Robert Casadesus

Robert (Marcel) Casadesus
(b Paris, 7 April 1899; d Paris, 19 Sept 1972). Pianist and composer, nephew of (1) Francis Casadesus.

He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where he won a premier prix in the class of Louis Diémer in 1913. He also won a premier prix in the harmony class of Xavier Leroux in 1919 and the Prix Diémer in 1920. In 1922 he met Ravel, who invited him to make Duo-Art piano rolls of some of his pieces and to perform with him in concerts in France, England and Spain. He formed a notable piano duo with (5) Gaby Casadesus, whom he married in 1921. As a soloist he toured Europe, Africa, the USSR, the Middle East, Japan, South America, the USA and Canada. In 1935 he was appointed professor of piano at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, which he later directed. He also taught privately, his students including Monique Haas and Claude Helffer. From 1940 to 1945 his career was based in the USA, where he and his family resided during the war. His temperamentally restrained outlook and elegant, transparent sound made him an ideal interpreter of Ravel and Mozart. His recording of Ravel’s complete piano works remains a model, as do several of his recordings of Mozart’s concertos (conducted by George Szell) and Beethoven’s sonatas for violin and piano (with Zino Francescatti). As a composer, he left a substantial legacy of works in a neo-classical, often modal idiom, including seven symphonies, eight concertos, chamber music and piano pieces.