Linda Hall - Musique de Chambre 2

A musician with many gifts, René de Castéra (1873 - 1955) was witness to a world in radical mutation. During half a century his name was synonymous with elegance and distinction. *** The three sons of Dax magistrate Amand d'Avezac de Castéra, grandsons of senator Charles de Corta, all enjoyed artistic careers. Carlos and Gaston were under the tutelage of Saint Luke, while the youngest placed himself under the protection of Saint Cecilia. Sensitive to the melodies, which filled the family home as well as the songs of Gascony heard in Angoumé and the farmsteads around, René attended the Catholic college in Dax. Recommended by the virtuoso Francis Planté from the Landes, the young man attended Louis Diémer's classes at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1892 he was struck by Gregorian plainsong, performed by the Chanteurs de Saint-Gervais. As a new friend of Charles Bordes, he was one of the first nine pupils at the Schola Cantorum, created in 1894. Along with Déodat de Séverac, de Castéra proved to be the best pupil of Isaac Albéniz. Under the tutelage of d'Indy, Guilmant, Gastoué, de Serres, de la Tombelle, and de Bréville, he gradually made a name for himself, composing songs, a Serenata for piano, and a symphonic poem, Jour de fête au Pays Basque. Influenced by Franck as much as by Schumann, these works with their lively charm are proof of his clear mastery. In 1905, one of his works aroused the enthusiasm of Vincent d'Indy: "Ah ! Castéra, I have had a look over your Trio; I love your first movement: it is entertaining in structure; only at the end, one has the impression of being in the subdominant tone because your key of D minor has not been sufficiently prepared for. Something might be added. The Finale goes very well; your idea for the Andante is very good but there will be double chords on the cello, wich will be difficult to do and it will be in your interest to make a change in the Finale as well [...]. Your Scherzo is very amusing." It's premiere took place on March 9 1905 in Brussels, in an Audition de Musique Nouvelle, performed by Emile Chaumont, Henri Merck, and Blanche Selva. " This Trio is full of promise", affirmed Charles Van den Borren in L'Art Moderne; "it shows that it's composer already has a developed technique and has made detailed study of the masters, past and present, especially Bach and d'Indy. Bach from the point of view of polyphonic structure and d'Indy from the point of view of rhythmic niceties. " Alfred Cortot sent his elogious compliments: "I found there excellent things. This is from a very remarkable musician. " Jean Huré himself wrote: "I must compliment you for this truthful music with a rustic scent which has nothing Parisian about it. From a purely musical point of view, there are fine melodies that I like very much, sharp and happy rhythms, sound gems (harmonic discoveries, to use a technical phrase).... And as I do not want to appear to be flattering you, I will tell you bluntly that I sensed some little spots... at least some appearances, for me inexplicable modulations, rhythms without enough relief, some sharp sonorities, maybe also a lack of unity in the thought and in the style (in it's inner unity, as all this is outwardly reasonable); but surely I must be mistaken. I do not tell you all those severe things for you to take under consideration, but to prove to you the sincerity of my admiration... " The introduction of the first movement : Lent, animé, lent in 4/4 time, with it's pianistic formula reminding the opening of Roussel's Trio, Op 2 of 1902, sets out an ascending generator theme, all within a single octave. A theme in A major, deliciously rhythmic and joyous, soars upward with a feeling of space and the youthful ardour that always characterises his music. During the development, the fluidity of the discourse is matched by the refinement of the melodic invention. It has a feeling of the sea, wich is so evident in the music of such French composers as Chabrier (Gwendoline, 1886), d'Indy (L'Etranger, 1902), Decaux (La Mer, 1903), Debussy (L'Isle Joyeuse, 1904). The Divertissement is in rondeau form, where the refrain, originating in the opening theme, always returns to the original key, but each time in a different form. This arch-like construction contains a central verse (5/8: a Basque dance) in B major. The feeling of the open air that permeates this movement is of the same period as Ravel's Miroirs (1904), de Séverac's En Languedoc (1903-04), Canteloube's Dans la Montagne (1904-05) and Roussel's Rustiques (1904-06). Managing a pause between two movements overflowing with vitality, the Assez Lent in D major with it's uninterrupted lyricism links refinement and nostalgia. The violin presents a thoughtful and singing phrase. The lamentation shifts softly into several variations. Castéra colors it by a modal borrowing (in A and F sharp minor) before a central episode recalling the themes of the initial movement. In classical fashion, a development and re-exposition precede the peaceful conclusion. Thus, the finale Très Animé makes it's effect by contrast and connects again with the exuberance of the opening. The violin embarks on a phrase in D minor that is passionate and superbly rhythmical. A second Idea is more slowly expressed in a melodic A major. The development combines the themes presented in the Trio, bringing them together in a virtuosic manner that makes full use of their resources, employing a language that has been totally mastered, as well as a rich invention and a most alluring use of harmony. The final re-exposition, full of energy, concludes with panache. It's cyclical construction, following Franck and dedicated to his master Vincent d'Indy, is a youthful work--like Samazeuilh's Quartet--and contains pages that are full of promise and a touching beauty. The style marks a turning point in the life of René de Castéra, winning him his spurs as a composer. Castéra continued to serve others and to neglect his own works. Extremely energetic, he devoted himself to an ideal defined by d'Indy, was secretary of the Schola, founded the Edition Mutuelle and published works by his colleagues, composers such as Albéniz, Bordes, de Bréville, Canteloube, Cras, Le Flem, de Lioncourt, de Polignac, Tournemire, and Vreuls, A seasoned critic and occasional ghost writer for Willy, he knew Debussy and Ravel, was close to Chausson and Roussel, was an intimate of the Rouart and Lerolle families, as well as of Maurice Denis, who made several portraits of the composer. A friend of Colette, Paul-Jean Toulet, Sacha Guitry, Paul Dukas, Albéric Magnard and Joseph Canteloube, he frequented the salons of the Princess de Polignac and Marguerite de Saint-Marceaux. During the first War, he took part in the bloody battle of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette before being transferred to vehicle service. The conflict dealt a fatal blow to traditional French civilization: a universe was collapsing. In 1920, the peasant unrest in the region of Bas-Adour (Dax) disturbed the peaceful running of the family estate. Completed in 1922, the Concert pour piano, violoncelle, flûte et clarinette - for which the themes were written in the trenches in 1915-1916, themes which inspired the deeply tragic feelings impressed into the Lent et grave - was premiered for the Société Nationale de Musique, at the Conservatory on Saturday, April 28, 1923, by the pianist Blanche Selva with the flutist Louis Fleury, clarinetist Louis Cahuzac and the cellist Jean Witkowski. The Guide du Concert dated April 27 published the following analysis: "The work is comprised of three parts: The first, Paysage, as of it's preamble, is an evocation of the countryside of the Landes, where the pine forests are sprinkled with lakes. A kind of call arises and takes shape to become the first idea (a) - a masculine idea in the Scholist expression-in the sonata form of this movement. The flute and the clarinet express it while the cello brings up the second idea in E major (b) - ca