MUSIC REVIEW : Multifaceted Viola Recital From Amory

Pity the poor viola, a musical stepchild short in repertory and respect. Even bass players tell “vla” jokes.

To cheer those who love the quirky, characterful instrument, however, there is the prestigious Naumburg International Viola Competition, whose winners appear annually here at Ambassador Auditorium. Monday, it was the turn of Misha Amory, first-prize winner at the 1991 competition, in his local recital debut.

Amory, currently a student of Samuel Rhodes at Juilliard, lacks nothing in virtuosity or temperament, as he quickly demonstrated in a Sonata in C by Alessandro Rolla. One of those pieces that persists in viewing the viola as merely a funny-sounding violin, this tuneful sonata is filled with the sort of bravura noodling that makes Rolla’s contemporary and compatriot Paginini sound profound.

The American musician, born in 1967, proved an excitable exponent of the work, inclined to push its manual dexterity point. He caressed the lyric opportunities nicely, and charged the dazzling passagework with elan and technical security.

Hindemith, a master of the instrument himself, provided meatier and more distinctive challenges in his 1939 Sonata. Amory may have softened its acerbic edge with his rich sound and passionate approach, but he made extrovert heroism seem as pertinent as logical rigor in a large-scale reading.

His efforts had the bracing and interactive collaboration of pianist Thomas Sauer, who supplied articulate energy in pointed, if monochromatic accompaniment. Sauer’s considerable talents were also fully engaged on behalf of Brahms’ Sonata No. 1, Opus 120, which Amory drove through with spirited, songful dispatch.

The brooding, heaving side of the instrument, as well as its potential for menace, found vent in a Concert Piece by Enesco. Amory treated it with explosive authority. He already has some of the overwrought stage mannerisms of the stereotypical virtuoso, but the swaying and mugging that could distract in Hindemith and Brahms seemed an integral part of the package here.

In encore, Amory and Sauer returned with a sauve, moody account of Schumann’s “Fantasiestuck,” Opus 73, No. 1.