Classical Music | Music for Viola

Recorded on 04/04/2012, uploaded on 08/10/2012

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Arthur Honegger, French by birth and Swiss by nationality, belonged to Les Six, the group of six French composers who met while students at the Paris Conservatory and developed a close friendship through their joint search for fresh directions in music. The group formed in 1920 and met regularly at the bar Le Boeuf sur le Toit, renowned for its glamorous Bohemian feel and usual visits of Picasso, Stravinsky, Chaplin, Hemingway, etc. The Viola Sonata featured in today's program belongs to that time. It was completed in 1920, and Honegger, still unknown, was about to be launched to fame with his oratorio Le Roi David. The Viola Sonata was premiered by its dedicatee, Henri Casadesus, and was soon after performed by such personalities as Milhaud and Hindemith.  Its initial success was however short-lived and its popularity is nowadays very limited. There are few recordings of it, and it is seldom presented in concerts.       Viacheslav Dinerchtein

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.