A tried and tested piece
Originally written for violin, Kodály's popular Adagio was arranged for the whole string family.
In 1905, Zoltán Kodály dedicated an opera to the violinist Imre Waldbauer. Adagio. In 1910 he made versions for viola and violoncello, Norbert Dunka later made one for double bass. It was republished in all four versions by Editio Musica Budapest in 2014. An elegiac melody with waves of fifths and sixths escalates twice into a choleric outburst, the second in the form of a solo cadenza that leads into a composed ritardando. The piano accompaniment is colorful and varied with repetitions of the melody, sometimes with cymbal-like arpeggios, and also takes part in the melodic events.
What lies well on the violin between 4th and 8th position is a tonal challenge on the viola between 8th and 12th position, but the viola can effectively play the melody an octave lower on the C-string at the beginning.
Zoltán Kodály, Adagio for violin (Z. 14911), viola (Z. 14894), violoncello (Z. 14895) or double bass (Z. 14896) and piano, € 9.90 each, Editio Musica Budapest 2014
