Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot
Viennese born violist Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot has settled in Canada since 1987 where she now is full professor for viola and chamber music at the Université de Montréal since 1990. She is principal violist of the Laval Symphony Orchestra and has an exhaustive background in chamber music and solo playing, performing in various formations and at various international festivals. Jutta likes to tour the world via the International Viola Congresses, where she shares with passion her new discoveries of forgotten music written for the viola, mainly around the turn of the 20th century.
élise DEsjardins
élise Desjardins is a native of Montreal, Canada, and collaborative pianist at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal. She is Jutta’s longtime duo partner and has been an essential part of their journey, offering new, neo-romantique and Canadian viola repertoire at many viola congresses around the world. She is also sought after as a chamber partner for her unique playing abilities which showcase great intensity and warm sensitivity.
Henri Büsser
Henri Büsser (1872-1973) was born in Toulouse, of partly German ancestry, and studied composition and organ with Gabriel Fauré and Ernest Guirand at the Conservatoire de Paris. In his early years he became a protégé of Charles Gounod, Claude Debussy and Jules Massenet, with whom he maintained life long friendships. He became full professor of composition at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1931 after having taught there already for 10 years. In 1893 he won first prize of the Prix de Rome for music and shortly thereafter began a career as a chief conductor at the Grand Opera in 1905. He continued to compose and became most well known for his operas Daphnis et Chloé (1897), Les noces corinthiennes ( 1922) and Colomba (1921), but also for his orchestrations of Debussy’s Petite Suite and Printemps. He was also the first conductor to do a complete electrical HMV recording of Gounod’s Faust in 1930. He became a member of the Académie francaise in 1938 and was honoured with the title of Grand Officier de la Légion d’honneur towards the end of his life. Büsser’s compositional style is described as sophisticated with a finely crafted orchestration, incorporating some aspects of impressionistic style but faithful to 19th-century post romantic tradition.
Büsser wrote three pièces de concours for viola that are all very attractive and well appreciated pieces: Appassionato in c# minor, op. 34 was used as the pièce de concours for viola in 1910, 1915 and 1923, a sign of its popularity. Büsser wrote these two other pièces de concours that don't appear on this recording: Catalane sur des aires populaires, op. 87 (for viola and orchestra or piano) was written for the concours in 1926. Rhapsody Armenienne, op. 81 was used as the pièce de concours in 1930.
Philippe Gaubert
Philippe Gaubert (1879–1941) was born in Cahors, France in modest circumstances, to a father who was a cobbler and amateur clarinettist. Gaubert first took violin lessons and later studied flute with Paul Taffanel at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he also joined the composition studio. Shortly after World War I, he was named Professor of Flute at the Conservatoire and in 1920 he became principal conductor at the Opéra de Paris, where his performances of contemporary music won great praise. He went on to compose many works for flute and piano, as well as orchestral pieces, operas and ballets.
Ballade for Viola and Piano, the pièce de concours in 1938, was dedicated to Maurice Vieux. (Schott ED 22235)
Paul Rougnon
Paul Rougnon (1846-1934) was born in Poitiers, France. He studied piano, counterpoint and composition beginning in 1862; his best-known teacher was César Franck. In 1873 he was appointed as a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris. Under the direction of Théodore Dubois, he wrote several pièces de concours from 1896 onwards, including three pieces for viola (a fourth piece, Fantaisie Caprice [1922] was not used for the competition) and others for piano, flute, and trumpet.
Concertino Romantique, op. 138 was the pièce de concours in 1897, dedicated to M. Théophile Laforge. Fantaisie de Concert was chosen as the pièce de concours in 1902. Allegro appassionato: pièce de concours in 1916. (all three : Schott ED22234)
Hans Sitt
Hans Sitt (1850-1922) was born in Prague, the son of a celebrated violin maker. His exceptional musical talent was evident from an early age: after studying violin and composition at the Prague Conservatory, he became leader of the orchestra at the Opera in Breslau at the young age of seventeen. In 1883 he was appointed Professor of Violin at the Conservatory in Leipzig. As the composer of a large number of violin concertos and studies for violin and viola at all levels of difficulty, Sitt achieved worldwide renown for his expertise in violin technique.
His Concert Piece (Konzerstück) op. 46 in g minor is an original work for viola composed in 1892, orchestrated in 1899 and used as the pièce de concours in the same year. It is dedicated to Professor Friedrich Hermann. This work was particularly popular with the first group of viola students taught by Théophile Laforge in Paris, where it was played more often than any other piece in the viola repertoire. Nowadays it is less often heard. It would be a fine thing for this work to return to its former glory through this new recording. (Schott ED 22236)
Léon Honnoré
Léon Honnoré (1868-1930) was a composer whose life remains largely obscure. Morceau de concert op. 23 was composed in 1890 and dedicated to M. Théophile Laforge. This piece must have been very well received, for it was used three times as the pièce de concours: in 1904, 1911, and 1922. (Schott ED 22234)
Leon Firket
Leon Firket (1839-1893) was born in Liège, Belgium. He initially learned to play the violin and won first prize upon completing a diploma course taught by Adrien Frère, and later studied with Hubert Leonard at the Conservatoire in Brussels, where Firket took over as répétiteur for violin teaching in 1865. In 1877, he was called upon to teach a viola course at the Conservatoire in Brussels, the first such course in Europe, which was a teaching post he would continue to hold until his death. As early as 1873 he wrote the first ‘Méthode Pratique pour alto’ (published at the time by Schott). Firket established a successful career not only as a professor, however, but also as principal viola player at the Théatre de la Monnaie.
Concertino in D minor for Viola and Klavier was composed in 1878. This was the very first pièce de concours for the first concours for viola in 1896; it was used again as a pièce de concours in 1903. Along with the Concertino by Hans Sitt, this concert piece became standard repertoire for the viola course taught by Théophile Laforge: packed full of the principal technical challenges to be mastered by virtuoso players, every student was required to learn it. It has three movements, Allegro moderato, Larghetto and Allegro moderato. Students at that time were allowed to choose whether to perform the first movement or the second and third movements. (Schott ED 22236)
Eugène Cools
Eugène Cools (1877–1936) was born in Paris, and studied theory and composition at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he later taught counterpoint, harmonic analysis and music theory. He left behind only a few works of his own, notably pièces de concours for various instruments, in addition to various arrangements and transcriptions. At the end of his life he took over as editor in chief at Eschig Publishers, who published most of his works.
Poème op 74, pièce de concours in 1909 and 1918, was dedicated to Théophile Laforge. The original version is presumably for viola and orchestra, though it is not clear when and even if an orchestral version was ever published. This version for viola and piano dates from 1909. (Schott ED 22235)
Georges Enescu
Georges Enescu (1881-1955) is probably Romania’s most important composer, known in France as Georges Enesco. He was a child prodigy, and at age seven he was the youngest non-Austrian violin student ever admitted to the Vienna conservatory, after Fritz Kreisler, where he studied with Joseph Hellmesberger, an encounter that permitted him to meet with the emperor Franz Joseph as well as Johannes Brahms, and from which he graduated at age 13.
In 1895 he went to Paris to continue studying violin with Martin Pierre Marsick, as well as composition with Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré. Later on, besides having a career as a violin virtuoso, he became an in-demand violin professor at the Conservatoire de Paris, working with most famous students such as Yehudi Menuhin, Ivry Gitlis, Arthur Grumiaux, and Ida Haendel.
As a conductor he was invited to the United States to work with various orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
He wrote numerous chamber music works for various instrumentations, string sonatas, trios and quartets and also works for winds, all which exhibit strong influences from Romanian folk music.
His Romanian Rhapsodies and his opera Oedipe count among his most well-known orchestral works.
Due to its repetitions in 1908, 1913, 1920 and 1927, as the pièce de concours, the Concertstück, written for viola and piano, was among the most popular of the pièces de concours, and is today the only one so far that has made it into the permanent standard repertoire for the viola.
Gabriel Grovlez
Gabriel Grovlez (1879–1944) was born in Lille, France, and studied piano and composition at the Conservatoire de Paris, where his most famous teacher was Gabriel Fauré. Grovlez initially worked as a piano professor and accompanist for the violinist Henri Marteau (Chaconne in C-Dur Op. 8, pièce de concours 1905, vol. 1), and towards the end of his career he taught chamber music at the Conservatoire de Paris. From 1914 to 1933 he was the principal conductor at the Opéra de Paris and enjoyed an international career as a conductor in Europe and the USA. Today he is remembered for his compositions, many of them for piano and voice. His works are characterised by a personal style, despite recognisable harmonic and melodic echoes of Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy, whom he greatly admired.
Romance, Scherzo et Finale, pièce de concours in 1932, was dedicated to Maurice Vieux. (Schott Ed 22235)
Stan Golestan
Stan Golestan (1875–1956) was born in Vaslui, Romania, and later went to Paris to study composition with Vincent d’Indy, Albert Roussel and Paul Dukas. In 1905 he was awarded the George Enescu composition prize. His music is influenced by Romanian folk traditions and is still very popular in Romania today.
Arioso et Allegro de Concert, pièce de concours in 1933 and 1939, was dedicated to Maurice Vieux. (Schott ED 22235)
Georges Hüe
Georges Hüe (1859-1948) was born in Versailles, France into a famous family of architects. He studied in Paris with Charles Gounod and Cesar Franck. In 1879 he won the prestigious Prix de Rome for his cantata Medée. Whereas he wrote many operas with limited success, he became very well known for his choral works and his works for the flute. While he was criticized for never changing his style throughout his career, he still received admiration from many of his colleages such as Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré.
Thème Varié, composed in 1907, was used as a pièce de concours in 1919 and 1924.
Paul Rougnon
Paul Rougnon (1846-1934) was born in Poitiers, France. He studied piano, counterpoint and composition beginning in 1862; his best-known teacher was César Franck. In 1873 he was appointed as a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris. Under the direction of Théodore Dubois, he wrote several pieces for final examination performances from 1896 onwards, including three pieces for viola (a fourth piece, Fantaisie Caprice [1922] was not used for the competition) and others for piano, flute, and trumpet.
Fantaisie de Concert was the pièce de concours in 1902. (Schott ED 22234) Interestingly, the original piano score is presented with both violin and viola parts.
Hélène Fleury-Roy
Hélène Fleury-Roy (1876-1957) studied composition at the Paris Conservatory with Henri Dallier, Marie Widor and André Gedalge. She was the first female French composer to enter and to win a prize in the Prix de Rome composition competition (1904). In 1928 she moved to Toulouse where she was professor at the conservatory teaching piano, harmony and composition until 1945. She taught students such as the future conductor Louis Auriacombe, violinist Pierre Doukan and composer Charles Chaynes.
Fleury-Roy wrote mainly for the piano, but left us also with a few songs, pieces for violin and cello as well as the Fantaisie for viola (or violin) op 18, composed in 1906, which was dedicated to Théophile Laforge and used in the same year as pièce de concours.
H. Arends
H. Arends (1855-1924) was a Russian composer born in Moscow, known as Andrei (or Heinrich or Henri) Fedorovich Arends. He studied violin and composition at the Moscow Conservatory and became first a violinist, then viola player and later principal conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre. Arends wrote many pieces including a Ballade for Viola and Piano op. 4, but achieved recognition as a composer above all for his transcriptions of music by Tchaikovsky.
Concertino for Viola and Orchestra (Piano) op. 7 was the most popular and probably also the most technically demanding of all the Pièces de Concours: it was chosen as an examination piece in 1898, 1901, 1907, 1919 and 1926. The requisite virtuosity of this Romantic work is a rarity in the viola repertoire. Tenths, octave runs, arpeggios across four strings, staccato passages, brilliant runs, double-stopped melodies, demanding cadenzas – there is plenty of scope for practice here.
We have decided to keep the 81 measure piano introduction intact (originally for orchestra) before the opening viola cadence in this recording in order to give a documentary impression of this lovely composition. (Schott ED22236)
Henri Marteau
Henri Marteau (1874-1934) was born in Rheims. He was a child prodigy who later became a noted violinist as well as a composer. A friend of Max Reger, he taught violin first at the Conservatoire de Genève and later succeeded Joseph Joachim at the Akademie für Musik in Berlin. The international Henri Marteau Violin Competition still takes place every three years in his house in Lichtenberg, Bavaria.
Chaconne in C major op. 8 was the pièce de concours in 1905 and was dedicated to M. Théophile Laforge. (Schott ED22234)
Réné Jullien
Réné Jullien (1878-1970) is a some what mysterious composer, as his life never seems to have been researched. He was married to Madeleine Gretillat and his daughter Renée Marguerite Ernestine Jullien (1903-1999) became a famous french painter. She was married to the architecte Jean Paul Hellet-Ferret with whom she had a daughter Claude.
Concerstück op 19 was the pièce de concours in 1912 and 1921.
Charles-Édouard Lefebvre
Charles-Édouard Lefebvre (1843-1917) was the son of a painter from Paris. He studied composition with Charles Gounod and Ambroise Thomas. In 1895 he took over as director of chamber music instruction at the Conservatoire de Paris.
Caprice op. 106 bis was composed for violin in 1898. The first edition for viola was published in 1900. Pièce de concours in 1900 and 1914, it was dedicated to M. Guillaume Rémy, a Belgian virtuoso violinist and professor at the Conservatoire. It is easy to tell from the style that this piece was originally composed for the violin. A certain lightness not naturally associated with the viola represents the main challenge for interpretation. Rapid arpeggios, up-bow staccato notes, rapid chromatic passages and other violinistic feats have to be mastered here. This is a good substitution for Kreislerian bravura showpieces. (Schott ED22234)
Paul Rougnon
Paul Rougnon (1846-1934) was born in Poitiers, France. He studied piano, counterpoint and composition beginning in 1862; his best-known teacher was César Franck. In 1873 he was appointed as a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris. Under the direction of Théodore Dubois, he wrote several pieces for final examination performances from 1896 onwards, including three pieces for viola (a fourth piece, Fantaisie Caprice [1922] was not used for the competition) and others for piano, flute, and trumpet.
Allegro appassionato: pièce de concours in 1916. (Schott ED22234). This piece lies well on the viola, enabling the instrument to be played with passion.
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