The Violin Alone

The unlikely pairing of two modern visionaries, Vilmos Oláh, a Hungarian violin virtuoso, and Eric Funk, contemporary classical composer from the heart of Montana, has resulted in a new piece of music that pushes the boundaries of music and our notion of the possible. Vili: Concerto for Violin Alone is an extreme concerto in which its player must simultaneously play the solo and orchestra parts.

What are the odds that a composer would meet the violinist in his mind’s ear, and that a violinist would meet the composer who writes the music from his dreams? It happened with Tchaikovsky and Leopold Auer, with Brahms and Joseph Joachim, with Shostakovich and Mitoslav Rostropovich. It has happened before, but it is very rare. Now it has happened for Eric Funk and Vilmos Oláh.

“Vili: Concerto for Violin Alone” is an extreme concerto that pushes the boundaries of music and our notion of the possible. Oláh must play the solo and orchestra parts simultaneously. It presents a seemingly impossible task; he must emulate flutes, oboes, clarinet, and timpani, and must move his bow towards the bridge in an exact position to capture crisp brass punch of a trumpet fanfare.

When facing endless occupations, wars, and suffering, the Hungarian people have continually risen to prevail while revealing a richness of deep feeling, a wealth of soul, and indelible spirit.

There is no more complicated thing than a feeling. “Vili: Concerto for the Violin Alone” is a reflection of the violinist, the composer, and the unquenchable human spirit of eastern Europe.