Join Black Oak Ensemble and pianist Wenting Yu for a tribute to the life of pianist and composer Robert Casadesus.
Open to the public*
Advance Registration Required: RSVP coming soon
*We are so excited to welcome the general public back to most events at La Maison Francaise of NYU. Instructions for attending events in-person will be confirmed shortly before each event. Please note that NYU requires all visitors to provide official proof (in English) that they are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. Additional details to follow.
Program:
All works by Robert Casadesus
Variations sur l’hommage à Debussy de Manuel de Falla, op. 47, Wenting Yu, piano
Trio, op. 25, Black Oak Ensemble, violon, viola, cello
Toccata, op. 40, Wenting Yu, piano
Piano Quartet, op. 30, Black Oak Ensemble and Wenting Yu
Robert Casadesus—1899-1972--the renowned French concert pianist, was also a prolific composer. Student of harmony and composition at the Paris Conservatory, Casadesus pursued composition throughout his performing career. Yet, it is an enigma that Casadesus did not promote his own compositions in public until the 1940s. Thus, his music is rarely performed today. In quality, these works stand alongside pieces by Poulenc, Prokofiev, Copland, and their contemporaries. His oeuvre provides another window to the mid-twentieth century musical time period. This outstanding pianist left not only a legacy in performance, recording, and pedagogy, but also sixty-eight original works, including seven symphonies, three concerti for solo piano, one concerto for two pianos, one concerto for three pianos, and a large body of duo sonatas and chamber music. Casadesus wrote expressively, revealing a keen understanding of the physical demands and enormous color possibilities of each instrument. This afternoon’s performance of Robert Casadesus works is part of an international tribute to Casadesus marking the 50 th anniversary of his passing (Sept. 19, 1972).