Suite for piano and strings

“Today is my eightieth birthday! [...] I can still work without tiring, and this very day I am finishing the composition of a Suite for piano and strings. It seems to me that it is not too bad, but I could be deluding myself, alas! I’m going to let it rest; then I’ll have a better idea later. I have often found I was well inspired to do so” (Journal, 24 August 1917). Actually completed on 19 November 1917, the work is structured in four contrasting movements whose style is reminiscent of the 1912 Suite concertante. At the time, Dubois was already wondering what form to adopt: “I am beginning a work for piano, cello and orchestra [...]. What title should I use? ‘Concerto’, ‘symphonie concertante’ or ‘suite concertante’? ‘Concerto’ is a little well-worn; ‘symphony’, very solemn; ‘suite’ seems more appropriate to me.” The 1917 Suite opens with a somewhat grave Moderato, where the strings are treated in a truly symphonic manner. A tight melodic dialogue gives way to a more virtuosic effusion of the piano at the end of the movement. The scherzo extends the alternations of the first movement, notably through a sinuous secondary theme. It is very brief, and ends on a humorous note. The splendid slow movement openly indulges in the pleasures of an ardent, caressing post-romanticism. The finale, in a more classical vein, starts with brief motifs, before a lyrical sequence recalls Dubois’ usual language with a tremendous energy that never once betrays the composer’s age.