Jürgen Weber, the violist on this recording, was appointed solo violist of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1977 and has collaborated with conductors like Leonard Bernstein and Simon Rattle.
Composer Biography
Paul Hindemith, one of the composers on this album, was a successful violinist and violist before his composing career, becoming first concertmaster of the Frankfurt opera orchestra at age 20.
Historical Context
During World War II, Günter Raphael's life was threatened by the SS after 1942 and an acute case of tuberculosis, but his doctors kept him safe from the Nazis in the hospital.
Compositional Technique
In his Solo Sonata, Op. 25, No. 1, Paul Hindemith includes the performance instruction 'Raging tempo. Wild. Beauty of tone secondary,' and specifies 600 quarter notes per minute.
Composer Biography
Günter Raphael, another composer on this album, was declared an 'undesirable person' by the Nazis in 1934 due to his Jewish ancestry, losing his faculty position and facing a professional ban.
Instruments
Jürgen Weber plays a 1780 Lorenzo Storioni viola from Cremona, Italy.
Composition History
Paul Hindemith composed his 1937 Viola Solo Sonata on a three-day train journey to Chicago for a recital, performing the brand-new work directly after arriving.
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Passion
SHADOWS THE UNACCOMPANIED VIOLA SONATAS OF GÜNTER RAPHAEL
