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Ysaÿe and his two sons

Time and again, violinists have dreamt of a concerto by Ysaÿe. 

What would it have sounded like ?  

Could it have resembled the concertos of his mentors, Vieuxtemps or Wieniawski. Or maybe Chausson's Poème, or even the Nocturnes that Debussy had promised him? 

When my friend, the musicologist Xavier Falques, let me know that he was studying the manuscript of a complete unpublished concerto by Ysaÿe, I eagerly expressed my curiosity. Upon the first read through of this concerto (which eventually became the Poème concertant, I was struck by the dramatic and passionate atmosphere of the work. its ambition and stylistic freedom. I also recognized some of the instrumental innovations that Ysaÿe would later develop in his solo violin sonatas. How had this work remained unpublished until now? 

So, I was only halfway surprised to discover the source of his inspiration. We will never know if the genesis of the poem sealed its destiny, but regardless, beyond the possibly anecdotal aspect, the music stands on its own. Debussy's famous phrase comes to mind, which he wrote upon listening to his friend Chausson's “poem" after his death: "Nothing is more touching in dreamy sweetness than the end, when the music, leaving aside all description, all anecdote, becomes the very feeling that inspires its emotion. These are very rare moments in an artist's work." 

 Xavier had already worked on the first movements of Ysaÿe's youthful concertos. When I learned that there existed a complete orchestrated second movement and a final movement in manuscript form for violin and piano, it seemed that we should try to give these works the sound of the orchestra for which they were intended. I couldn't imagine a better expert in Ysaÿe's orchestration than Xavier. He took on the challenge and also advised the composer Érika Vega in orchestrating the Poème Concertant.

 Working on this project gave me the feeling of a journey through time.

 Philippe Graffin