VIOLAMANIA – well, the title says it all! Aleksey Igudesman has gifted eleven of his viola-playing friends a personalized solo piece for their instrument and, in doing so, enriched the solo repertoire for violists everywhere. These challenging, unaccompanied pieces are ideal for concert, especially as encores. They are often humorous, as one might expect from cabaret star Igudesman but deserve to be taken seriously. Some are simple and melodic, some are highly virtuosic, as befits the virtuosi for whom they were written. For example, “Brexit Polka”, written for Lawrence Power, includes a quote from all the national anthems of the EU, interrupted by the British national anthem perhaps struggling to escape! David Carpenter describes the piece written for him, “Rachenitsa”, as the “cure for all viola jokes”! “Passacaglia”, for Antoine Tamestit, includes Baroque, Romantic, Contemporary and even Flamenco styles. There is something for every concert violist; recitals and auditions will never be the same again!