Violist Finally Gets Solo, Family Flies in From Three States, Solo Is Four Notes Long

Principal violist Deborah Bratsche of the Tri-County Philharmonic performed her first orchestral solo in eleven years of service on Friday evening — a four-note passage in the third movement of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra that lasted approximately 1.8 seconds, for which her family traveled from three states to attend. 'It's been eleven years,' said Deborah's mother, Constance Bratsche, who flew from Denver. 'Eleven years of sitting in the middle of the orchestra, invisible, playing inner voices nobody can hear. And then the conductor called to say Deborah had a solo. A solo! We mobilized immediately.' The family contingent included both parents (Denver), a brother (Minneapolis), a sister (Atlanta), and an aunt (Tucson), who collectively spent $2,847 on airfare and lodging. 'I didn't realize it was four notes,' admitted Deborah's father, Frank, reviewing the score after the concert. 'She said solo. In our family, that means something. Her sister is a mezzo-soprano. Her brother plays jazz trumpet. When they say solo, it means minutes. Plural. I didn't know an orchestral solo could be a single bar.' The passage, occurring in the 'Elegia' movement, features the viola section briefly emerging from the orchestral texture with a mournful four-note figure before being submerged again beneath the full ensemble. 'It's actually a section solo, not a solo solo,' Deborah clarified. 'The whole viola section plays it. I'm just the one sitting in front. But the conductor said it would be featured in the program notes as a prominent viola passage, and I suppose I may have oversold it to my family.' The family's response was mixed. Her mother wept. Her brother asked if he had blinked and missed it. Her aunt said she was 'sure it was beautiful' but had been unwrapping a cough drop at that exact moment. Deborah has been informed that next season's programming includes Berlioz's Harold in Italy, which features an extended viola obbligato. Her family has requested she 'confirm the duration in writing' before they book flights.