Hindemith: Chamber Music, Vol. VI - Ernst & Lory Wallfisch

SONATA FOR UNACCOMPANIED VIOLA, OP. 11, No. 5 (1919) The first of the two solo sonatas for viola was written before the First String Quartet, even though it did not appear in print until 1923. Of course, both sonatas were written for the personal use of the composer who was an excellent violist. This “custom-­tailored" work gives us a good idea of Hindemith's virtuosity as an interpreter. SONATA No. 2 FOR VIOLA AND PIANO in F, (1939) This second and last Sonata for Viola and Piano ( often erroneously referred to as "in C”) was written fully two decades after its predecessor (likewise in F, Op. 11, No. 4; 1919). Its place is therefore exactly in the center of the great cycle of sonatas of the years 1935-1943, and none of the others equals it in grandeur, scope and power of inspiration. Here we are indeed faced with one of the most accomplished instrumental works of Hindemith, and there is hardly anything of greater value in the entire literature for these two instruments. This is the utterance of a modern classicist at the height of his creative power.