The Symphony in C-sharp minor, Op. 10, subtitled the Great War, is the only symphony by French composer Charlotte Sohy. It was written between 1914 and 1917 during World War I and may have been inspired by the death of Sohy's colleague Albéric Magnard.[1]
Sohy began work on the symphony in autumn 1914 and completed it October 1917.[1]
The symphony was possibly inspired by the death of Albéric Magnard, in September 1914, who was a family friend of Sohy and her husband Marcel Labey.[2] Sohy's symphony adopts the same key — little used — of C sharp minor as Magnard's Symphony No. 4. Around the same time, Sohy's husband Marcel was mobilised to fight in World War 1, and the symphony, whilst not programmatic, has a dark, anxious tone, taking the subtitle Grand Guerre (Great War).[2]
The symphony was not performed in Sohy's lifetime. It was premiered in June 2019 with the Orchestre de Besançon Franche-Comté conducted by Debora Waldman.[2] Waldman had been introduced to the work by Sohy's grandson, François-Henri Labey, and both worked alongside guest concertmaster François-Marie Drieux to prepare the work for performance.[2] [3] [4] The American premiere took place on 5 March 2024 at the Zilkha Hall of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas. It was performed by the Texas Medical Center Orchestra conducted by Libi Lebel.[5]
The symphony is written for a orchestra of:2 flutes (1 doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (1 doubling cor anglais), 3 clarinets (1 doubling bass clarinet), 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp and strings.[6]
The symphony is in three movements:
A performance usually lasts around 30 minutes.[5]