If people stumble across this recording and listen to the viola, I’ll be happy
As he releases a recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto transcribed for viola, the exceptional British player tells Charlotte Smith it’s all about raising his instrument’s profile
It’s the singing, expressive nature of the viola that most interests Timothy Ridout. Rare among his peers as a violist who didn’t transition to the instrument from the ubiquitous violin, the 27-year-old BBC New Generation Artist began his life as a singer, indulging in everything from youth choirs to musical theatre productions – including a phase in childhood when he enjoyed performing Elvis Presley songs. Along the way, he began viola lessons, after hearing a peripatetic teacher perform John Williams’s Harry Potter theme at his school. But it wasn’t until age 13 or 14, as his breaking voice was becoming more unpredictable, that he became serious about the instrument, aware that he could ‘sing’ through it.
‘I think of playing the viola in completely the same vein as expressing myself vocally, and that’s what actually drove me to practise
