Charlotte Sohy 1887-1956

[giles.enders]

Charlotte Sohy  Born 12.7.1887  Died 19.12.1956

She was a pupil of Louis Vierne and Vincent d'Indy, both of whom had a substantial influence on her compositions.  She subsequently married another pupil of d'Indy, the composer Marcel Labey.

Orchestral

Symphony in C #minor
Theme and variations for Violin and Orchestra  Op.15
Histoire Sentimentale  for Strings and percussion  Op.34

Chamber

Triptych for flute, harp, violin, viola and cello  Op.21
Premier Quatuor Op.25
Deuxieme quatuor  Op.33
Piano trio  Op.24
Petite suite for piano trio   pub. by Senart
Violin sonata   pub. by Senart
String quartet
Theme and variations for violin and piano  1922  pub. by Senart
Octobre for cello and piano  Op.23/1 

Piano

Fantasie  Op.3  1907
Sonata  Op.6  1909
Six petite pieces :  L'Enfant sage, Il pleut, Au Soleil, Sauterie, Au matin, Dur labour
Quatre romantique pieces  Op.30  1944

Song

Trois Chantes nostalgiques  for Mezzo and orchestra  Op.7
Deux Poems chantes  for Mezzo or baryton and orchestra  Op.17

Chantes de la lande  for mezzo and piano  Op.4  1908
Two poems for voice and piano

Vocal

Lyrique Drama  'L'Esclave'  (The Slave Crowned)


There are clearly other compositions which I have been unable to trace.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Some of her works were published under the name "Charles Sohy". RAM has a copy of the Theme & Variations for violin & piano.

[Wheesht]

Last night Hartmut Hudezeck and the Orchestre de l'Opera de Rouen Normandie conducted by Jamie Phillips played Hans Gál's Piano Concerto in its Swiss premiere in a wonderful performance (outdoors). When I got home, I looked up the soloist and found out that he is an avid promoter of unsungs and regularly writes about them and organises concerts. See his website for details. This year's concert will feature works by Lili Boulanger, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Franz Reizenstein.

In summer 2017 Hudezeck wrote a very interesting article about Charlotte Sohy that gives more information about her works
(p 23-24), for example that the Symphony is in C sharp minor, that she wrote a symphonic poem for large orchestra 'Danse mystique', and an oratorio for alto, baritone, choir and orchestra 'Poème'.

[BerlinExpat]

Charlotte Sohy - Symphony 'Grande Guerre' in C sharp minor, op.10

The symphony's three movements are:
I   Lent. Vif
II   Vif. Lent. Vif
III   Vif

Analysis from Wikipédia
The work, of post-Romantic aesthetic, is in the vein of the cyclical compositions of César Franck and in particular of his Symphony in D. The first movement, "dark, lyrical and tormented" , completed on November 18, 1914. The following April, Charlotte Sohy was informed by dispatch of the death at the front of her husband, Marcel Labey. A week later, she finally learns that he is certainly injured but still alive. She then got down to writing the second movement, a bucolic and mischievous scherzo, in a "rather radiant" mood , but interspersed with a trio with a somber atmosphere. The movement was completed on July 14, 1915. The finale, which synthesizes the entire work, was composed later, in 1917, and has a "grandiose and assertive" character. It ends with a "chilling" last chord. Overall, the Symphony in C sharp minor, which navigates between "diffuse anguish and [...] sketched hopes", is both "rich and comprehensive", "characterized by daring harmonies" and "remarkable formal consistency".

[semloh]

Well, that review seems to be about a quite different work to the one I listened to yesterday. I was obviously not paying attention, as I was on-line at UC at the time!    A second hearing is definitely in order.

I wonder what other members think of the symphony. In view of its title, I expected something far less 'enjoyable'!

[BerlinExpat]

I guess the reviewer referred to the première performance which to my mind has a better dynamic range than the recording in the downloads section. It can be seen/heard here: https://vimeo.com/362497039

Given the title, the music is rather surprisingly "upbeat", but i guess it's a personal expression of how she perceived the conflict from a distance.