Over to Switzerland this weekend for a performance of the Mozart Flute Concerto in D Major, K 314 with Aurele Nicole and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra conducted by Victor Desarzens in this 1952 broadcast recording from the Archives of Swiss Radio, recorded December 19, 1952.
The prominent Swiss flautist and pedagogue, Aurèle Nicolet, studied flute and theory with André Jamet and Willy Burckhard in Zürich, then pursued training with Marcel Moyse and Yvonne Drappier at the Paris Conservatoire. During his studies there, he thoroughly mastered the French style of flute playing, graduating in 1947 (at age 21) with a premier prix for flute. In 1948 he captured the 1st prize for flute at the Geneva International Music Competition.
Aurèle Nicolet was also a professor at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik (1953-1965) and later taught master-classes in Fribourg (1965-1981), and Basel. His pupils include: Carlos Bruneel, Michael Faust, Pedro Eustache, Thierry Fischer, Irena Grafenauer, Huáscar Barradas, Kristiyan Koev, Jadwiga Kotnowska, Robert Langevin, Emmanuel Pahud, Marina Piccinini, Hansgeorg Schmeiser, Kaspar Zehnder, and Ariel Zuckermann. He published a flute method (1967).
Aurèle Nicolet is considered as one of the world’s best flute players of the late 20th century. His recordings of J.S. Bach and W.A. Mozart have received considerable critical acclaim. A remarkable stylist, he was praised for meticulously nuanced and elegant playing. Having established himself as a pre-eminent performer of traditional scores, he dedicated himself to contemporary music, playing works that prominent composers – including Klaus Huber, Toru Takemitsu, György Ligeti, Edison Denisov, Krzysztof Meyer, and Heinz Holliger – had dedicated to him. He also played much other modern music for his instrument, including works by Hallfter, Kenterborn and others.
Victor Desarzens was born on 27 October 1908 in Château-d’œx, in the Canton of Vaud. His father was a baker, but Victor’s musical leanings were recognized and encouraged. After taking a diploma in violin at Lausanne Conservatoire he had a few finishing lessons in Paris with Georges Enesco. He then became a member of Ernest Ansermet’s Suisse Romande Orchestra.
In 1941 Desarzens went into conducting himself and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra was officially born in 1942. He remained its conductor till 1973. He also became conductor of the Musikkollegium de Winterthur in 1950 – its principal conductor from 1922 to 1947 had been Hermann Scherchen. He retained this post till 1975. This seems to be the same orchestra as that described on the Concert Hall and Musical Masterpieces Society discs as the “Winterthur Symphony Orchestra”.
With the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Desarzens concentrated on two areas of the repertoire in particular: the rediscovery of baroque compositions, played with reasonably slimmed-down forces and clean texts – no small deal when he began his venture – and an enlargement of the contemporary repertoire. In this latter role he earned much gratitude from contemporary composers in and out of Switzerland. Notably, from 1945 to 1974 he maintained a regular correspondence with the Swiss composer Frank Martin, touching on the interpretation and many other details of his music. This correspondence has been published. His discs also show that his occasional forays into the romantic repertoire could be highly effective. Desarzens died on 13 February 1986 at Villette (Lavaux) in the Canton of Vaud.
On to the concert.
