JONGEN:SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA & VIOLA/FRANCAIX:RHAPSODY FOR VIOLA & SMALL ORCHESTRA/ETC:MARCUS THOMPSON(va)/PAUL FREEMAN(cond)/CZECH NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Nearly nonexistent in the nineteenth century, the repertoire of music for viola and orchestra swelled in the twentieth century. Yet by the early twenty first century, very few of these works have managed to attract the attention of the general classical audience. While Bartoks, Hindemiths, and Waltons concertos are sometimes heard in the concert hall and on recordings, much of the viola-orchestra repertoire remains neglected. On this 2006 Centaur disc, American violist Marcus Thompson joins together three of the less well-known twentieth century works for viola and orchestra: Joseph Jongens two-movement Suite from 1919, Jean Francaixs Rhapsodie from 1946 and Tibor Serlys Concerto from 1929. Thompson, a fine performer with a big, warm tone and a strong, supple technique, is clearly doing everything he can with the music. With Paul Freemans professional conducting and the more than passable playing of the Czech National Orchestra, Thompson makes Jongens ardently expressive Suite, Francaixs slightly melancholy Rhapsodie, and Serlys Bartok-without-tears Concerto as convincing as possible. Whether he and they succeed in rescuing these works from obscurity depends entirely on the listeners enthusiasm for mildly modernist works for viola and orchestra. Centaurs sound is raw and honest, but unfortunately also dim and dull.