OSL, Alain Lefèvre, and JoAnn Falletta Will Present Lost Works by Andrew Mathieu, 12/10

Canadian pianist Alain Lefèvre joins Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL), led by JoAnn Falletta in her OSL debut performance, on December 10 for two historic performances of child-prodigy composer and pianist André Mathieu's previously lost works-the New York premiere of the Piano Concerto No. 4 and the first performance in 70 years of the Concertino No. 2. Lefèvre has been a tireless advocate of Mathieu since he heard his music for the first time at age 15 and was struck by its "strange and melancholy beauty."

"I wasn't looking for him, but he found me ... our encounter, I believe, was ruled by fate. From then on, André Mathieu was part of my musical memory," explains Lefèvre. "I would respond to his call, his distress and his wounds-those which leave a print on the tragic destinies of rejected geniuses," he says of the forgotten composer, whose short life was marked by alcoholism and depression.

With nothing but a phonograph recording given to him by a close friend of Mathieu, Lefèvre worked with composer and orchestrator Gilles Bellemare to transcribe and resurrect the Concerto No. 4. The Concertino No. 2 will also be revived on this program. The Concertino represents one of Mathieu's earliest and greatest successes, winning the "Young Composers Contest" and receiving its first performance at Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic, with the composer as soloist, in 1942. Mathieu again performed his Concertino in 1943; it was the last concert he would ever give at Carnegie Hall. Now, exactly 70 years later, the work returns to that stage in the hands of one of Mathieu's greatest proponents.

Mathieu took his greatest influences from Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Rachmaninoff, creating works that are at the same time sensual, precise, and virtuosic, wrapped in late-Romantic nostalgia. Of course, with his child-prodigy status-he began composing at age four and gave his first recital at six-and his death at the tragically young age of 39, it is easy to draw parallels between the lives of Mathieu and Mozart. (Following his 1939 recital in Paris, the 10-year-old Mathieu was, in fact, declared "the little Canadian Mozart" by music critic Émile Vuillermoz.)

The program will open with Mozart's "Linz" Symphony, written in 1783, eight years before Mozart's death. Like Mathieu, Mozart endured difficult circumstances during the latter part of his life, spending his last 10 years constantly in debt. Nevertheless, he wrote some of his most enduring music during this time. The "Linz" Symphony reveals Mozart's genius in the development of thematic material-a genius that went unnoticed at the time, but is now recognized for all its glory.

A free film screening of the English-subtitled version of L'enfant Prodige (The Child Prodigy) will be held on Monday, November 25 at 7:00 PM at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music as a prelude event to the concert. This 2010 film tells the story of Mathieu's life, from prodigious pianist and composer to gifted yet misunderstood young man. Alain Lefèvre was the film's pianist and music director. Reservations are required; visit OSLmusic.org/RSVP-film. The movie trailer can be viewed at AlainLefevre.com/en/video_andre_mathieu.html.

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