Gerard Causse: an excellent FRENCH solo violist
Apr 13 '09
The Bottom Line For an enlightening listening experience of a beautiful instrument, check out a CD of Gerard Causse.
Most people are familiar with violins and cellos. Some even know that there is a type of bass that is not a guitar. Few, however, know about the viola, unless they've spent time playing or appreciating classical music. Having spent a minimum of two hours a day playing the viola throughout my teenage years, I am all too familiar with the lack of general knowledge people have of this beautiful instrument.
Slightly larger than a full-sized violin and much smaller than a cello, the viola's musical range is just four whole notes below that of a violin. However, the sound is much richer (in my slightly biased opinion). When you listen to a classical recording, it can be difficult to pick out the viola part, as the violas usually end up playing harmonies and counter-melodies. Many a conductor will tell you that the viola's role in the orchestra is as its heart (of course, they could just tell that to violists in order to make them feel a little more important).
Unlike the violin or the cello, there are no real famous superstar viola soloists. While there are definitely some who are well-known regionally, the viola does not have its Itzhak Perlman or Yo-Yo Ma. While ransacking my home in search of something French to review, I recently became re-acquainted with a wonderful solo violist: Gerard Causse.
I have a CD of Gerard Causse titled Gerard Causse joue concertos pour alto. The pieces he performs on this CD are:
Viola Concerto in D major, by Franz Anton Hoffmeister
Potpourri for viola & orchestra in G minor ("Fantaisie"), Op. 94, by Johan Nepomuk Hummel
Concerto for viola & orchestra in C minor), by Joseph Schubert
Andante and Rondo Ungarese, for viola & orchestra in C minor, J. 79 (Op. 35), by Carl Maria von Weber
Before listening to this CD, I had heard quite a few viola concertos performed, attending several master classes, attending symphony auditions, and on a few professional CD's. What amazes me when I listen to Gerard Causse, however, is how much he changes the viola's voice in his performance. He uses an understated vibrato to produce a full tone that I had not heard before from a viola.
I had originally purchased this CD when I was practicing the Hoffmeister concerto, as it was the only album I could find of the concerto. While I was mildly intrigued by this piece before I listened to the CD, I fell in love with it after listening to Causse's performance. Played by an amateur, the first movement, with its opening chords, could easily have a hard tone, but Causse makes it light and airy. A true mark of a good performer, in my mind, is being able to make your performance sound effortless. Not only does he do this, but he makes
the Hoffmeister sound like something that would be a piece of cake for any musician to play.
The other pieces are beautiful, as well. None of the music is heavy listening (a la Bartok), and each movement is relatively short in length, as the entire disc runs 57 minutes long. It makes for good listening both as background music, and as something to just listen and relax to.
At some point I will need to get my hands on more of Causse's albums. This particular album is difficult to find now (so difficult that I could not find it anywhere on the Internet, resulting in my inability to fill out a request form to add it to the Epinions database), so I'm glad I own it. I look forward to listening to more Causse performances in the future.
If you enjoy classical music, or are just plain interested in hearing what a viola sounds like, I encourage you to find an album featuring Causse and relax. You will not be disappointed.
This is an entry in Stephen_Murray's French finds for Barbara Write-Off, in honor of Barbara Fields (ifif1938), a beloved member of the Epinions community who recently passed away following a brief battle with cancer. We miss her dearly.
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