Viola Concerto in C minor by James Preucil (World Premiere)

Viola Concerto in C minor by James Preucil
James Preucil, Viola
Carey Bostian, Conductor
Iowa City Community String Orchestra ‪@iccso‬
Performed on 11/23/2025 at The Englert Theatre

0:00 I. Heavy, Turbulent
10:15 II. Heartfelt, With Expressive Freedom
15:44 III. With Relentless Groove

It was a dream come true to write and perform my own viola concerto! Thank you to ICCSO for the opportunity, for their hard work learning the piece, and for the video. I thought it went very well for a premiere--of course there are a few notes I can get down better, especially in the last 30 seconds, but I was overall quite happy with the result. The balance is a bit skewed towards the solo viola (me), according to family that were in the audience it was more evenly balanced with the orchestra. I will make a score video when I have some time, probably next month.

If you are interested in learning this piece, you can download the Solo Viola and Piano Score (reduction) sheet music for free here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m6cY...

Contact me if you have an opportunity and would like to perform it with a string orchestra (string quintet would also work) via email: [email protected]

Composer's Note:
It is not every day that a composer gets to write a concerto for themself to
perform—in fact, I have been hoping to do this ever since I started composing! This commission fulfills a dream I had at age 17 to write a viola concerto showing the full range of the instrument in a virtuosic but straightforward way, full of lush melodies and rich, dark colors. At that age, I only had the compositional skill to write a few lines of the solo part, at which point I realized I was in far over my head in terms of theoretical knowledge and compositional experience. Those lines, heard at the opening of the piece, formed the basis for the concerto, and I tried to write the rest of the piece in a way that would live up to the hopes and dreams of my younger self.

The first movement, written in sonata form, begins with a grim declaration
in C minor as the first theme. The second theme spins off as a hopeful
development in Eb major before accelerating into an energetic version of the same theme with dotted rhythm accompaniment. The development is lighter and more optimistic until the mood disintegrates into an eerie sul ponticello duet between the violas and 2nd violins. The orchestra gradually builds around them and gains momentum until it crashes into the return of the opening theme as a quasi-cadenza. The movement ends viciously in an intense C minor battle between the orchestra and the solo viola.

The second movement is in the form of a German lied, written in the
ethereal and sweet key of E major. It begins with a simple but sentimental
melody in the violins before the solo viola enters with a lilting theme. The
energetic B section is mainly in A major, full of running 16ths with a solo viola countermelody that gradually returns to the main theme of the A section.

Beginning in A minor, the third movement is a groovy rondo which builds
gradually until an explosion at the end. The middle sections, in F major and Bb major respectively, reiterate themes from the first and second movements, presenting them in new meters. The finale returns to C minor in a belligerent fashion, culminating in a virtuosic passage full of harmonic twists and ending with a bang.

Overall, the formal canvas of the piece is traditional, but it is painted in a modernized romantic style. I expect that it will be quite enjoyable,
both for performers and for listeners.

Thank you to Carey Bostian and The Iowa City Community String Orchestra for giving me the chance to fulfill my long-time dream!