SKU: BT.SLB-02032701

230 X 305 inches. French-English-Italian.

Henri Casadesus was passionate about early instruments, as we know from a number of photographs showing him with viola d’amore, the subject of a manual he wrote entitled Tecnique de la viole d’amour. The Concerto en Ut mineur was first published in 1947 by Mica Salabert. The first edition gives the so-called “original” part for solo violocello together with the score which, according to the preface, has been adapted for viola or cello or violin by Casadesus. However, stylistic analysis of the piece, together with some musicological research carried out after the appearance of the first edition reveals that the “original” version for violoncello, on which the adaptation was supposed to be based, cannot be attributed to Johann Christian Bach, but is rather a work imitating his style written two centuries later. In spite of this, Concerto en Ut mineur encountered considerable success and continues to be studied and performed by both violinists and violoncellists today.

Henri Gustave Casadesus nourrissait une profonde passion pour les instruments anciens, qu’illustrent notamment plusieurs photographies qui le représentent avec la viole d’amour, un instrument pour lequel il écrivit le traité Technique de la viole d’amour. Le Concerto en ut mineur fut publié pour la première fois en 1947 par Mica Salabert. Dans la première édition imprimée du Concerto en ut mineur, la partie du violoncelle soliste était qualifiée d’« originale » tandis que la partition, d’après la préface citée, est la version d’Henri Casadesus, réadaptée pour alto, violon ou violoncelle. Toutefois, d’après l’analyse du style de la pièce et des recherches musicologiques successives jamais contestées du reste par la famille Casadesus il apparaît que la version « originale » pour violoncelle, de laquelle découlerait l’adaptation, n’est pas attribuable non plus Johann Christian Bach, mais aurait été composée selon sa manière deux siècles après. En dépit de cela, ce concerto a connu une bonne fortune et est encore étudié et interprété aujourd’hui par les altistes et les violoncellistes.

SKU: HL.50600922

German.

SKU: HL.50600921

German.

SKU: HL.50565830

French.

Born in 1948 in Rome, Philippe Hersant studied music at the Paris Conservatory, notably in the composition class of Andre Jolivet, before residing at the Casa Velasquez from 1970 to 1972 and then at the Villa Medici from 1978 to 1980. Since 1973 he has been a producer for radio broadcasts with France Musiques. Refusing to play tricks with history, Philippe Hersant has forged a language that extends the course of Western music as a whole, and, without ever seeking to establish a school, he was one of the first of his generation to place himself, once more, in the domain of tonality and modality. He does not, for all that, banish all neo-classical tendencies. On the contrary, he champions the mannerism and the deep subjectivity of his memory as sources and guides to creation.