UMass flute professor Cobus du Toit has released a comprehensive series of recordings of all the flute chamber works by 20th century French composer Jacques Castérède on Naxos Records. “Jacques Castérède: Complete Works for Flute” was released in three parts, with separate CD’s released in October 2019 as well as January and June of 2020. The recordings took place in late 2017 at the Robert and Judi Newman Center’s Hamilton Hall on the University of Denver campus, a space known for its impeccable acoustics, as well as at Firehouse 12 studios in New Haven, Connecticut.
This marks the first time that Castérède’s flute catalogue has been recorded in its entirety, and also the first recording project of note dedicated solely to his music. A teacher of composition at the Paris Conservatory for many years, and with musical roots in the styles of neo-Classicism and Les Six, Castérède was one of many composers who refused to abandon tonality and traditional forms amid the stormy avant-garde of the 20th century.
Several UMass musicians took part in the Castérède recordings: faculty members Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Eric Berlin, trumpet; Nadine Shank, piano; and alumni Andrew Burden, Emily Kaplan and Connor Hay, flutes; plus Daniela Garcia and Shane Coughlin, trumpets.
A native of South Africa, du Toit has performed in Russia, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, France, Australia and, as a concerto soloist, has performed with orchestras around the globe. His most recent project, #WeBringFlowers, which was funded by New Music USA, involved the commissioning of six new flute works inspired by the idea of non-violence.