Sohy: Symphony in C sharp minor

Day 332

Charlotte Sohy: Symphony in C sharp minor The Great War

Orchestra National de France

DeborahWildman

This was another significant discovery from the Bru Zane box of music by French Women composers, Compostrices. Sohy (1887-1955) was a name unknown to me until I started to explore this set. She was Schola Cantorum trained and was well connected with the major figures in French music in the pre-first world war period. This symphony dates from 1914-17:  the subtitle ‘The Great War’ is though to be a reference to the composer ALbert Maynard (a close friend) and to her husband, who was killed in 1915.

Astonishing the piece was not performed until  2019. Nobody is quite sure why it was not performed in the composer’s lifetime - she was a respected figure and several of her other orchestral works were performance.  Whatever the reason this piece did not deserve to be ignored for over a hundred years. I though that is was a very impressive example of a symphony in the late-romantic idiom. Stylistically it is closer to Saint-Sâens than Debussy though it is not obviously the work of a French composer. Anybody anywhere writing in the early part of the 20th century would have been very pleased to have written such a strong work. I’ve commented before in this notes that the verdict of history is often right - this is a really good counter example!