Pau Casals
Pau Casals
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Shows
On Saturday, September 26th at 9:00 PM, the Friends of the Church of San Rocco, the ELEVAL Cultural Association (Momenti d’Arte), and the Pro Loco Condove Tourist Association present *Cellos for Peace*, marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Pau Casals (1876–1973).
The Catalan cellist Pau Casals was a guiding light for generations of cellists—an ideal model and master for all. He pioneered a new cello technique based on more precise and articulated sound production—enhancing clarity of expression and serving the music itself rather than the performer's display of virtuosity. He elevated cello playing to unprecedented levels, establishing a true "school" passed down through generations via his direct teaching and the dissemination of methods found in the treatise published in 1922 by Diran Alexanian, his assistant at the École Normale de Musique in Paris.
His significance lies not only in his technical and musical contributions but also in his civic commitment: following General Franco’s rise to power, he left Spain, withdrawing into a form of voluntary exile across the border in the town of Prades, in the French Pyrenees. From that moment on, he refused to perform in his homeland or in any country that had recognized the dictator's government.
In 1971, at the age of 95, he received the United Nations Peace Medal for having "dedicated his life to truth, beauty, and peace." His acceptance speech was a heartfelt plea for peace and a condemnation of the "inhumanity" of war—a plea that remains strikingly relevant today. Casals gave great impetus to the practice—already established in 19th-century cello schools—of having multiple cellos play together, eventually forming an entire orchestra made up solely of this instrument.
In tribute to this tradition, a group of cellists trained at the Turin Conservatory under Marco Ferrari (who studied with, among others, Renzo Brancaleon and Antonio Janigro—both pupils of Casals) wishes to honor the Maestro with a program ranging from his favorite composers (Bach, Schubert, Schumann) to original compositions by Casals himself or works expressly dedicated to him.
CELLO ENSEMBLE
Viola Bosia, Chiara Burrogano, Clara Colombo,
Carmen Gentile, Andrea Jiménez, Marco Ferrari
MUSIC BY
J.S. Bach, A. Vivaldi, F. Schubert,
R. Schumann, E. Elgar, P. Casals
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