How to Play Chausson’s ‘Poème’ for Violin & Orchestra
This work can be elusive, but with a little practice you can master its enigmatic nature
French romantic composer Amédée-Ernest Chausson (20 January 1855 – 10 June 1899)
Amedee Ernest Chausson (1855–99), composer extraordinaire, appears to have been a man mercifully afflicted by the elusive idea that less is more. I learned this in the early 1960s as a newly matriculated violin student at university when I first was introduced to Chausson and his phantasmagoric Poème for violin and orchestra, Op. 25. I had already been apprised of Poème’s many attractive qualities, but one afternoon I decided casually to inquire of my violin teacher-to-be what the prospects were for learning and ultimately performing Poème at some point during my college career.
I don’t recall his exact response, but I do remember the word anathema blasting a hole through my skull while he informed me that Chausson’s Poème was not on the list for our violin department’s required repertoire.
For years, nary a mention of that incident found its way to the “for further discussion” box relative to my and Monsieur Chausson’s beloved Poème.
So be it.
Still, I did promise myself that, at some point, I would create a gaping hole in space from which I could manifest, to the best of my limited abilities, an effort that would support a workable less-is-more truism.
I would perform Poème.
With that in mind, and having recently recorded this staple of the concerto repertoire, I have gone on to marvel at the joys and challenges presented by this elegant piece.
The Soul of Poème
The product of a prominent French family, Chausson enjoyed “playing at work” by virtue of his management of the Chausson ...
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