This is the first ever album devoted to the chamber music of Helena Munktell, one of the earliest female composers in Sweden. The daughter of an industrialist, Munktell received private lessons in piano and song from an early age, but soon also training in music theory and composition. In 1877 she visited Paris, where two of her sisters lived, and during the next thirty-odd years the city would be a second home to her. Here she studied with composers such as Benjamin Godard and Vincent d'Indy, and became a member of SociÃ©tÃ© Nationale de Musique (SNM), an organization promoting French music and providing opportunities for young composers to have their works performed. A selection of Munktell's songs had been performed, in Swedish, at a Society concert in 1892 and in 1900 they were heard again, but now in the French versions released the same year by the reputed musical publisher Alphonse Leduc. The Dix MÃ©lodies are finely crafted musical scenes displaying a wide expressive range and variety of moods. Five years later another SNM concert saw the first performance of Munktell's Violin Sonata in E flat major, by none other than the renowned Romanian violinist George Enescu. Franck's famous A major Sonata, which Munktell knew well, served as an important source of inspiration in regards to the cyclic form and harmonic writing. The sonata soon appeared in print, now from E. Demets, another French music publisher. The third work on this album is a small-scale piano trio, probably an early work and possibly composed for performance at one of the musical salons at the Munktell family home in Stockholm.

Tracklist:

Violin Sonata In E-Flat Major, Op. 21: I. Allegro Non Tanto, Vigoroso
Violin Sonata In E-Flat Major, Op. 21: II. Scherzo Brusco
Violin Sonata In E-Flat Major, Op. 21: III. Andante Quasi Adagio
Violin Sonata In E-Flat Major, Op. 21: IV. Finale
10 Mélodies: No. 1, Sérénade
10 Mélodies: No. 2, Dans Le Lointain Des Bois
10 Mélodies: No. 3, Ce Qu'entendent Les Nuits
10 Mélodies: No. 4, D'un Berceau
10 Mélodies: No. 5, Cantilène
10 Mélodies: No. 6, Fascination
10 Mélodies: No. 7, La Dernière Berceuse
10 Mélodies: No. 8, Exil D'amour
10 Mélodies: No. 9, Si Tu Le Voulais
10 Mélodies: No. 10, Fidélité
Kleines Trio: I. Allegro Moderato
Kleines Trio: II. Andante Espressivo
Kleines Trio: III. Scherzo Finale
Violin Sonata In E-Flat Major, Op. 21: II. Scherzo Brusco (Original Version)

UPC: 7318599922041
Label: Bis
Release Date: 1.8.21
Format: CD

Munktell / Ringborg / Johansson - Violin Sonata / Dix Melodies (CD)