Édouard Lalo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Édouard (Victor Antoine) Lalo (January 27, 1823 – April 22, 1892) was a French composer of Spanish descent.

Born in Lille, he studied first at that city's conservatoire, and then at the Paris Conservatoire under Berlioz's old enemy François Antoine Habeneck. For years, he worked as a violinist (particularly playing chamber music) and teacher in Paris before gaining fame as a composer, which eventually arrived when he was in his late forties. He died in Paris.

Although Lalo is not one of the most immediately recognized names in French music, his distinctive style has earned him some degree of popularity. The Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra still enjoys a prominent place in violinists' repertoire. He is also known for other solo works, including his Cello Concerto in D minor, and for his opera "Le roi d'Ys" (premiered 1888, and based on the same Breton legend which Debussy afterwards, and much more famously, evoked in La Cathédrale Engloutie). His Symphony in G Minor was championed ardently by Sir Thomas Beecham, though few other conductors have shown any interest in the piece. Lalo's style is notable for strong melodies and colourful orchestration, with a rather Germanic solidity that sets him apart from most of his compatriots. This distinctive style and strong expressive bent can be seen even in such compactly constructed works as the Scherzo in D minor, one of Lalo's most colorful compositions.

[edit] Selected works

Cello Concerto in D minor
Piano Concerto in F minor
Violin Concerto in F major
Symphonie Espagnole (for violin and orchestra)
Symphony in G minor
Two Aubades for orchestra
Divertissement for orchestra
Norwegian Rhapsody for orchestra
Scherzo in D minor for orchestra
Two Namouna Suites
Le Roi d'Ys (an opera)
Three piano trios, the first of which in C minor (opus 7) was featured in the 1983 vampire/art movie The Hunger.