The "Viennese Wunderkind" designation in the subtitle of this pair of chamber pieces by Viennese-born composer Franz Mittler refers mostly to his precocity as a violinist: he made his debut at age nine, accompanied by the seven-year-old Clara Haskil on piano. But he was also a quick learner as a composer; the two sonatas heard here both date from his teens. Of Jewish background, Mittler got out of Austria in 1938 and came to the U.S., where he was often heard on radio and television after the war. He eventually returned to ...
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The "Viennese Wunderkind" designation in the subtitle of this pair of chamber pieces by Viennese-born composer Franz Mittler refers mostly to his precocity as a violinist: he made his debut at age nine, accompanied by the seven-year-old Clara Haskil on piano. But he was also a quick learner as a composer; the two sonatas heard here both date from his teens. Of Jewish background, Mittler got out of Austria in 1938 and came to the U.S., where he was often heard on radio and television after the war. He eventually returned to Germany and died there in 1970. Although he avoided the fate of many of his Austrian Jewish contemporaries, Mittler's reputation fell victim to the Anschluss; much of his music was destroyed at the time. A good chunk of what has survived dates from this early period, and the Cello Sonata in G major and Violin Sonata in D major heard here suggest that more of it is worth seeking out. The style is fully in the late Romantic currents of the period, but the outer movements overflow with...
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