Lille (2021). Ramot is the laureate of the exclusive scholarship of excellence given by the American- Israeli cultural foundation.Among his teachers are Dr. Itzhak Kossov and Prof. Alexander Korsantia.Ramot has completed both his Bachelors and Masters of Music with distinction at the Hochschule für Music "Hanns Eisler", under Prof. Eldar Nebolsin. He then went on to complete a specialised master in Piano Improvisation at the HMDK Stuttgart. As of today, Ramot is pursuing an artistic diploma with his long time mentor, Gabriela Montero.

Whoever listens to a witness, becomes a witness.
Elie Wiesel

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