The Strad
March 2025

Conductor Matthew Aubin speaks with US correspondent Thomas May about his ongoing revival of the 20th-century French composer Fernande Decruck.

For decades, French composer Fernande Decruck (1896–1954) was known only for her Sonata in C-sharp for alto saxophone, a staple of the classical saxophone repertoire. Many of her compositions were left unpublished at her untimely death at the age of 57 and sank into oblivion. 

Enter the orchestral thought leader and conductor Matthew Aubin, who first encountered the name Decruck’s music in 2009, when he heard a saxophonist perform the Sonata. What began as curiosity turned into a years-long mission to recover and champion the music of this remarkable yet overlooked composer. 

Aubin has since unearthed and revived many of Decruck’s works, including orchestral and chamber pieces beyond her well-known saxophone repertoire. Together with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, of which he is music director, Aubin recently recorded the second volume in a series of concertante works by Decruck on the Claves label; volume 1 appeared in 2022.

Concertante Works, Volume 2 presents the world premiere recording of four of Decruck’s orchestral works, including her Cello Concerto (1932), with soloist Jeremy Crosmer, and a version of the Saxophone Sonata arranged for viola and orchestra, featuring Mitsuru Kubo in the solo part. The album pairs these string concerti with The Trianons: Suite for Harpsichord (or Piano) and Orchestra (1946), showcasing Mahan Esfahani at the keyboard, and The Bells of Vienna: Suite of Waltzes (1935). 

From a string player’s perspective, according to Jeremy Crosmer, ’Decruck writes with very traditional and idiomatic flourishes: fanfare-like statements in the solo part of the Cello Concerto to open bombastic movements, followed by moments of agility in scales that span the entire instrument.’ Decruck combines this, Crosmer adds, ’with modern, colour-driven moments, highlighting her place in the 20th century.’

To mark the new release, Matthew Aubin spoke with The Strad about Decruck’s life and distinctive voice, and about why he believes her work is long overdue for the spotlight.