Amici is excited to present a programme of French music on February 16. A subtitle for this concert could be “Vieille France, Nouvelle France”, featuring composers from France and Canada both young and old, well known and unknown.
I am particularly happy that Serouj and I are doing solo pieces by Henri Dutilleux, one of the most important and respected French composers of the 20th century. I had the great pleasure and honour to be able to play for him about 15 years ago and get his input before performing 2 of his works for New Music Concerts.
What a gracious and thoughtful man! His string quartet is as important and oft-performed as those of Debussy and Ravel, and the cello pieces which I am doing in Amici’s concert are an important part of every cellist’s repertoire.
“the music that he left us is exquisite and a joy to perform”
When he was working with us in rehearsal for his quartet “Ainsi la nuit” I asked him if he were going to write another and his reply was, “I would love to but I seem to be spending most of my life traveling around the world attending performances of my compositions.” M. Duttilleux died last year at the age of 97 and never wrote another quartet; however, the music that he left us is exquisite and a joy to perform.
It is also significant that we are performing a beautiful trio written for Amici by Jacques Hétu, a well respected Canadian composer who studied with Henri Dutilleux in Paris.
-David Hetherinton
On the program:
Henri Dutilleux
Trois strophes sur le nom de Sacher (pour violoncello seul)
Au gré des ondes (pour piano)
Francis Poulenc
Improvisation nr. 15 for solo piano
Hommage à Edith Piaf
Claude Debussy
Petite pièce pour clarinette et piano
Première Rhapsodie pour clarinette et piano
Jacques Hétu
Trio pour clarinette
violoncelle et piano Op. 73 (2004)
Louise Farrenc
Trio en mi bémol majeur
op. 44 pour piano, clarinette et violoncelle
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