Défile
Sérénade
Jacques Castérède (1926–2014)
Performed on French tuba.
Castérède, a composer and pianist, studied piano with Armand Ferté, composition with Tony Aubin and analysis with Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatory from 1944 to 1953. During his studies, he won first prizes in piano, chamber music, analysis, composition and harmony. In 1953 he won the Prix de Rome for his cantata La Boîte de Pandore. Returning to the Paris Conservatory in 1960 he served as professor of solfège and later assumed the role of counselor of piano in 1966 and of analysis in 1970. He also taught composition and analysis at the École Normale and was invited by the Chinese government to teach composition at the Central Academy in Beijing.
Dedicated to Paul Bernard, this sonatina is one of few works from the solo French tuba repertoire currently being studied on modern instruments. It is a virtuosic work for both soloist and accompanist. The two movements presented here today make use of sudden octave shifts, clef changes, and chromatic passages. The work is slowly becoming a popular recital piece for the bass tuba. It has been recorded by Velvet Brown, Toby Hanks, and Gene Pokorny (movement II only).