Radio France Philharmonic Presents Cassandra Miller Portrait with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Matthias Pintscher

Portrait concert highlights Cassandra Miller's work

The Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra presented a concert as part of the "Portrait Cassandra Miller" within the Autumn Festival, featuring works by Kurtág, Ravel, and Cassandra Miller. The concert included the French premiere of Dad Goes to the Mountain by Cassandra Miller, co-commissioned by Radio France and created last June by Ilan Volkov in Brussels. The piece is a tribute to the composer's father, Gary Glenn Miller, an astrophysicist who died after a period of cognitive decline.

Kurtág's Stele performed with subdued impact

The concert opened with Stele, op. 33 by György Kurtág, performed by the orchestra under the direction of Matthias Pintscher. However, the piece, originally written for and created by the Berliner Philharmoniker and Claudio Abbado, was noted to lack volume in the Auditorium of Radio France, with the Larghissimo section not having the expected impact. The performance of the Lamentoso movement was described as more in line with Pintscher's own compositions, despite some gestures being poorly supported.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard performs Kurtág's piano works

Pierre-Laurent Aimard took to the stage alone to perform excerpts from Játékok (Jeux) by Kurtág, having recorded 81 pieces from the cycle in 2025. Although Aimard's performance was noted as somewhat arid, the thoughtful gentleness of Birthday Elegy for Judit was admired, more so than a previous performance of For Dóra Antal's Birthday from the same Book VI. An encore from the same cycle was highlighted as the most attractive piano piece of the evening.

Ravel's Left Hand Concerto performed with introspection

Aimard then joined the orchestra and conductor for Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand, a piece previously heard at the Paris Philharmonie under Bertrand Chamayou. The interpretation did not benefit significantly from Pintscher's conducting, but Aimard's performance was noted for his ability to question the score, having previously recorded it in 2010 with Pierre Boulez.

Cassandra Miller's work closes the concert

The concert concluded with Ravel's Ma Mère l’Oye, a suite that was previously performed more flamboyantly and contrastingly by the same musicians under different conductors. The performance of Dad Goes to the Mountain was highlighted as the major work of the portrait, with the piece using a sound palette of gentle alterations in a flat material, providing a feeling of fullness and questioning. The first theme of the piece was taken from the Peruvian piece Canchis Tierra Linda, initiated by the woodwinds and harp of the Philharmonic. The piece was noted for its evocative power, with a final concert of the Cassandra Miller Portrait scheduled for the Church of the Holy Spirit on December 14th.