Events
TRIBUTES
Tribute concert to Robert Casadesus on April 10, 2019
Produced by the INVENTIO association and with the support of Thérèse Casadesus Rawson, this concert at the Chapelle Expiatoire in Paris, was performed by the A-letheia Ensemble, founded in 2018 by Léo Marillier. This program enabled the discovery and performance of a rare work in the chamber music repertoire, the string septet opus 64, composed by Robert Casadesus in 1961.
An excellent performance of the Toccata by Wenting Yu (Chine), winner of the Casadesus piano award. Each year for the summer session at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, Therese Casadesus Rawson selects a piano student to receive the Casadesus award of a full scholarship with the prerequisite of performing one of Robert Casadesus’ works.
Concert organized by the American Conservatory of Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau Schools of Music and Fine Arts
Fontainebleau Schools of Music and Fine Arts – Edition 2017
As part of the American Conservatory of Fontainebleau, on July 15 at the Chapelle de le Trinité, the cello sonata by Robert Casadesus was performed by Philippe Muller (cello) and Frédéric Aguessy (piano).
A new CD of Robert Casadesus’ piano works.
Cicilia Yudha, pianist, chamber musician and educator, presents her Navona Records release SELECTED PIANO WORKS BY ROBERT CASADESUS AND HENRI DUTILLEUX, featuring her expertise as a solo pianist, as well as the exploration of the compositions of Robert Casadesus. Yudha’s skillful approach is demonstrated in the opening piece, Sonata No. 3, Op. 44, which has an energetic and rhythmically exciting first movement followed by a vibrant second movement, which exhibits a slow and reflective texture. Yudha brings a Casadesus quintessential style to life, highlighting the vibrant and lively first movement and showcasing the contrasting slow and reflective mood found in the second movement. Toccata, Op. 40 is brimming with youthful energy as the prolific 20th century composer pushes this baroque style forward. Yudha brings this piece to life and makes it breathe with a creative, almost improvisational quality. Under the demands of this high tempo exploration, she shows her brilliance in bringing out every nuance of the piece and affirms its underlying grace and dignity.
A doctorate devoted to Robert Casadesus.
Cicilia Yudha is a young Indonesian pianist who has just dedicated her doctoral degree in piano repertoire to Robert Casadesus. It is thanks to her summer internship in 2005 at the Fontainebleau Schools of Music and Fine Arts (founded in 1921 by Francis Casadesus) where Robert, Gaby and Jean Casadesus taught, and as the winner of the scholarship offered each year by Thérese Casadesus Rawson, that Cicilia discovered the works of Robert Casadesus.
She has proven to be an excellent interpreter of the piano repertoire of the famous pianist and composer. Cicilia has been invited to present at College Music Society’s a lecture-recital on the 8 studies of Robert Casadesus (op.28) and the Toccata (op.40) which will take place in Saint-Louis on October 30 and November 1, 2014. Its topic was selected from an exceptionally large number of submissions as being of great interest to participants.
Access Cicilia’s site to read the full dissertation.
A new interpretation of the sonata for cello and piano Op. 22.
The sonata for cello and piano Op. 22 was performed by cellist Khari Joyner and pianist Leeann Osterkamp during a concert at the Juilliard School on April 22, 2015.
Listen to the recording :
A commemorative plaque in tribute to Robert & Gaby Casadesus.
A plaque unveiling ceremony in tribute to Robert Casadesus, pianist and composer (1899-1972) and Gaby Casadesus, pianist and teacher (1901-1999) took place on Friday March 8, 2013 at 11 a.m. in front of the building where they lived at 54 rue Vaneau in Paris 7th, in the presence of many artistic and political personalities, in particular Thérèse Casadesus Rawson (daughter of Robert and Gaby Casadesus), Gréco Casadesus (read the speech in French), Thierry Hodent, Deputy Mayor of the 7th arrondissement in charge of culture and Bruno Julliard, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of culture.
90th anniversary of the American Conservatory of Fontainebleau: tribute to Robert Casadesus.
A concert “Hommage à Robert Casadesus” took place on Saturday July 16, 2011
Chapel of the Trinity – Château de Fontainebleau
3:30 p.m .: round table / tribute to Robert Casadesus, memories and testimonies
5:00 p.m .: Concert performed by Fréderic Aguessy, Alexander Ullman (piano),
Alexis Galperine (violin) and the Grand Air Trio
Program :
Ravel: Sonata n ° 1, Alborada del Gracioso
Robert Casadesus: 2nd piano sonata,
Variations after the homage to Debussy by M. de Falla,
2nd trio for violin, cello and piano.
Information : Fontainebleau Schools
A ROBERT CASADESUS interpretation prize was created within the international VIBRARTE competition.
The Robert Casadesus/Vibrarte prize rewards a candidate for the personal character and the accuracy of their interpretation of French music.
The winner will benefit from communication from Opus Millésime editions and the Robert Casadesus association and in particular from a dedicated space with sound or video clips on the site dedicated to Robert Casadesus. The winner will also receive a check in the amount of € 500.
The winner of the ROBERT CASADESUS prize on February 6, 2009 was Ukrainian pianist Natacha KUDRITSKAYA.
Natacha also obtained the 1st Vibrarte Piano Prize. Congratulations !
A personal page presenting this very talented young artist was offered by the Association Robert Casadesus and Opus Millésime. It is now on line.
The winners’ concert on February 9, 2009 will be broadcast live and across Europe on the MEZZO television channel. A documentary dedicated to the competition will subsequently be broadcast on France 2.
The VIBRARTE International Music Competition, in its 2011 format dedicated to the violin, awarded the ROBERT CASADESUS interpretation prize to the violinist Mari POLL (Estonia).
The winner received a check for 500 € as well as the reproduction of the first page of the opus n°1 by Robert Casadesus (kept at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France).
Click on the link to an overview of her promising career. Congratulations!
Music-video panorama.
The Robert Casadesus spirit:
A musical show enriched with original projections to discover, in images as well as in music, the world of the famous pianist and composer.
Watch excerpts from the show given in Dijon in June 2008 (ABB production).
The following concerts in the spirit of Robert Casadesus performed by Jean-François Bouvery, renowned specialist in Robert Casadesus’ piano music, took place:
– in Paris, Espace Cardin, in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres (December 2004),
– in Cannes, Cercle Musical de Cannes / Hotel Majestic Barrière) (September 24, 2006),
– in Avon, Maison dans la Vallée (September 30, 2006),
– in Andé, at the Moulin d’Andé, a Norman cultural center, (December 2, 2006),
– in Blois (July 7, 2007).
– in Dijon, Hotel Maleteste (June 7, 2008). Concert organized by the “Amis du 7”.
Symphonic works by Robert Casadesus in the catalog of editions Alphonse Leduc & Musique en Ligne …
Opus Millésime / Gréco Casadesus editions which, since 2002, have published all the unpublished works of Robert Casadesus have just concluded an agreement with the prestigious French publishing house, Alphonse Leduc.
Editions Leduc, founded in 1841, is at the head of a unique repertoire in which prestigious composers such as Messiaen, Ibert, Dutilleux, Poulenc, Mihlaud, Florentz and Escaich are represented. Since January 2008, the symphonic works of Robert Casadesus published by Opus Millésime have been available for rental from éditions Leduc. (tel: +33.1.42.96.76.48)
The “Musique en Ligne” (M.E.L) editions, also represented by Editions Leduc, allow the Robert Casadesus catalog to be discovered on the internet.
Memoirs of GRANT JOHANNESEN : “Journey of an American Pianist”.
Grant Johannesen was the friend and pupil of Robert Casadesus.
This captivating story (in English) by one of the great American pianists is dedicated to him.
“Johannesen writes with authority but without pretentiousness. He lived a long life that is as absorbing to read about as it is satisfying.” — Mark DeVoto, emeritus professor of music, Tufts University
Grant Johannesen (1921-2005) was one of America’s most distinguished concert pianists and musical educators.
Editions “The University of UTAH Press”.
The Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition 1975-1993
The Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition – 1975-1993 – was organized by the Casadesus Society in collaboration with the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) to honor the memory of Robert Casadesus (d. Sept. 1972), the great French pianist, composer, and teacher. The initiative to create the competition was taken by his wife, Gaby Casadesus, and Cleveland was selected as the site because of the close ties between Casadesus, George Szell, and the Cleveland Orchestra, as well as the fact that CIM was headed at the time by renowned pianist Grant Johannesen, a longtime pupil of Casadesus.
Organized in 1975, to coincide with the centennial of Maurice Ravel’s birth, the biennial event occurred in August of odd-numbered years and was open to pianists ages 17-32 from all nations. From hundreds of applicants, 40-60 were invited to CIM to compete in a narrowing process that produced 12 semi-finalists selected by an international jury who then selected 4 finalists who had to perform solo recitals as well as a Mozart concerto with orchestra and a piano composition by Robert Casadesus. Prizes for the winner included a New York recital debut, a compact disc recording, and numerous concert engagements in America, France, and Japan, including an appearance with the Cleveland Orchestra and a solo recital at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Noteworthy among past winners are: John Owings (USA, 1975), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (FR, 1979), who has enjoyed an international career, including appearances and recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra, Angela Hewitt (CA, 1979), Philippe Bianconi (FR, 1981), who also won 2nd prize at the Van Cliburn competition in 1985, Daejin Kim (SK, 1985) and Nicholas Angelich (USA, 1989).
The Robert Casadesus International Piano Rounds at Lille 1996-2005
The Robert Casadesus International Piano Rounds originated in Lille in April 1996, at the initiative of Jean-Claude Casadesus, who sought to renew the spirit of the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition of Cleveland. The geographic proximity of a large number of well-known international competitions (Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris, World Piano Competition in London, International Piano Competition in Leeds) led Jean-Claude Casadesus to avoid creating just another competition like the others. Instead, the originality of the Rounds would be to invite the participation of three prize-winners of international competitions from the same year.
The Rounds took place on a weekend in the month of January, during which each performer had to express him- or herself in two different ways: in a recital of approximately an hour, and in concert with the Orchestre de Lille. It goes without saying that the contribution of the latter is essential and gives particular prestige to the young musicians, providing some of them with their very first experience as soloist with an orchestra.
A stimulating and formative springboard, the Rounds were also able to host and help numerous pianists attain international renown. In 1999, the Rounds paid homage to Robert Casadesus on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth and received Philippe Bianconi, who performed the Capriccio for Piano and String Orchestra, Op. 49 by Robert Casadesus. This was, unfortunately, the last edition honoured by the attentive and warm presence of Gaby Casadesus who passed away a few months later.
From 2001-2005, Alain Cochard, music critic, lecturer and specialist in the piano repertoire, has presented the prize-winners at each recital, at the same time pointing out the guiding line of their programme.
The 10th (and last) Robert Casadesus International Piano Rounds: April 1, 2 and 3, 2005.
On Saturday April 2, 2005, at 8 p.m., there was a piano recital by Jean-François Bouvery, who performed works by Robert Casadesus as well as the Quintet op 16 with the help of the Quatuor Renoir.
On Sunday April 3, the piano recital of the Robert Casadesus laureates took place.
2:00 p.m. – Francesco Schlimé
3:30 p.m. – Ferenc Vizi
5:00 p.m. – 3rd winner
The 9th Robert Casadesus International Piano Rounds: January 16-18, 2004.
As part of the “Lille, European Capital of Culture” festival, the 9th Robert Casadesus Rounds were the occasion of an exceptional event in 2004. More than 40 of the most talented pianists were present, under the sponsorship of Maria Joao Pires.
The recital of the laureates:
Evgenia Rubinova: Leeds competition winner
Alexei Volodin: winner of the Géza Anda competition
Severin Von Eckardstein: winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition
The 8th Robert Casadesus International Piano Rounds: January 17, 18 and 19, 2003.
The laureats :
Maxim Mogilevsky and Svetlana Smolina: winners of the Murray Dranoff competition for 2 pianos in Miami (USA),
Alexey Nabioulin: winner of the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow (Russia),
Winston Choi: winner of the XXth Century competition in Orleans (France).
Participants since 1996
Since their creation in 1996, upon the initiative of Jean-Claude Casadesus, the Robert Casadesus International Piano Rounds have welcomed :
Allessio Bax
Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, 2000
Delphine Bardin
Clara Haskil Competition, Vevey (Switzerland), 1997
Giovanni Bellucci
Queen Elisabeth Competition, Brussels, 1995
Evelina Borbei
Marguerite Long Competition, Paris, 1995
Winston Choi
20th Century Competition, Orléans (France), 2002
Roberto Cominati
Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, 1996
Ingrid Fliter
Frédéric Chopin International Piano Competition, Warsaw, 2000
Kirill Gerstein
Arthur Rubinstein Competition, Tel-Aviv, 2001
Alexander Ghindin
Queen Elisabeth Competition, Brussels, 1999
Philippe Giusiano
Frédéric Chopin International Piano Competition, Warsaw, 1995
Yakov Kasman
Van Cliburn Competition, Fort Worth (Texas, USA), 1997
Olga Kern
Van Cliburn Competition, Fort Worth, 2001
Maxime Mogilevski (and Svetlana Smolina)
Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition, Miami (Florida, USA), 2002
Alexey Nabioulin
Tchaikovsky Competition, Moscow, 2002
Alberto Nosé
Ferrucio Busoni Competition, Bolzano (Italy), 1999
Ilia Rachkovski
Long-Thibaud Competition, Paris, 2001
Evgenia Rubinova
Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, 2003
Vitali Sarnoshko
Arthur Rubinstein Competition, Tel-Aviv, 1998
Aleksandar Serdar
Arthur Rubinstein Competition, Tel-Aviv, 1996
Henri Sigfridsson
Géza Anda International Competition, Zurich, 2000
Svetlana Smolina (et Maxime Mogilevski)
Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition, Miami, 2002
Per Tengstrand
Geneva International Music Competition, 1996
Cédric Tiberghien
Marguerite Long Competition, Paris, 1998
Alexei Volodin
Géza Anda International Competition, Zurich, 2003
Severin von Eckardstein
ARD Competition in Munich, 1999
Queen Elisabeth Competition, Brussels, 2003
Ashley Wass
World Piano Competition, London, 1997
Yung Wook Yoo
Paloma O’Shea Competition, Santander (Spain), 1998