Robert Casadesus

Robert Casadesus (1972)

Robert Marcel Casadesus [ kasadəˈsys ] (born April 7, 1899 in Paris , † September 19, 1972 ibid) was a French pianist , piano teacher and composer .

Live and act

Robert Casadesus came from the extensive family of musicians Casadesus and studied in Paris. In 1921 he became a teacher at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau , founded by his uncle Francis Casadesus together with Walter Damrosch , initially as assistant to Isidor Philipp . In 1931 he married Gabrielle L'Hôte ( Gaby Casadesus , 1901-1999) who, like him , had studied with Louis Diémer and with whom he formed a successful piano duo. From 1922 he was in close contact with the composer Maurice Ravel . Concert tours in Europe , South America , the USA and North Africa made him world famous.

1940-1946 he and his family lived in Princeton, New Jersey ; During this time the musical partnership with the violinist Zino Francescatti began . In 1951 Robert Casadesus made the first complete recording of Ravel's piano works , supported by his wife in the four-hand pieces, and received the Grand Prix du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy and the Grand Prix de l'Academie du Disque . But he was also a recognized Mozart and Schumann interpreter. Monique Haas (1909–1987) and Claude Helffer (1922–2004) were among his piano students . With the eldest son Jean Casadesus (1926–1972), the parents gave six-handed concerts.

Casadesus was also a prolific composer. However, his works, including seven symphonies , could not establish themselves in the repertoire. Twenty-four preludes for piano solo (1924), a string trio (1938), six pièces for two pianos (also 1938), two piano sonatas (1947 and 1953) and several sonatas for other instruments have been published.

To commemorate the pianist, the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition took place in Cleveland (Ohio) every two years from 1975 to 1993 .

Individual evidence

↑ Jean Roy: L'intemporel Robert Casadesus. Pianiste et compositeur. Buchet-Chastel, Paris 1999, ISBN 978-2-283-01799-9 , p. 31.
↑ The competition was founded by the widow Gaby Casadesus, the pianist Grant Johannesen, the cultural manager Martha Joseph and the lawyer Odette Valabrègue Wurtzburger (see International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory 2000, p. 104, and Women Lawyers Journal Vol. 59 , P. 60). In 1995, the Cleveland International Piano Competition took its place ( document on www.npr.org, accessed March 23, 2020).

Web links

Commons : Robert Casadesus - collection of images, videos and audio files

Website about Robert Casadesus (French)
Robert and Gaby Casadesus Collection University of Maryland (English)
Works by and about Robert Casadesus in the catalog of the German National Library

personal data
SURNAME	Casadesus, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Casadesus, Robert Marcel (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French pianist, piano teacher and composer
DATE OF BIRTH	April 7, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH	Paris
DATE OF DEATH	September 19, 1972
Place of death	Paris

[1] Jean Roy: L'intemporel Robert Casadesus. Pianiste et compositeur. Buchet-Chastel, Paris 1999, ISBN 978-2-283-01799-9 , p. 31.

[2] The competition was founded by the widow Gaby Casadesus, the pianist Grant Johannesen, the cultural manager Martha Joseph and the lawyer Odette Valabrègue Wurtzburger (see International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory 2000, p. 104, and Women Lawyers Journal Vol. 59 , P. 60). In 1995, the Cleveland International Piano Competition took its place ( document on www.npr.org, accessed March 23, 2020).