Robert Casadesus
He was the epitome of the urbane French pianist. Robert Casadesus “embodied the qualities of Gallic balance, unforced sound, style, and precision of technique,” wrote piano authority David Dubal. “His sound was crisp, dry, and sparkling, like a vintage champagne.” Ravel chose him in 1922 to record some of his pieces and they performed together in France, England and Spain. In the minuet of Ravel’s Sonatine, writes Dubal, Casadesus “takes us back to the jeweled and graceful 18th-century French court”. Here he plays it in a BBC film from 1960:
Not surprisingly, he was also an outstanding interpreter of Debussy, as in these two Preludes from the same film:
Casadesus was a celebrated Mozart player and his recordings of the concertos with conductor George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra are still considered benchmarks. Here’s a 1966 concert broadcast (audio only) of Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467:
Artist note by Richard Evidon
From the Schubert Club Archive
Robert Casadesus 1939 Program page
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Robert Casadesus 1963 Press Notice
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Robert Casadesus 1963 Program cover
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Robert Casadesus 1963 news story: the Casadesus musical family
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Robert Casadesus 1963 concert review, Minneapolis Tribune
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Robert Casadesus 1963 concert review, Pioneer Press
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