Sketch for a score. An evening with Estelle Revaz

Friday 23 September 2022 at 6:30 pm
Approx. 1 h

In several of her albums, the cellist Estelle Revaz has set herself the goal of calling attention to musical legacies that have fallen into obscurity. So it is for the forgotten repertoire of Frank Martin, whose work she invited us to rediscover in 2021. The Genevan composer’s output is the starting point for a fascinating reflection on several questions, conserving and promoting the archives of both classical and contemporary composers, transmitting scores that sometimes only exist in handwritten form, and the role performers play in passing on knowledge and appreciation of work that might otherwise be overlooked.

Performing throughout the evening, from a program selected by Estelle. Revaz, the cellist is joined by the musicologist Robert Pencikowski for a discussion hosted by the musician, journalist and producer Anne Gillot.

Compositions performed by Estelle Revaz:

“Cantus II” by Xavier Dayer
“Les mots sont allés, Sacher variations” by Luciano Berio
“Sacher variations” by Witold Lutoslawski
“Miroirs” by Jean-Luc Darbellay
“Fantasiestück” by Heinz Holliger

After starting on the cello in Sion, Estelle Revaz (*1989) studied at the Conservatoire à rayonnement regional (CRR) of Boulogne-Billancourt (Xavier Gagnepain), the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et danse of Paris (Jérôme Pernoo), and the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz of Cologne (Maria Kliegel). Estelle Revaz obtained, with highest honors, a Master’s in Solo Performance, a Master’s in Contemporary Music Performance, and a Master’s in Instrumental Teaching. She has pursued a career as a soloist while continuing to study with internationally known performers and appearing on stages in numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Her first album, CANTIQUE, features Estelle Revaz as the soloist in concerti by Ernest Bloch (Schelomo) and Andreas Pflüger (Pitture-Création). Issued in 2015, CANTIQUE was immediately hailed by the critics. For three years, starting with the 2017-2018 season, Estelle Revaz was the Artist in Residence of the Orchestre de Chambre of Geneva, under the direction of Arie van Beek. Since 2017, she has taught cello and chamber music at the Kalaidos Fachhochschule of Zurich. She currently plays a G. Grancino cello (1679) and a J. Eury bow (1825), provided to her thanks to the generous support of several patrons.

Robert Piencikowski (*1951) studied music and literature at the Conservatory of Geneva and the University of Geneva respectively. He was the assistant of Jacques Guyonnet at the Studio de Musique Contemporaine of Geneva (1973-1976) and one of the first founding members of the group Contrechamps in Geneva (1976-1977). He created his first works at IRCAM, Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music in Paris (1977-1978), where he was later lecturer of musical analysis in collaboration with the members of Ensemble Intercontemporain, and carried out research under the direction of Pierre Boulez in Baden-Baden (1978-1979). In 1990, he was named permanent associate musicologist at the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel. He is the author of numerous publications on contemporary music in general and Pierre Boulez in particular. Robert Piencikowski was also named director of Pierre Boulez’s archives, which have been conserved at the Paul Sacher Foundation since 1986. He is likewise in charge of the archives of many other figures in contemporary music, including Henri Dutilleux, Peter Eötvös, Vinko Globokar, Jim Grimm, Gérard Grisey, Jacques Guyonnet, Arthur Honegger, Frank Martin, Darius Milhaud, and Henri Pousseur.

Back to news