Familiar works performed by prominent French artists on their way up. In this broadcast recital, the artists in question are Jean-Pierre Wallez and pianist Catherine Silie – both of whom had, at the time won prestigious competitions. Wallez had won the Paganini Competition in Genoa in 1960 and Silie had won the Marguerite Long Competition in 1961.
Both have gone on to illustrious careers – Wallez studied conducting in the early 1970s, first with Pierre Dervaux and then with the celebrated Sergiu Celibedache. Since then, he has guest conducted a number of orchestras throughout Europe, while alternating with teaching and violin. Silie has enjoyed a successful career as soloist and chamber player and has toured worldwide. In 2004 she organized the Drome Provencale Music Festival and still runs it, while continuing her concert tours and recording.
The Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano has become part of the standard recital repertoire and is one of the most popular pieces in that genre, and has for many decades, and has been one of Cesar Franck’s best known pieces, going toe-to-toe with his Symphony in D Minor. Completed in 1886 when Franck was 63, it was composed for the violinist Eugene Ysaye as a wedding present and first performed on September 26 at the wedding reception. It later received it’s first official public performance on December16, again with Ysaye on violin and Léontine Bordes-Pène on piano, who also did the first performance while a wedding guest.
Since then it has been performed countless times by virtually every major and minor violinist and was the final work performed by Jascha Heifetz at his last recital in 1972.
Adding to the list of must-hear performances, this one by Jean-Pierre Wallez and Catherine Silie, as performed in a broadcast recital over the ORTF network in Paris between late 1962 and early 1963.
Enjoy.
