4 Miniatures

4 Miniatures for Viola and Woodwind Quintet was written in the mid -1980’s for James Dunham and the Westwood Quintet. In this piece the viola is treated as a solo instrument and is contrasted against the colors and textures of the woodwind quintet. The piece begins with a lyrical Pastoral, followed by a lively Toccata, which makes use of different mixed meters. The third movement intersperses a solo viola line with several woodwind chorales, and this leads directly to the final movement, whose coda displays the virtuosic capacity of the viola soloist. Anthony Plog