Trittico concertato

In 1963, the Pablo Casals Cello Competition was held in Budapest. I was appointed to preside over the jury, one of whose members was none other than the famous Spanish cellist Gaspar Cassado.

Having invited me one day for a meal, Cassado asked me to compose a concerto for him. At first I showed some reluctance, saying that I did not know the secrets of the instrument well. He answered me: “the composer composes and it is up to the interpreter to rack his brains to know how to play the score”. It only took me a short time to write this concerto which I called “Trittico concertato”.

Cassado presented my “Trittico concertato” on September 11, 1965 at the Théâtre de la Fenice as part of the Venice Biennale.

— Ferenc Farkas