Sancan: A Musical Tribute

Pierre Sancan was a tremendously influential figure in French musical life, as a composer, pianist, teacher, and conductor, but remains relatively unknown outside France. Born in Mazamet, in 1916 - the same year as Dutilleux - he received his early musical training in Morocco and, later, Toulouse. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1934 where he studied with Jean Gallon, conducting with Charles Munch and Roger Désormière, piano with Yves Nat, and composition with Henri Busser. He won the Prix de Rome in 1943, and eventually joined the staff in 1956, teaching there until his retirement, in 1985. A list of his piano students reads like a who's who of French pianists and includes Michel Béroff, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Daniel Varsano, Jacques Rouvier, Jean-Philippe Collard, and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. Yan Pascal Tortelier, whilst not a direct student of Sancan, attended the Paris Conservatoire while he taught there, and remembers his influence: 'of course through his extraordinary pianistic imagination but even more so by his physical allure and overwhelming personality'. This programme of the Piano Concerto, orchestral works, works for solo piano, and the flute Sonatine (played by Adam Walker) serves as a personal tribute to Sancan from both pianist and conductor, who very much hope that it will help to raise awareness of this gifted composer and his music.