Gaston Poulet

Gaston Poulet (10 April 1892 – 14 April 1974) was a French violinist and conductor. He played an important part in the diffusion of the contemporary music of the first half of the 20th century. His son Gérard Poulet, born in 1938, is also a violinist.

Life and career Born in Paris, Poulet entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1904, studying under Lefort and Jean Huré, and winning a first prize in 1910 in violin.

Noticed by Pierre Monteux, Poulet soon became recognized as one of the leading violinists of his generation and was taken on as leader of the orchester for performances by the Ballets Russes. He thus took part in many premieres by the company of Serge Diaghilev.

In 1914 he founded an eponymous string quartet with Henri Giraud (violin), Albert Leguillard (viola)et Louis Ruyssen (cello).

From the 1920s, Poulet slowly reduced his playing in favour of conducting. In 1926 he led the first performance at the salle Pleyel of the Concerts Poulet (later merged with the Concerts Robert Siohan). This orchestral series particularly featured music by young composers, and included premieres of works by Sergei Prokofiev, Florent Schmitt, Albert Roussel, André Caplet and member of groupe des Six. The weekly concerts were held at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt up to 1932.

In 1932, Poulet became Director of the Conservatoire in Bordeaux and founded a concert series there entitled the Association des Professeurs du Conservatoire, in 1943 becoming l'Orchestre philharmonique de Bordeaux. Poulet also appears outside France during these years, in Geneva and Buenos Aires. During the war years he also led the Concerts Colonne (for that period called Concerts Pierné) alongside Louis Fourestier and François Ruhlmann.

During the war he recorded Iberia and the Franck Symphonic Variations (with Yves Nat) with the Concerts pierné.

With the London Symphony Orchestra Poulet made recordings of Elizalde's Violin Concerto with the 14-year-old Christian Ferras (Decca, 1947), Spanish orchestral miniatures by Albeniz, Granados, Falla and Turina (MGM, 1953), Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No.3 in B minor Op.61 with Yehudi Menuhin (His Master's Voice, 1953) and orchestral works by Ravel and Fauré (M.G.M., 1953–54).