Casadesus: Deuxieme Suite pour Orchestre, Op. 26

Deuxieme Suite pour Orchestre, Op. 26

Robert Casadesus
(1899-1972)

The Second Suite for Orchestra was composed in December, 1937 (the month of Ravel’s death), and completed in May, 1939. It was first performed in 1952 by the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of Dimitri Mitropoulos, with later performances in 1969 by the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell given in tribute to the composer’s seventieth birthday. It is scored for an orchestra of three flutes, two piccolos, two oboes and cor anglais, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, two harps and strings.

The composer himself described the suite as follows:

The OUVERTURE in classical form is gay and alert. The NOCTURNE (in G Minor)

is melancholic and mysterious. The SCHERZO recalls Spanish folklore. The CHORAL I

is exposed in sombre mood, serving as an introduction to the DANSE, which is very gay

and full of different rhythms, the middle part recalling Spanish folklore again. The CHORAL II is a repetition of the CHORAL I, concluding the work in “apotheose.”

To expand upon this description the OUVERTURE is set in 12/8 metre, giving the effect of a GIGUE, sometimes approaching the character of a TARANTELLA. The NOCTURNE is a refined and atmospheric movement, notable for its subtle writing for solo winds. The SCHERZO, on the other hand, is a rhythmically inventive movement, again GIGUE-like in character, sometimes altering the basic 6/8 metre by dividing the bars into groupings of FIVE, eventually brought to an abrupt and quizzical ending. The CHORAL I (ANDANTE) is marked by long and lyrical melodic lines, with much attention to the brass. The DANSE (marked VIVO), set in ¾ metre, has been described by the composer as a “study in cross rhythms,” with rhythmic layers running counter to one another. CHORAL II is marked LARGAMENTE, and is an extended variant of CHORAL I, the materials broadened, enriched and intensified. The full orchestral forces come together for a sonorous conclusion.