Written in 2013, Folk Suite for Treble Viol consists of five short movements that reflect Virtaperko’s recent, growing interest in the Nordic folk traditions.
”I wrote ‘Folk Suite’ primarily for my own amusement and use during the Summer holiday of 2013. As a recreational off-duty activity, I wanted to write simple, entertaining and idiomatic music for treble, then the latest addition to my ‘chest of viols’. ‘Folk Suite’ reflects my subjective interpretations of generic ”Nordic” folk traditions, of which I’ve been facinated for the past decade. Being neither authorized folk music nor arts-for-arts’-sake contemporary music, Folk Suite for Treble Viol may have potential to insult the professionals in both these music circles. However, the violists seem to like to play it and so do I, too. In fact, writing and playing Folk Suite for Treble Viol has personally been so stimulating and gratifying that I’ve since continued creating new solo repertoire for treble viol. Similarily to Folk Suite, Homebrew Suite (2014) and Puumala Suite (2015) are instrumentally idiomatic viol texture with some folk, Renaissance and Baroque flavour. In other words, they are simple music that exist for pure entertainment and for the joy of playing the viol.” (O.V. September 2015)
Instrumentation
for treble viol
2013