Loading Map....

Date/Time
Date(s) - 18/07/2017
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location
Calcutta School of Music

Categories


Alliance française du Bengale and The Calcutta School of Music are pleased to present the Trio Ranganathan the 18th July of 2017 at 7 pm.

The Ranganathan Trio, with the three brothers Ajay, Ravi and Théo, all three students in various master degrees, started its education in the Conservatory of Tours, France. There, in 2009 and in the class of Xavier Richard, the Trio successfully graduated with the First Prize of chamber music with the jury’s unanimity. More recently, in Paris, they worked with Vincent Coq, pianist of the famous Wanderer Trio.

During their concerts, the members of the Ranganathan Trio always present the pieces’ historical context, and the compositors’ lifes. They dedicated themself to the repertoire of trio, from 1750 to the present day, and also explore the sonata for two instruments.

Those three musicians met well before the Conservatory ; indeed, they lived together under the same roof since chilhood ! Of course today is another story ; advanced studies leaded to a delicate organization, thanks to their « geographical separation » : Théo is in Poznan’s High Academy of Music, Poland, Ravi studies at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, Belgium, and Ajay is in the High Conservatory of Paris, France (not Texas, fortunately).

The Ranganathan Trio was laureate of the Leopold Bellan competition in Paris and of the chamber music competition of Rabastens. Amédée-Ernest Chausson (1855 – 1899 ) To please his father, Chausson studied law and was appointed a barrister for the Court of Appeals, but had little or no interest in the profession. Before deciding on a musical career, he dabbled in writing and drawing. In 1879, at the age of 24, he began attending the composition classes of Massenet at the Paris Conservatoire; Massenet came to regard him as ‘an exceptional person and a true artist’. He also studied with César Franck, with whom he formed a close friendship that lasted until Franck’s death in 1890. His trio was composed in 1881 and is deeply inspired by Franck’s style. It is structured in four movements :

1. Pas trop lent – animé [not too fast – animated]
2. Vite [fast]
3. Lent [slow]
4. Animé [animated]

Gabriel Urbain Fauré’s ( 1845 – 1924) musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. His best-known works are his Pavane, Requiem, nocturnes for piano. His trio was written thanks to Jacques Durand’s suggestion, Fauré’s editor. He finished composing it in 1923. It is characterized by an elegant lyricism, supported by a delicate harmony. It is composed in three movements :

– Allegro, ma non troppo
– Andantino
– Allegro vivo

Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937) is well known for his Boléro, and two piano concertos. Maurice Ravel’s trio was composed in 1914. In composing the Trio, Ravel was aware of the compositional difficulties posed by the genre: how to reconcile the contrasting sonorities of the piano and the string instruments, and how to achieve balance between the three instrumental voices – in particular, how to make that of the cello stand out from the others, which are more easily heard. In tackling the former problem, Ravel adopted an orchestral approach to his writing: by making extensive use of the extreme ranges of each instrument, he created a texture of sound unusually rich for a chamber work. He employed coloristic effects such as trills, tremolos, harmonics, glissandos, and arpeggios. Inspiration for the musical content of the Trio came from a wide variety of sources, from Basque dance to Malaysian poetry. However, Ravel did not deviate from his usual predilection for traditional musical forms.

 

Born in France of Polish en Indian parents, Ajay has always lived in a cosmopolitan atmosphere, probably the origin of his need to know more and more music and musicians. He plays in various baroque ensembles and dedicate a large part of his time to historical performance. With Laura Fernandez-Granero, pianofortist, he is one of the two first “Lauréats” from the Royaumont Foundation. They play together sonatas from classical period. He also plays in an orchestra called Pixelophonia, playing video games music in original compositions. He met great masters in Carnatic music : VV Subramaniam in Chennai and L. Subramaniam in France and in Bangalore. He is now studying in Paris CNSMD in baroque violin class of François Fernandez, with whom he obtained his Degree in 2014.

Ravi, began his studies at the conservatory in the harp class of Catherine de Preissac at age of 7 at the conservatory of Tours while taking piano lessons simultaneously. He later joined the cello class of Xavier Richard at the age of 10 at the same conservatory and he obtained his graduation prize in 2012. He has taken lessons with prestigious Cello players like Eric Levionnois, a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, Xavier Gagnepain, professor at the pole superior of Boulogne-Billancourt, Jerôme Pernoo, professor at the Paris conservatory and has worked with Maria Theresa Grisenti, professor at Cachan conservatory during an internship, and also with Francois Dumont. He had his major in interpretation at the Pole superior of Poitou-Charentes at Poitiers with Hilary Metzger and Jacques Nicolas. He is studying for his masters in Cello since September 2015 at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels under Mr Didier Poskin. Ravi plays a German cello from the second half of the nineteenth century, funded by the Lions Club.

Théo started the piano at the age of 6, in the National Conservatory of Tours, in France. In 2009, studying with Carole Carniel-Petit and Nicole Cazalet, he is rewarded by the first price of the Steinway&Sons competition of Paris. Two years later, Théo finished his musical studies in Tours with a first price and the Award of Merit. Then, he joined the Graduate center of music and dance of Poitiers; first in the class of William Bensimhon, and then in that of Alain Villard, with which he finished the first university degree. Théo was also advised by Marie-Paule Siruguet, teacher at the Graduate center of music and dance of Paris, Hervé N’Kaoua, teacher at the Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Lyon, Jean-François Heisser, teacher at the Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris and Monique Deschaussées, who was a disciple of Alfred Cortot and Edwin Fisher. He is now studying at the Music Academy of Poznan, with Alicja Kledzik and Piotr Zukowsky, in master degree.

For their Facebook, click here.

Vidéo Youtube, click here.