March 7: World Premiere Recording of Music by Fernande Decruck by Conductor Matthew Aubin and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra Out on Claves Records
World Premiere Recording of Music by French Composer
Fernande Decruck: Concertante Works Volume 2
Conductor Matthew Aubin and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra
With Soloists Jeremy Crosmer, cello; Mitsuru Kubo, viola;
and Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
Worldwide Release Date: March 7, 2025 (Claves Records)
Coinciding with International Women’s Day
“This album is a real revelation, necessary in any collection of 20th century French music.” – All Music on Vol. 1
“As a composer, Fernande Decruck combines polytonality with impressionism, exoticism with neo-romanticism in her own unique way – her imaginative orchestral treatment is most comparable to Ravel.” – Fidelity Magazine on Vol. 1
Review CDs and downloads available upon request.
Pre-Save: https://orcd.co/album-decruck-ii
Jackson Symphony Orchestra’s Equal Billing Project: www.jacksonsymphony.org
Claves Records: www.claves.ch
On Friday, March 7, 2025, Claves Records will release the world premiere recordings of four works by French composer Fernande Decruck (1896-1954) on a new album titled Concertante Works Volume 2, conducted by Matthew Aubin and featuring the Jackson Symphony Orchestra (Michigan) alongside soloists Jeremy Crosmer, cello; Mitsuru Kubo, viola; and Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord. The album includes the first commercial recordings of Decruck’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1932); Sonata in C# for Alto Saxophone (or Viola) and Orchestra (1943) with viola soloist; The Bells of Vienna: Suite of Waltzes (1935); and The Trianons: Suite for Harpsichord (or Piano) and Orchestra (1946). The release coincides with International Women’s Day on March 8, and follows Aubin and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Decruck’s Concertante Works Volume 1 in 2022 on Claves, which included her Sonata in C-sharp for Alto Saxophone (or Viola) and Orchestra (1943) with saxophonist Carrie Koffman; Heroic Poem for Solo Trumpet in C, Solo Horn in F and Orchestra (1946) with soloists Amy McCabe, trumpet and Leelanee Sterrett, horn; and Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (1944) with soloist Chen-Yu Huang.
Fernande Decruck’s career showed promise from an early age when she won several prizes at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris. She later taught many students there, including Oliver Messiaen, who dedicated a score to her. Marcel Dupré introduced her to improvisation, a talent she showcased in an organ tour of the U.S. in 1928. She later gave solo recitals in the great auditoriums of New York. The trajectory of Decruck as a composer can be traced through her early works, which give prominence to the organ (her instrument), saxophone and double bass (her husband’s instruments). The Decrucks lived in New York for several years, and her husband Maurice played double bass and saxophone for the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Arturo Toscanini. Decruck’s American period saw the birth of numerous compositions for piano, organ, orchestra and a concerto for cello and orchestra as well as many works for a wide range of wind instruments, notably for saxophone. In 1937, Fernande Decruck moved to Toulouse alone with her three children, working as a professor at the Toulouse Conservatory. Beginning in 1942, she devoted herself entirely to composition, notably writing several of the works on these recordings. Her divorce in 1950 led to financial difficulty, and a series of health problems led to her untimely death at the age of 57. Many of her compositions remained unpublished and were thought to be lost.
For the last decade, Dr. Matthew Aubin (Music Director of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director of The Chelsea Symphony in New York), has championed efforts to bring Decruck’s music back to orchestral performances, giving orchestras further access and insight into her brilliant work through these recordings and by editing and creating critical editions of her music, published by Éditions Billaudot. As the foremost scholar on Decruck’s music, he has earned multiple research grants to study her significant life and work, and has worked closely with her family – even learning to speak French fluently. He has also organized performances of Decruck’s music in the U.S. and in Europe. His critical editions of the works on this album will be published by Billaudot coinciding with the release of the recording in March 2025.
“The works on this album are a diverse representation of Decruck's many compositional voices,” Aubin says. “The cello concerto is forward thinking, cinematic and from a time where the cello concerto repertoire is sparse. Les Trianons blends Neo-Baroque elements with 20th century orchestral color. Decruck's saxophone sonata works incredibly well in her setting for viola – so much so that many JSO musicians prefer this version . . . especially the string players! The charming waltzes that complete the album are light, but bear the melancholy spirit that infuses much of Decruck's work. They're sure to find a place on many a future orchestral program.”
MATTHEW AUBIN’S NOTES ON THE MUSIC
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1932)
Fernande Decruck’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, completed in New York City on October 29, 1932, is a remarkable work that showcases her early melodic and harmonic style. Representing her first known concerto and large-scale orchestral composition, it reflects Decruck’s life during that time as she balanced her roles as a composer, organist, and mother of two. . . While the specific dedicatee of the concerto remains unknown, her collaboration with cellist Robert Refuveille may have inspired its creation. This concerto serves as a testament to Decruck’s talent and versatility as a composer, laying the foundation for her subsequent works that would evolve and mature over time.
Sonata in C# for Alto Saxophone (or Viola) and Orchestra (1943)
The Sonata in C# for Alto Saxophone (or Viola) is Decruck’s most well-known work. Decruck created two versions of her world famous sonata, one with saxophone or viola and piano, the other with full orchestral accompaniment. The latter version is rarely heard. Decruck combines the Classical sonata form with impressionistic harmony and at times, polytonality. Decruck dedicated this work to Marcel Mule, the world-renowned French saxophonist. Although Mule had countless compositions written
for him in his lifetime, he took the time to record the Fileuse movement of the Sonata.
The Bells of Vienna: Suite of Waltzes (1935)
Decruck published Les clochers de Vienne (The Bells of Vienna) in 1935, and it was performed in several concerts and live broadcasts around that time. The music of this relatively early work by Decruck is bright and lively. The piece is unique in its pioneering inclusion of the vibraphone, an instrument that only became widely available in the previous decade. . . I originally thought that it was lost. The family only had four of the five string parts. I found the rest of the parts and score to most of the composition in a music library at a Portuguese radio station. The people there scanned and emailed it to me, but three of the parts were missing. Another friend helped locate the missing parts in a conservatory library in Tours, France, and sent them to me.
The Trianons: Suite for Harpsichord (or Piano) and Orchestra (1946)
Les Trianons is a suite concertante for harpsichord or piano and orchestra composed by Decruck in 1946. It is dedicated to Marcelle de Lacour, who later became a distinguished professor of harpsichord at the Paris Conservatory. The suite is named after the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon, two opulent royal buildings in Versailles from the 17th and 18th centuries, which serve as an evocative backdrop to the music. Decruck’s composition is written in a Neo-Baroque style, blending traditional Baroque elements with modern 20th-century orchestration. The chamber orchestra is enriched with contemporary additions such as alto saxophone, celesta, and concert toms, creating a unique sound palette.
Read Aubin’s full liner notes here.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Matthew Aubin, Conductor: www.matthewaubin.com/about.html
Jeremy Crosmer, Cello: www.jeremycrosmer.com/about
Mitsuru Kubo, Viola: www.mitsurukubo.com/bio
Mahan Esfahani, Harpsichord: www.mahanesfahani.com/biography
Jackson Symphony Orchestra: www.jacksonsymphony.org/about-jackson-symphony-orchestra
ALBUM TRACK LISTING:
Fernande Decruck: Concertante Works Volume 2
Conductor Matthew Aubin | Jackson Symphony Orchestra
Jeremy Crosmer, cello | Mitsuru Kubo, viola | Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
Claves Records | Release Date: March 7, 2025
1-3: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1932)
4-6: The Trianons: Suite for Harpsichord (or Piano) and Orchestra (1946)
7-10: Sonata in C# for Alto Saxophone (or Viola) and Orchestra (1943) with viola soloist
11: The Bells of Vienna: Suite of Waltzes (1935)
World Premiere Recordings
Publisher: Gérard Billaudot Editeur SA
CD Number: CD 50-3108 | EAN / UPC: 7619931310824 | Label Code: 3369
Copyright © & ℗ 2025 Claves Records SA, Prilly (Switzerland)
Recording Producer: Dirk Sobotka, Soundmirror, Inc.
Recording Engineers: Mark Donahue and Jacob Steingart, Soundmirror, Inc.
Design: Amethys
Executive Producer: Claves Records
Recorded in the Harold Sheffer Music Hall at the George E. Potter Center, Jackson, Michigan (USA), June 2023
Cover: Fernande Decruck, Paris, vers 1933 © DR