Lost in Plain Sight: The Life and Legacy of Gaspar Cassadó

Listen and read about the project on NPR and in The Strad.

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“Lost in Plain Sight” is an international humanities project exploring the life, legacy and work of 20th century Catalan cellist and composer, Gaspar Cassadó, contexualizing his music in a dynamic concert and lecture experience. The project is led with collaborator Dr. H Rosi Song and is supported in part by a Research Impact Grant through Durham University (UK), as well as through collaboration with international cultural bodies, academic institutions, and music instituions like Newcastle University, Instituto Cervantes, and Palau de la Musica, Barcelona.

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Regarded as one of the top cellists of the 20th century, Gaspar Cassadó's name and history remain mostly forgotten in Spain and abroad. An early advocate for the modern cello, he played an active role in trying to expand the repertoire for cellists, composing and collaborating with composers of his time like Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-75) who dedicated a concerto to him. Today, his name remains connected to that of his world-famous teacher, Pablo Casals (1876-1973), and fraught by the complicated legacy of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). As part of a research project to recover his legacy while examining what could be identified or understood as a “Spanish sound” in 20th century classical music, this concert presents a combination of lecture and performance, where the audience is invited to learn about the life and work of Cassadó in conversation with the work of other composers. 

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Performances of the project commenced in August, 2022 at the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival and has since been presented at multiple venues in the USA, Germany, Spain, Ireland and the UK at festivals, universities such as Cambridge, Ohio State, and Yale and cultural institutions like Instituto Cervantes in Manchester, Ateneu Barcelona and the Casa Masó in Girona, Spain. Notable performances feature the supposed U.S. Premiere of the unpublished Quartet No. 2 in August, 2023 at the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival.

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The project aims to introduce people to Cassadó’s music, and has so far focused on performances of his chamber and solo works featuring strings, cello and piano.

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