William Walton and Edwin York Bowen are among the composers who were hardly able to achieve a lasting international breakthrough. The viola also has a similar role to play. Its qualities were simply ignored by many composers, and the solo and concert repertoire for this instrument is correspondingly small. It is thanks to the English violist Lionel Tertis who was famous at the time that Bowen and Walton wrote the concertos featured on this album. The result is an important addition not only to the viola repertoire, but also for all lovers of classical music.

The violist Diyang Mei, first principal violist of the Berliner Philharmoniker, has been steadily advancing his international career since his brilliant success at the coveted ARD International Music Competition in 2018. He has already performed as a soloist with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Munich Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie as well as at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Schwetzingen SWR Festival, the Black Forest Music Festival and the Mozart Festival in Würzburg.

His conductor is none other than Brett Dean, who enjoys an international reputation as a violist, composer and conductor.