(2025) Fernande Decruck - Concertante Works, Vol. 2

2024-12-16T14:33:57+01:00

Price: 0.00 - 18.50 (24 variants)

FERNANDE DECRUCK

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The career of the French composer Fernande Decruck showed promise from an early age when she won several prizes at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris (harmony, fugue, piano). As an assistant professor of harmony, she trained many students, including one who became very famous and who later dedicated a score to her “To Fernande Decruck, with all the gratitude and fond memories of the author - O. Messiaen ”.

From 1926, the year of his appointment as organ teacher, Marcel Dupré introduced her to improvisation, a talent which earned a concert tour of organ in the United States at the end of 1928. She later gave solo recitals in the great auditoriums of New York. The trajectory of Decruck the composer can be traced through her early works, which give prominence to the organ (her instrument), saxophone and double bass (her husband’s instruments). The Decrucks lived in New York for several years. Her husband Maurice played double bass and saxophone for the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Arturo Toscanini.

Decruck’s American period saw the birth of numerous compositions for piano, organ, orchestra and a concerto for cello and orchestra as well as many works for a wide range of wind instruments, notably for saxophone.

In 1937, Fernande Decruck moved to Toulouse alone with her three children. She worked as a professor at the Toulouse Conservatory. Beginning in 1942, she devoted herself entirely to composition, notably writing a harp concerto, Poème héroïque, and the Sonata in C# for saxophone. She officially divorced Maurice in 1950 which led to financial difficulty. She ended her career as a professor of harmony at the Fontainebleau Conservatory. A series of health problems led to her untimely death at the age of 57.

JACKSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
(Jackson, Michigan)

The Jackson Symphony Orchestra, celebrating its 75th season this year, has a rich and vibrant history of bringing world class music to its community since 1949. The JSO has performed with many legendary figures in the world of music including Pascal Rogé, Inon Barnatan, Vanessa Perez, Dizzy Gillespie, Grant Johannesen, Ed Asner, William Warfield and Ralph Votapek. The orchestra has also toured with Mannheim Steamroller, Ann Murray, and the Manhattan Transfer. Since assuming the Music Director position in 2017, Matthew Aubin has catapulted the JSO to higher levels of artistic excellence and financial sustainability. He has launched several innovative initiatives drawing the attention of both national and international funders and collaborators such as partnerships with the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Ballet Chelsea. In recent years, the JSO has also significantly expanded its community programming including educational programs for children, family programming, and a non-classical series titled ‘Music-on-Tap’ featuring singer songwriters. The orchestra has premiered works by such distinguished composers as Jeff Beal, Jeremy Crosmer, Marcus Norris, Lowell Liebermann and its own composer in residence, J. Bruce Brown. Operas including Tosca, La Boheme, Merry Wives of Windsor, Die Fledermaus have been presented in fully staged productions and eight different collaborations with the Indianapolis Ballet and Grand Rapids Ballet have resulted in magical productions of Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. The JSO’s administrative offices, Community Music School, and 300-person recital hall are located in downtown Jackson and were recently renovated in 2019.

MATTHEW AUBIN

A sought-after leader in today’s orchestral landscape, Dr. Matthew Aubin cultivates musical excellence through an innovative, community-minded, and inclusive approach.

Dr. Aubin currently serves as Music Director of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director of The Chelsea Symphony. In his role at TCS, he has led highly visible collaborations with partners such as actor John Lithgow, award-winning television series Mozart in the Jungle, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Dr. Aubin has played a principal role in the initiation and development of The Chelsea Symphony’s annual competition for emerging composers with high profile adjudicators such as Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony and music director of the All-Star Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz. Dr. Aubin has led TCS in their Lincoln Center debut and conducted the New York City premieres of works by Mark O’Connor, Fazil Say and Caroline Shaw, among others.

As a consultant for the Amazon Prime series Mozart in the Jungle created by Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, Dr. Aubin was the off-camera conductor for an episode filmed on Rikers Island. Since then, Dr. Aubin has continued a relationship with the NYC Department of Correction, designing and conducting a series of concerts and education initiatives for detainees, both in person and online. He also served as the onstage conductor for the film Bel Canto with Julianne Moore and has been an artistic consultant for the hit television show Younger.

In his role as Music Director of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Aubin has transformed the orchestra’s visibility, both in the community and on a national scale. He has collaborated with world-renowned soloists such as pianist Pascal Rogé, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, cellist and composer Jeremy Crosmer, cellist Julian Schwarz, and composer Lowell Liebermann. During Dr. Aubin’s time as Music Director, the JSO’s season has expanded, and the organization is now regularly reaching audiences of all ages through expanded family concerts, education concerts, and the JSO’s Music on Tap series geared towards young adults. During the 2020 pandemic, he launched a series of digital initiatives, most notably the Random Acts of Music series. In 2022, he launched the Equal Billing Project, which records and supports the music of deceased composers who didn’t receive recognition or equal billing during their lifetime. Under Dr. Aubin’s leadership, the JSO also released a series of asynchronous, multimedia educational videos to be used in K-12 classrooms. These videos were based on the 2021 season’s virtual programming and explored musical concepts.

Dr. Aubin is the foremost scholar on the French composer Fernande Decruck. He has earned multiple research grants to study her significant life and work. In 2022, he was invited to be a panelist at the Fernande Decruck International Competition for Saxophone in France. A champion of the critical role of women in composition, Dr. Aubin is working to promote Decruck’s newly discovered lost music. He has edited and created critical editions of Decruck’s work, which are published with the French publishing firm Éditions Billaudot, and has organized performances of Decruck’s music in the United States and abroad. To date, he has created two large-scale recordings alongside the Jackson Symphony Orchestra of Decruck’s orchestral works, with the first being released in 2022, and the second anticipated to be released in 2024. The first of their kind, these recordings are aimed at giving orchestras further access and insight into her brilliant work.

Dr. Aubin continues to be active as a freelance horn player, and regularly performs across the country. A devoted music educator, Dr. Aubin’s past associations include Assistant Professor of Music at Washington State University, Adjunct faculty at The Hartt School and Educational Programs Conductor for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

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Jeremy Crosmer, cello
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
Mitsuru Kubo, viola
Jackson Symphony Orchestra
Matthew Aubin, conductor

First album form this collection

Fernande Decruck: Concertante Works

Main Artist: Various Artists
Category(ies): Brass Orchestra Rarities
Instrument(s): Harp Horn Saxophone Trumpet
Main Composer: Fernande Decruck
Orchestra: Jackson Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Matthew Aubin

CD 3046

REVIEWS

The Strad

"Aubin has since unearthed and revived many of Decruck’s works, including orchestral and chamber pieces beyond her well-known saxophone repertoire. Together with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, of which he is music director, Aubin recently recorded the second volume in a series of concertante works by Decruck on the Claves label; volume 1 appeared in 2022. [..] To mark the new release, Matthew Aubin spoke with The Strad about Decruck’s life and distinctive voice, and about why he believes her work is long overdue for the spotlight. [..]" - Thomas May, March 2025

Concerto.net

"[..] The album concludes with a charming suite of Viennese waltzes of Decruck’s own invention. All in all, this is a delightful album, featuring first‑rate soloists, and reminding us that there are additional American orchestras outside “the big five” which deserve our attention and support. Viva, Decruck!" - Linda Holt, March 2025

Classical Music Sentinel

"[..] Nonetheless, Fernande Decruck's music speaks for itself, and could be a valuable addition to any record collection for anyone seeking to hear hitherto unexplored 20th century music." - Jean-Yves Duperron - March 2025

MusicWeb International

"[..] All the soloists play with flair and engagement and the Jackson Symphony acquits itself well, Aubin directing with awareness of the modest emotional parameters of Decruck’s music. The recording has been aptly judged too and the conductor’s notes are helpfully to the point." - Jonathan Woolf, March 2025

Cultural Attache

"[..] The Bells of Vienna: Suite of Waltzes from 1935 closes out this impressive recording. These waltzes are playful but also have shades of darkness in them which I appreciated. [..]" - Craig Byrd, March 2025

Crescendo Magazine

"[..] Ce programme, qui confirme le talent de Fernande Decruck, disparue à l’âge de 58 ans, est le bienvenu, investi par un chef qui connaît sa matière et tire du Jackson Symphony Orchestra, dont on célèbre cette année les 75 ans d’existence et dont il est le directeur musical depuis 2017, une riche palette de couleurs qui sert à merveille les interventions des solistes. Voilà en tout cas un univers créatif révélé qui mérite largement le détour." - Jean Lacroix, avril 2025

ResMusica

« [..] Le disque s'achève sur Les clochers de Vienne. Une suite de valses composées en 1935, reconstituée par Matthew Aubin à partir de fragments de partitions retrouvés au conservatoire de Tours mais également au Portugal. C'est absolument charmant, sans autre ambition que le plaisir pur de la musique. Saluons le travail de Matthew Aubin et du Jackson Symphony Orchestra pour sortir de l'oubli cette artiste attachante. Un hommage de nos cousins d'Amérique au chic français. » - Jean-Marc Petit, mai 2025

La Liberté

« C’est un orchestre américain qui grave (en première mondiale!) l’œuvre oubliée d’une compositrice française. Voici déjà le second volume que le label suisse Claves consacre à l’œuvre concertante de Fernande Decruck, qui a poursuivi son activité en France après avoir passé quelques années à New York. Sa musique est extraordinairement foisonnante et inventive, elle embrasse et synthétise toute une variété de styles (en écho à la vigueur du début du XXe siècle, baroque, impressionniste, cinématographique, polytonale…) jusqu’à soulever de puissantes lames de fond dans le Concerto pour violoncelle de 1932. [..] » - Elisabeth Haas, mai 2025

Diapason Magazine (Découverte)

« [..] Dernier atout de cette palpitante monographie, l’humour avec lequel les interprètes font tinter Les Clochers de Vienne (1935). Commençant sur un timbre qui semble tout droit sorti d’une boîte à musique, cette Suite de valses enchaîne des atmosphères et des instrumentations fortement contrastées. A un thème vif de piccolo succèdent diverses mélodies tour à tour mélancoliques et burlesques, jusqu’à un passage « cuivré » façon fête foraine à la truculence réjouissante. Comme l’est cette découverte d’une personnalité riche et méconnue. » - Anne Ibos-Augé, mai 2025

Radio France

« Cet enregistrement nous permet de redécouvrir l'œuvre de Fernande Decruck (1896-1954), qui fut, entre autres, la professeure d'harmonie d'Olivier Messiaen. La carrière de la compositrice française Fernande Decruck est prometteuse dès son plus jeune âge puisqu'elle obtient plusieurs prix au Conservatoire national supérieur de Paris (harmonie, fugue, piano). [..] À écouter » - Musicopolis, mai 2025

Neue Musik Zeitung

"Fernande Decruck (1896–1954) gehört zu den noch weithin unbekannten Komponistinnen des 20. Jahrhunderts – dabei haben gerade ihre Werke eine Eigenständigkeit in Ton und Ausdruck, die verblüfft. Von Paris ging es nach New York, 1937 kehrte sie mit ihren drei Kindern nach Toulouse zurück, ließ sich nach dem Krieg scheiden und wirkte zuletzt am Conservatoire in Fontainebleau. Ihre Musik stellt dabei eine sehr eigene Melange aus Alter und Neuer Welt dar, gepaart mit dem Neoklassizismus der Zeit: brillant im Konzert für Violoncello und Orchester (1932), mit exotischen Klängen in „Les Trianons“ für Cembalo und Orchester (1946), grandios entwickelten dunklen Linien in der Sonate für Saxophon und Orchester (1943, hier warm und beseelt gespielt auf einer Viola) oder etwas leichter gefügt à la Saint-Saëns in der Walzer-Suite „Les clochers de Vienne“ (1935). Vor allem die Konzerte sind starke Partituren und Beleg einer originären musikalischen Sprache." - Michael Kube, Juni 2025

The Whole Note

"French composer Fernande Decruck (1896-1954) is one of many accomplished women to be “discovered” lately, brought to light through our expanding understanding of the shortcomings of the historically male-centric perception of classical music.[..]" - David Olds, June 2025

Textura.org

"Without the fervent advocacy of conductor Matthew Aubin, the diverse body of work produced by French composer Fernande Decruck (1896-1954) during the 1930s and ‘40s would continue to languish in obscurity. But through his efforts, her material is receiving newfound attention and once again vying for a place on the concert stage.[..]" - June 2025

All music

"[..] This 2025 release on the Claves label is the second in a pair devoted to her concerted works, which perhaps show her at her best. [..] Another strong release devoted to a composer likely to be unknown to almost all." - James Manheim, June 2025

Cultura FM - 103,3 (CD da Semana)

"O fenômeno é recorrente. A cada ano redescobrem-se e se promovem primeiras gravações mundiais de obras de compositoras. [..] As performances são de primeira qualidade. Na suíte Les Trianons, por exemplo, o cravista é Mahan Esfahani. Os demais solistas são o violoncelista Jeremy Crosmer e Mitsuru Kubo à viola. Matthew Aubin rege a Orquestra Sinfônica de Jackson." - João Marcos Coelho, April 2025

Classical Voice North America

"[..] The highlight is the wild, asymmetrical Allegro third movement, with Esfahani at dissonant odds with a frenetic orchestra, followed by sequential series of contrapuntal motions evoking Bach. The work has a modern, mid-century sound quite unlike the other Decruck examples here. Aubin had thought that an orchestral piece called The Bells of Vienna: Suite of Waltzes (1935) was lost. [..]" - Anne E. Johnson, March 2025

Apple podcast by TRILLOQUY

"Dr. Matthew Aubin has dedicated his research to raising awareness around the music of a French woman named Fernande Decruck, whose legacy has fallen into relative obscurity. He chats with Loki about his professional trajectory, his introduction to the music of Decruck, the new album featuring music of Decruck, and how he contextualizes his work within the framework of activism. [..]" - March 2025

WRTI 90.1

"A satisfying discovery! The world’s foremost scholar and a champion of her music, Music Director Matthew Aubin leads Michigan’s Jackson Symphony Orchestra in a second helping of Fernande Decruck’s works for soloist and orchestra. Known for her works for wind instruments, especially the saxophone, the 20th century French composer was also a renowned organist and later a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire of such students as Olivier Messiaen. In this recording, pieces for solo cello, harpsichord, and viola display Decruck’s diverse compositional voices, along with a charming set of orchestral waltzes." - Mark Pinto, April 2025

Classical Candor

"[..] The physical package is sturdy, the liner notes are informative and include photographs, and the sound quality is first-rate. This is not just another good recording of music with which you are already familiar, it’s an excellent recording of excellent music that you’ve never heard before but would most likely enjoy if you did – and is thus most enthusiastically recommended." - John J. Puccio (?), April 2025

The Violin Channel

"[..] As the foremost scholar on Decruck’s music, Aubin has edited and created critical editions of her music, recently published by Éditions Billaudot. Additionally, he has won multiple research grants to study her life and works, and has worked closely with her family. Led by Aubin, performances of Decruck’s music have been presented in the U.S. and in Europe. [..] Les Trianons blends Neo-Baroque elements with 20th century orchestral color. Decruck's saxophone sonata works incredibly well in her setting for viola — so much so that many JSO musicians prefer this version … especially the string players! The charming waltzes that complete the album are light, but bear the melancholy spirit that infuses much of Decruck's work. They're sure to find a place on many future orchestral programs." - March 2025

LimeLight (Editor's Choice)

"Despite this being an American recording for a Swiss record company, the composer Fernande Decruck was French. She was born in Paris in 1896 and studied there with the famed organist Marcel Dupré. Organ was her instrument, and she composed a good deal of music for it, but her husband Maurice was a saxophonist. They moved to the US in 1928, where Maurice played saxophone and double bass in the New York Philharmonic under Toscanini. [..]" - Phillip Scott, April 2025

Austa - Stringendo

"It’s a good thing that so much fine music by women is being rediscovered, performed and recorded. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, France seems to have provided more than its fair share of unjustly neglected women composers. Fernande Decruck has not been forgotten; but she has become, like Cécile Chaminade, a one-hit wonder. That work is Decruck’s saxophone sonata, which has joined the standard saxophone repertoire, and which appears here in another guise. [..] This new recording is very welcome. All of the works show Decruck’s excellent orchestration, into which the soloists are seamlessly integrated, rather than dominating the texture with any ostentatious virtuosity. In particular, the dialogues between soloists and woodwind instruments are very sensitive and effective. [..] The balance and the playing of orchestra and soloists is excellent throughout the disc." Michael O’Loghlin, September 2025

Scherzo

"[..] En 1943 fechaba Decruck su partitura más conocida, la Sonata en Do sostenido menor para saxofón alto (o viola) de la que creó versiones con piano u orquesta. Son varias las grabaciones de la versión camerística (BIS, MDG, Genuin, MSR) pero es la primera vez que se registra con viola y orquesta esta página fundamental del catálogo de su autora que, como apunta Aubin, “combina la forma de sonata clásica con armonía impresionista y, a veces, politonalidad”. No menos atractiva resulta Les Trianons (1946), espléndido homenaje al universo versallesco que salpimenta su neobarroquismo con añadidos tímbricos ‘modernos’ (tambores, celesta, saxo) y ritmos sincopados. Y si el trabajo de Crosmer, Kubo y la orquesta dirigida por el especialista Aubin reflejan conocimiento y cariño hacia esta música la presencia de Esfahani en la última obra mencionada cabe considerarla como un auténtico lujo." - Juan Manuel Viana, June 2025