Unsung Composers

The Music => Recordings & Broadcasts => Topic started by: Alan Howe on Monday 04 May 2020, 21:46

Title: Ludvig Norman Viola Sonata
Post by: Alan Howe on Monday 04 May 2020, 21:46
Evidently a world premiere recording:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nordic-Connections-G%C3%B6ran-Fr%C3%B6st/dp/B0874JFF5H/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1588624937&sr=1-34 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nordic-Connections-G%C3%B6ran-Fr%C3%B6st/dp/B0874JFF5H/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1588624937&sr=1-34)
Title: Re: Ludvig Norman Viola Sonata
Post by: Mark Thomas on Monday 04 May 2020, 22:04
Norman was a fine composer. Should be a worthwhile buy.
Title: Re: Ludvig Norman Viola Sonata
Post by: Alan Howe on Monday 04 May 2020, 22:37
Here's the first movement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk9ItrkVQ6s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk9ItrkVQ6s)
Title: Re: Ludvig Norman Viola Sonata
Post by: eschiss1 on Tuesday 05 May 2020, 14:31
For a moment I had that confused with Ernst Naumann (or rather, Norman's accomplishment with Naumann's, since the latter's viola sonata was the first to be published (1855)), and I was interested for entirely different reasons. (Norman's is still fairly early as publication-date viola sonatas go, 1869 by Kistner. Onslow doesn't count- alternates for other instruments, not really true viola sonatas at all - nor do certain others...) (Mendelssohn beats them all for composition date but then lost a century for actual publication :) )
Title: Re: Ludvig Norman Viola Sonata
Post by: Alan Howe on Saturday 18 July 2020, 17:35
My copy of the CD has finally(!) arrived.

Norman's Viola Sonata in G minor Op.32 of 1869 (pub.1875) turns out to be a big work - nearly 34 minutes in length in four movements - and is largely serious, even occasionally unbearably intense in tone, especially in the opening movement. How this magnificent work has disappeared from view is anyone's guess. Violists now have no excuse not to explore it...
Title: Re: Ludvig Norman Viola Sonata
Post by: eschiss1 on Saturday 18 July 2020, 18:09
Hrm. it was indeed, you're right, published by 1875 (HMB (http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-buch?apm=0&aid=1000001&bd=0001875&teil=0203&seite=00000119&zoom=1)) and while HMB is not really meant to be used as a publication date ascertainment tool (except in the no-later-than sense, and even then it can be imperfect sometimes) I admit I don't recall why I thought it was published in 1869...

OTOH, -this- (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Allgemeine_Zeitung_M%C3%BCnchen_1798_1925/-lG3UIUmWIkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Normann%22+++%22Op.+32%22&pg=PA2419) advertisement lists it as a new Kistner publication, same 1875 date...
Title: Re: Ludvig Norman Viola Sonata
Post by: Alan Howe on Saturday 18 July 2020, 19:55
The sleevenote gives 1869 as the date of composition and 1875 as the date of publication by Kistner.