Reimagining the "Third Voice": A Study of Optimal Performance Styles for Viola Solos in Shostakovich's Prelude (from the Concerto in G Major, arr. by Akutagawa)

Abstract

This study investigates the spectrum of performance styles considered

“optimal” for the viola solo in the Prelude from Dmitri Shostakovich’s

Concerto in G Major (as arranged for viola and piano by Yasushi

Akutagawa). While often overshadowed by the orchestral context of the

original concerto for cello, this transcription presents a unique

microcosm of Shostakovich’s musical language, characterized by incisive

satire, lyrical despair, and structural ambiguities that require profound

interpretive decisions by the viola player. Moving beyond prescriptive

notions of a single “best” style, this study employs a hybrid methodology

of performance analysis and practice-based inquiry. Through a

Comparative analysis of ten commercially available recordings by

renowned viola players (e.g., Bashmet, Imai, Várady), we identify three

dominant interpretive paradigms: the “Symphonic-Narrative,”

“Chamber-Intimate,” and “Modernist-Deconstructive” approaches.

Subsequently, a practice-based component, involving deliberate stylistic

Experimentation by the principal researcher-performer examines the

technical and expressive implications of each paradigm. The findings

suggest that “optimal” style depends on successfully aligning the

performer’s technical execution (e.g., bow distribution, vibrato width,

intonation precision in ambiguous harmonies) with a coherent, context-

based hermeneutic. This study argues that pedagogical discourse on this

work should shift from seeking definitive interpretations toward

developing the performer’s “hermeneutical flexibility”—the ability to

consciously navigate and justify stylistic choices within Shostakovich’s

complex aesthetic framework. This research contributes to viola

performance pedagogy and music cognitive science by modeling an

analytical and reflective framework for interpreting the 20th-century

repertoire.