My Viola and I: a complete autobiography / Lionel Tertis

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36,37

text excerpt

I remember that, when Walton came to me with it [Walton’s viola concerto] and I refused the honour [of giving the first performance], he was generous enough not to seem to take it too much amiss but asked me to suggest someone else to undertake the performance. I immediately though of Paul Hindemith, a well-known and much-talked-of composer and a viola-player too. So it was that Hindemith played the work for the first time at Queen’s Hall. I was a member of the audience, and felt great disappointment with his playing. The notes, certainly, were all there, but the tone was cold and unpleasing and the instrument he played did not deserve to be called a viola, it was far too small.

excerpt from 'My Viola and I: a complete autobiography / Lionel Tertis' pp. 36,37 (126 words)

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