Fernande Decruck – Concertante Works, Vol. 2—Jeremy Crosmer, Mahan Esfahani, Mitsuru Kubo, Jackson Symphony Orchestra/Matthew Aubin (Claves 503108)
A new 20th century composer for us to consider! The organist & composer Fernande Decruck (1896-1954) was born in Paris and studied with famed organist Marcel Dupré. She wrote a lot of music for her instrument, but her husband Maurice was a double bassist/saxophonist. In 1928, they moved to the US where Maurice played with Toscanini’s New York Philharmonic. During this period Decruck wrote saxophone music, the basis of her legacy. Her best-known piece, a Sonata in C-Sharp for Saxophone (or Viola) and Orchestra, is in this collection along with her Cello Concerto, a Suite for Harpsichord and orchestra (named The Trianons after two buildings in Versailles) and a set of waltzes called The Bell Towers of Vienna. Decruck scholar. Dr. Matthew Aubin leads the Jackson Symphony Orchestra of Michigan with cellist Jeremy Crosmer, harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and violist Mitsuru Kubo. In her music, you’ll hear reflected both a vibrant career and a distinctive style. Dr. Aubin is dedicated to amplifying not only her voice but others, notably through the Jackson Symphony’s Equal Billing Project, which “aims to record and support the music of a deceased composer [who] wasn’t equally billed or recognized during their lifetime.”
Click on Listen for John Simna's interview with conductor and Decruck scholar Dr. Matthew Aubin!