Gérard Castanié: "Et in Arcadia Ego" le Tarot du Hautboïste: La Justice et L'Ermite

Gérard Castanié (1936-2017)
"Et in Arcadia ego" : Le Tarot du Hautboïste : 22 pièces pour hautbois solo
8. La Justice (0:00)
9: L'Ermite (4:08)

William Wielgus, oboe
Home recording, Sept. 1-2, 2024

The first volume of "Et in Arcadia Ego" containing pieces 1 to 11, is published by Leduc and has a copyright date of 1990

Little is known at present of the career of Gérard Castanié . He was director of the Conservatoire d’Argenteuil, and has one other published work, ""Mirages" for solo violin.

"Et in Arcadia ego" was used as material for examinations at the Paris Conservatoire and is an extensive exploration of contemporary oboe technique: multiphonics, glissandos, quarter-tones, flutter tonguing. One unusual technique heard in both of these movements is the "effet de guimbarde" a twanging effect to emulate the sound of the folk instrument also known as the jaw harp or Jew's harp.
Most of the movements were dedicated to prominent oboists, #8 is dedicated to Jean Louis Capezzali, #9 to Maurice Bourgue, but others are dedicated to Heinz Holliger, Didier Pateux, Laszlo Hadady, and Jacques Vandeville
These tarot pieces were part of a set of 22 of which only the first 11 were published, hopefully the others will be found in manuscript. They were intentioned to be a multi-media presentation with narrations (which also hopefully will be found, an inquiry to the publisher gathered no information), and projections of the relevant tarot cards.