Today marks the one year anniversary of SHADOWS: The Unaccompanied Viola Sonatas of Günter Raphael officially being released into the world! It is still available on all major platforms, and if you still haven’t had a chance to take a listen to it, I encourage you to give it a go! The music of Günter Raphael, who was persecuted in his time for being considered half-Jewish, is prescient to the world we are living in today and the challenges we are currently coming to terms with.
It is hard to believe that a whole year has gone by, and I am really proud of that album and all that went into it. I was reading an article last night in the New York Times about what happens when you accomplish one of your major life goals, what happens next? Quite often when that goal is accomplished, it marks the end of one chapter in your life, and gives you an opportunity to figure out what might be next.
It has taken me a year or so to figure out what those next goals are. I think the goals themselves are still evolving, but the takeaway is that I really do enjoy recording projects- whether through audio or video recordings. I have found that one niche that I enjoy leaning into are recordings of living composers, and those who are not well represented by the annals of history! Over the past few months, I have been working to continue on that path, by recording several works for solo violin, including Dennis Báthory-Kitsz’s iota, and the first two movements of Adolphus Hailstork‘s Suite for Solo Violin. These made it onto my YouTube channel on January 18th if you wanted to take a listen. (Bonus points if you decide to subscribe to my YouTube channel!) This will be followed by a definitive recording of Anthony R. Green’s Two Pages for Kara, which I plan to release this March.
Apart from that, and several other recording projects that are being formulated in the back of my mind (clearly it is going to take some time to get them all on paper, recorded, and out in the universe), my goal is to keep performing with really spectacular friends and colleagues! That is why I am looking forward to tomorrow night’s concert, with the Golden Williams Duo & Friends! We (Diana Golden and I) are thrilled to feature viola and cello ensemble music on Monday, February 3, 2025, at 7:30pm, at Our Saviour’s Atonement Lutheran Church (178 Bennett Avenue, NYC). We will be joined by the fabulous violists Tia Allen, Amadi Azikiwe, and Drew Griffin, and the marvelous cellists Dara Hankins, Wayne Smith, and Zach Brown, to perform works by Julius Eastman, Anthony R. Green, Sydney Guillaume, Quinn Mason, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Julia Perry, Florence Price, and Sakari Dixon Vanderveer. Please join us for this unique event, where we bask in our love for viola and cello pairings! This concert is free admission, and no tickets required, which is made possible by the Music Performance Trust Fund.
I remember growing up and not being able to picture life past 32, let alone 40. All of my goals took me up to those age brackets. Now that I am well past those mile markers, I am determined to keep going, even if I am walking against the wind at times!
Gregory K. Williams 