Raoul Pugno

Stéphane Raoul Pugno (23 June 1852 - ) was a French composer, teacher, organist, and pianist renowned world-wide for his playing of Mozart’s works.

Raoul Pugno was born in Paris. He made his debut at the age of six, and with the help of Prince Poniatowski he was then able to study at the École Niedermeyer. He then went to the Paris Conservatoire at age 14, where he shone. He won First Prize in Piano in 1866 (his teacher being Georges Mathias, a pupil of Frédéric Chopin), First Prize in Harmony and First Medal for solfege in 1867 (his composition teacher being Ambroise Thomas), and First Prize in Organ in 1869 (his teacher was Francois Benoist). He was appointed Director of Music at the Opéra by the Paris Commune of March-May 1871. At the grand re-opening of the Opéra, two of his works were performed.

He was organist at the Church of Saint-Eugène 1872-92, chorus master at the Theatre Ventador in 1874, and Professor of Harmony at the Conservatoire 1892-96 and Professor of Piano 1896-1901.

He remained a pedagogue until 1893, when he was over 40. He then decided to resume his career as a concert pianist, commencing with the Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg. At a performance of Richard Wagner’s "Das Rheingold" in 1893, Pugno and Claude Debussy provided an accompaniment on two pianos. He had a brilliant career, travelling throughout Europe and to the United States.

His specialty was the solo piano works and piano concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Pugno was a fine interpreter of the piano works of Chopin and Franck. He was also renowned for his appearances with the violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, with whom he worked from 1896, giving performances of works by Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Ernest Chausson. The duo also gave the premiere performances of violin sonatas by Albéric Magnard and Louis Vierne. He also appeared with the violinist Leopold Auer.

He spent his summers at his home in Gargenville where he taught and entertained, often playing concertos and works for two pianos with Saint-Saëns and the young Nadia Boulanger.

Pugno was the first internationally renowned pianist to make recordings. In 1903 he recorded pieces by George Frideric Handel, Domenico Scarlatti and Chopin and one of his own compositions, an "Impromptu Valse". In a Chopin waltz, Pugno displays his famous "jeu de perle" technique. His other Chopin recordings include the Impromptu in A flat Op. 29, Berceuse Op. 57, Waltz in A flat Op. 34 No. 1 and the Marche funèbre from the Sonata in B flat minor. Pugno’s most important recording however, is that of Chopin’s Nocturne in F sharp Op. 15 No. 2, in which he plays the piece noticeably slower than the norm, a practice bequeathed to him by his teacher Georges Mathias, himself a student of Chopin. It can be heard [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3nq2WSxdTQ here] , although the sound is distorted because the record was cut on a defective turntable with fluctuating speed. His most extended recording is that of Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11. It is impetuous and exciting, and has Pugno pushing himself to the extremes of his abilities without any loss of control.

He died in 1914 in Moscow, while on a concert tour of Russia. His compositions are forgotten now, but his legacy lives on through his students. One of his grand-pupils was Emil Gilels.

Works

* Oratorio "La Resurrection de Lazare" (1879)
* Feerie "La Fee Cocotte"
* Ballet "Les Papillons" (London, 1881)
* Opera-comique "Ninetta" (1882)
* Opera-bouffe "Le Sosie" (1887)
* Opera-comique "Le Valet de coeur" (1888)
* Operas "Le Retour d’Ulysse (1889), "La Vocation de Marius" (1890), "La Petite Poucette" (1891), "Melusine"
* Pantomime "La Danseuse de corde" (1892)
* Mimodrame "Pour le drapeau" (1895)
* Ballet "Le Chevalier aux fleurs" (1897, with André Messager)
* Incidental music for Gabriele d'Annunzio’s "Citta morte", with Nadia Boulanger
* Songs
* Piano sonata
* Piano pieces

ources

* Grove V (1961)
* [http://www.naxos.com/artistinfo/Raoul_Pugno/5026.htm Naxos biography]