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.
Some of her works were published under the name "Charles Sohy". RAM has a copy of the Theme & Variations for violin & piano.
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 (http://www.hudezeck.de/hudezeck_lebenslauf.html) 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) (https://www.hmt-leipzig.de/hmt/presse/mt-journal/mt-journal-archiv/content_924057/MTJ-Nr43_Inhalt_S._1-39.pdf), 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'.
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".
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'!
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 (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.