Nobuko Imai, the violist on this recording, is the only violist to have won the highest prizes at both the Munich and Geneva International Viola Competitions.
Composer Biography
Paul Hindemith, the composer, became the leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra in 1915 at just 19 years old, after successfully auditioning by sight-reading a difficult passage from Salome.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Hindemith's approach to composition was pragmatic; he believed composers should write with a specific purpose and consumer in mind, rather than for 'composition as an end in itself'.
Historical Context
Hindemith refused to stop working with his Jewish colleagues, violinist Szymon Goldberg and cellist Emanuel Feuermann, after the Nazis rose to power, which was a reason he later had to leave Germany.
Composer Biography
Paul Hindemith was able to play every orchestral instrument, some to a very high standard, and by the end of the 1920s, he was considered the leading German viola player.
Composer Biography
Hindemith was a prolific musician, playing light music in Swiss spa bands at 17, operetta as leader of the Frankfurt New Theatre Orchestra, and even the bass drum in military music during WWI.
Composition History
Hindemith composed his Sonata for Solo Viola, 1937, on a train to Chicago to fill a program for a viola recital, performing it immediately upon arrival.
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