Paul Hindemith Essentials

Having made his name after the First World War with several short operas—Sancta Susanna is a sensational listen—German composer Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) developed his own distinct neo-classical style. His experience as an orchestral violinist and viola virtuoso is evident in his masterful orchestration, evident in all Hindemith’s operas, as well as the sonatas he wrote for each of the orchestra’s main instruments: Listen to the Viola Sonata, Op. 11 No. 4 for some of his most beguiling music. Also, try Hindemith’s greatest opera Mathis der Maler, or the powerful symphony he adapted from it, both of which pay tribute to the German tradition in which he was profoundly rooted.