Suite for Solo Viola (2019) – Jamie Miles

Description

Inspired by J.S. Bach’s Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin and the 6 Suites for Unaccompanied Cello as well as Max Reger’s 3 Suites for Solo Viola and several of Paganini’s 24 Caprices, this virtuosic, multi-faceted, five-movement work by young Australian composer Jamie Miles focuses on a range of technical elements including double stops and chords, varied and difficult hand positions, fast string crossings, position shifts, rapid scale and arpeggio passages, and more. The five movements are: 1) Prelude, 2) Bourée, 3) Sarabande, 4) Courante – Theme and Variations, and 5) Gigue. Jamie commenced writing this work in 2017, at the age of 12 and completed it in mid-2019 at age 14. The premiere of the work was broadcast live on FM radio in December of 2019, performed by the composer. From 2024 onwards it is included in the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) Syllabus for Certificate of Performance level.

The length is approximately 14 minutes.