- Viola
France’s leading violist, Gérard Caussé is widely acclaimed as ranking among the handful of great international viola talents of our time and one of the few who, since Primrose, have made the viola once again a solo instrument in its own right. This has been recognised by an impressive range of major record labels, whether for solo, concerto or chamber music recordings, earning him numerous awards from the international music press. Highly respected by his peers, Caussé performs and records regularly with such household names as Emmanuel Krivine, Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano, Gidon Kremer, Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay, François-René Duchable, Paul Meyer, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon.
Gérard Caussé came to international recognition in the mid 70s as a founding member and solo viola for Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble Intercomtemporain. While continuing to be a champion of new repertoire for the viola, with over ten concertos written especially for him (recently he has premiered viola concertos by Philippe Hersant and Katsuhiro Oguri), Gérard Caussé has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, performing repertoire ranging from baroque music, to Bruch, Berlioz, Bartok, Stravinsky, Britten, Walton, Martinu and Mozart, whom he considers “the first to understand the purpose and uniqueness of the viola”.
From 2002 to 2004, Gérard Caussé was artistic director of the Toulouse National Chamber Orchestra and appeared with it as conductor and soloist. Recently he played with Orchestre National de France, Radio France Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille (Casadesus), Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Montpellier Philharmonic (Levi), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Luxembourg Philharmonic (Krivine) and Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra.
His discography is composed of more than 35 records on labels including Schubert’s Trout Quintet for Virgin Classics, a recital disc with Levinas and Hindemith works for Aeon, Bloch’s works for viola and orchestra with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and a recital disc of Russian repertoire with Maria Joao Pires for Deutsche Grammophon. Last recordings for EMI Virgin Classics: Bach Solo Suites (transcription for viola) and Faure Integral Chamber Music with Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Michel Dalberto and Ebène Quartet (Echo Prize).
Gérard Caussé plays a Gasparo da Salo (1560).
He teaches at the Académie musicale de Villecroze in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999 and 2001.