{"id":58208,"date":"2019-01-25T11:15:38","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T16:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=58208"},"modified":"2019-01-25T12:05:36","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T17:05:36","slug":"record-keeping-pemi-paulls-musica-umbrarum-puts-the-viola-in-its-dark-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2019\/01\/25\/record-keeping-pemi-paulls-musica-umbrarum-puts-the-viola-in-its-dark-place\/","title":{"rendered":"RECORD KEEPING | Pemi Paull’s Musicum Umbrarum Puts The Viola In Its Dark Place"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What it lacks in hits, Pemi Paull’s Musicum Umbrarum makes up for as a treasure trove of intimate portraits played by the moody middling member of the illustrious string family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tempting as it may be to start a review of a solo viola album with a viola joke (and I love me a good viola joke), there is nothing to lark about here. \u2028\u2028The main reasons are Pemi Paull<\/strong><\/a>, a musician who has made a career as a go-to violist in Montr\u00e9al and Toronto, and his debut album,\u00a0Musicum Umbrarum<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Before digging into the merits of this album, the musical string family can be summarized as follows: the firstborn violin is the perennial favourite; the showiest of the bunch with the first place ribbons to prove it. The cello is the slightly mysterious one in the family, who read a lot of\u00a0Dostoyevsky a kid. The bass can pretty much get away with anything with a flex of muscle and, if need be, the threat of violence.\u00a0 The viola, mind you, is the shy misunderstood middle child who never really got a good shake, (or vibrato in this case).<\/p>\n

Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!<\/em><\/p>\n

While this occasion offers a chance to wag a finger for not paying enough attention to the viola, no other instrument shines brighter as the colour between the lines, that without it, would leave a pale outline \u2014 an unrealized object \u2014 a blurry figure that a good pair of glasses would do wonders for.<\/p>\n

Enter Musicum Umbrarum<\/em>, an album of lesser-known solo viola works released on M\u00e9tis Island records.<\/p>\n

Staying true to the label’s tagline \u201cwe fly alone between islands\u201d, you’ll not find any top 40 viola\u00a0hits here. No\u00a0Schumann M\u00e4rchenbilder<\/em>. No Brahms Sonatas. Nothing famous by Beethoven, Schubert, Dvor\u00e1k, Mendelssohn, and Vaughan Williams. This is music from (mostly) 20th-century composers, where the palate is darker, anxious, and searching.<\/p>\n

Opening with Enescu\u2019s calling “M\u00e9n\u00e9trier (Impressions d\u2019enfance, op.28)”, this piece shuffles with the favour of a country jamboree. But unlike most fiddle tunes, things turn blue, almost as if to harken back to the secret pain of an off-duty Irish cowboy.<\/p>\n