Albert Roussel, the composer, spent his early manhood in the French Navy, rising to lieutenant and visiting the Near East and China, experiences that influenced his music.
Composition History
The String Trio was Albert Roussel's last completed piece, premiered just over four months before his death in 1937.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Roussel's compositional output, comprising 59 opuses, evolved through three main periods, moving from Impressionistic tendencies to a more personal idiom with complex harmonies and energetic rhythms.
Compositional Technique
The Second Violin Sonata by Roussel, written in 1924, features 'jazzy inflections' and a 'motoric rhythm' in its final movement, reflecting his awareness of contemporaries like Stravinsky and Prokofiev.
Performer Biography
Kirsten Docter, the violist on this recording, had a 23-year tenure with the Cavani String Quartet and won First Prize at the Primrose International and American String Teachers Association Viola Competitions.
Composer Biography
Roussel studied at the Schola Cantorum with Vincent d'Indy, a French composer and teacher, and later taught counterpoint there to composers like Erik Satie and Edgard Varèse.
Performer Biography
Violinist David Bowlin, a First Prize winner of the 2003 Washington International Competition, is a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble.
You might also enjoy...
Weinberg: Chamber Music
Switchback: Contemporary American Duos for Violin & Piano
