duos for violin and viola, op. 1
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Irving Ilmer, violin; Joseph Baber, viola
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As in the cases of other collections from Baber’s earliest period, 1948-1956 (Opp. 1-12), the opus number is not entirely reflective of the time of composition. These duos, like the songs and madrigals, were written over the space of nine years before college and drawn together by their genre or texts. However, the first duo is indeed the composer’s first successfully-completed work, written to be played with his string teacher, Frank Wendt. The recording is with Irving Ilmer and the composer in October, 1971. Sets 2 and 3 demonstrate Baber’s growing formal sense, especially with binary form, as well as his increasing virtuosity as a performer. Like the Mozart duos, which were the composer’s models, these duos are as demanding of the viola as they are of the violin.
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