Symphony in C-sharp minor (Sohy)
The Symphony in C-sharp minor, Op. 10, subtitled the Great War, is the only symphony by French composer Charlotte Sohy. It was written between 1914 and 1917 during World War I and may have been inspired by the death of Sohy's colleague Albéric Magnard.[1]
History
[edit]Composition
[edit]Sohy began work on the symphony in autumn 1914 and completed it October 1917.[1]
The symphony was possibly inspired by the death of Albéric Magnard, in September 1914, who was a family friend of Sohy and her husband Marcel Labey.[2] Sohy's symphony adopts the same key — little used — of C sharp minor as Magnard's Symphony No. 4. Around the same time, Sohy's husband Marcel was mobilised to fight in World War 1, and the symphony, whilst not programmatic, has a dark, anxious tone, taking the subtitle Grand Guerre (Great War).[2]
Performances
[edit]The symphony was not performed in Sohy's lifetime. It was premiered in June 2019 with the Orchestre de Besançon Franche-Comté conducted by Debora Waldman.[2] Waldman had been introduced to the work by Sohy's grandson, François-Henri Labey, and both worked alongside guest concertmaster François-Marie Drieux to prepare the work for performance.[2][3][4] The American premiere took place on 5 March 2024 at the Zilkha Hall of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas. It was performed by the Texas Medical Center Orchestra conducted by Libi Lebel.[5]
Music
[edit]The symphony is written for a orchestra of: 2 flutes (1 doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (1 doubling cor anglais), 3 clarinets (1 doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp and strings.[6]
The symphony is in three movements:
- Lent. Vif
- Vif. Lent. Vif
- Vif
A performance usually lasts around 30 minutes.[5]
Discography
[edit]- Orchestre national Avignon-Provence, Debora Waldman (dir.), in Charlotte Sohy: Orchestral Music, La Boîte à Pépites, 2022.
- Orchestre national de France, Debora Waldman (dir.), in Compositrices, New Light on French Romantic Women Composers, 8 CD, vol. 2, Bru Zane, 2023.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Bru Zane mediabase". January 1917. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Debora Waldman Conducts World Premiere of Charlotte Sohy's "War Symphony" (1917)". 11 June 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Debora Waldman, Pauline Sommelet (2021). La symphonie oubliée. Robert Laffont.
- ^ "Presence Compositrices, "Charlotte Sohy: Rebirth of a composer"". Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ a b Gray, Chris (27 February 2024). "Texas Medical Center Orchestra hosts US premiere of female composer's symphony". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Catalogue of Works by Francis Paraïso" (PDF). 2021. p. 6.
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