This superb retrospective of
French (and Belgian) organ music opens with Alexandre Guilmant’s Grand Choeur
in D. It is subtitled ‘alla Haendel’ and certainly bounces along. Bearing in
mind that it was completed in the French town of Boulogne-sur-Mer it could be
subtitled ‘Handel by the Seaside’, in a humorous nod to Percy Grainger.
Louis Vierne’s ‘Carillon de
Westminster’ needs no introduction. It is the sixth piece in the third of
Vierne’s four-suite set 24 pieces de
fantaisie, published in 1927. The Carillon must be one of the most popular
pieces of the composer’s music, along with the ubiquitous Berceuse (which even I can play) and a few overworked ‘finales’…
This is one of the great war-horses of the organist’s repertoire. Vierne’s
other ‘Carillons’ are worth digging out, including that of ‘Longport’ and ‘Les
cloches de Hinckley.’
The ‘Feux Follets’ was published in
the second suite of the 24 pieces de
fantaisie. This is an impressionistic little piece, difficult and quite
wayward. The liner notes point out that it often seems to be about to ‘find’ a
tune, only for this to vanish, like a Will o’ the Wisp. It is magically played
here.
I have never taken to Camille
Saint-Saëns Rhapsodie No. 3 for organ. From my first hearing of this work back
in the early 1970s, l thought that it grinds along without getting anywhere: it
seems to me to lack structure. Others will naturally disagree. The composer
makes use of Breton folk tunes to point up the work’s programme which was derived
from a pilgrimage to the Pardon de St-Anne-de-Palaud. I concede that there is some imaginative organ
writing in these pages, but somehow it just does not do it for me.
Theodore Dubois’s ‘Toccata’ is
one of those big French Toccatas that never fails to please. The work is in
ternary form with a quiet restrained middle section surrounded by a bustling
‘moto perpetuo’ where the focus of interest is in the swift passages for the
manuals. It is the third piece from the composer’s Douze Pièces published in 1886. Despite the composer having a Cavaille-Coll
organ at the back of his mind when he wrote this ‘Toccata’, it works perfectly
well on Coventry Cathedral’s Harrison and Harrison instrument.
I was quite taken by Henri Mulet’s
‘Rosace’. I have never knowingly heard this piece before. As a child, Mulet had
witnessed the building of Sacré Coeur in Paris from his home in Montmartre. In
fact, his father was onetime choirmaster at that iconic church. In 1920, Mulet
composed the Esquisses Byzantines which
were a series of impressions depicting various aspects of the building. The
present work, ‘Rosace’ is a ‘dreamlike response’ to the kaleidoscopic patterns
of the gorgeous rose window, which represents the ‘Sacred Heart.’
Most organ music enthusiasts know
the ‘big’ works by Maurice Duruflé: the Prelude and Fugue sur le nom d’Alain,
op.7, the Suite for organ, op.5 and the Prelude, Adagio and Chorale Variations
on ‘Veni Creator’, op.4. I guess fewer will know the present piece, ‘Chant
Donné’ (1949). This began life as a harmony exercise published in 64 Leçons d'Harmonie, offertes en hommage à
Jean Gallon. Gallon had taught several
illustrious musicians between 1919 and 1948, including Olivier Messiaen, Henri
Dutilleux and Paul Tortelier. It is hard to know if Duruflé had the organ in
mind when he wrote this piece. The holograph was written on two staves, but
when published it was in four-part ‘open score’ printed in antique notation
It has subsequently been arranged
and published for organ. This quiet piece is infused with Gregorian chant and modal
harmonies: it is quite simply gorgeous.
Olivier Messiaen’s Le Banquet Celeste is a great
introduction to his organ music. There is nothing here to frighten the timid!
It is an early work, dating from 1925. The ‘programme’ is a mediation on
Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. It is not necessary to bear theological
concepts in mind whilst enjoying this deeply reflective music. The one feature
that will grasp the listener is the timelessness of the music. Despite being
only six minutes long, it seems to last forever: and we (at least some of us!) do want it to last for ever. This
bending of time would become one of Messiaen’s most beguiling traits.
Joseph Jongen’s Sonata Eroica is
his masterpiece. It would be easy to describe Jongen’s musical style as a
compendium of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century music ranging from Franz
Liszt to Olivier Messiaen by way of Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, Paul Dukas
and Igor Stravinsky. However, this description does not do justice to this
highly-developed score. This is a sonata in name only. It would be better to
describe it as a set of variations based on what may be an Ardennes folk-tune,
preceded by a powerful introduction and concluding with a fugato and carillon-like
coda.
The Sonata was commissioned by
Belgium Radio in 1930 for the opening recital of the new organ in the Palais
des Beaux-Arts in Brussels: it is dedicated to Joseph Bonnet, onetime organist
at St Eustache’s Church in Paris. I enjoyed this performance from end to end.
I have not heard Guy Weitz’s
massive Symphony No.1 for organ before. Weitz was born in Belgium, studied with
Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d’Indy in Paris and arrived in England as a
refugee at the outbreak of the Great War. He was appointed organist at the
Jesuit Church in Farm Street, Mayfair, where he remained until 1967. Musically, Weitz’s music has echoes Widor,
Vierne and Dupre. His native composers did provide influence too: Cesar Franck,
Paul de Maleingreau and to a lesser extent, Flor Peeters. The liner notes explain that the Symphony No.
1 was composed in 1930 and takes it musical material from the plainsong chants
associated with ‘Mary the Mother of God.’
The first movement, a massive song of praise, derived from the ‘Ave
Maria.’ The middle movement takes its subject matter from the ‘Stabat Mater’,
where Our Lady is kneeling at the foot of Jesus’ cross. This music is
characterised by sadness, reflection and anguish. The finale is based on the
plainsong hymn ‘Ave Maris Stella’, Hail Mary, Star of the Sea. It is really a
classic ‘French’ style toccata that brings the Symphony to an impressive
conclusion. This work can be enjoyed
without its Christian underpinnings: it is a great work that deserves to be in
the repertoire of all concert organists.
The text of the booklet, written
by Ian Wells is excellent, with detailed and readable notes about each work and
their composers. The notes are in printed in English, French and German. There
is the all-essential specification of the large four-manual Harrison and
Harrison organ, with the briefest of historical notes. For the curious, it was
installed in 1962 at the time of the consecration of the new Coventry
Cathedral. Alas, there is no overall photograph of the organ, (there is a tiny picture
of the present organist and some organ stops, which is not Coventry) and no
biographical details of the organist. For this information, the listener needs
to visit the Impulse Music webpage. At
present, David Patrick is based in Exeter.
The sound quality of this CD is
splendid. The organ sounds fantastic and the playing of all these works is
exemplary.
This is a fine exploration of
French and Belgian organ music that features old favourites and, for some of
us, new discoveries. It is thoroughly enjoyable from end to end.
Track Listings:
Alexandre GUILMANT (1837-1911)
Grand Choeur in D (c.1886)
Louis VIERNE (1870-1937)
Feux Follets, Carillon de Westminster from 24 pieces de fantaisie (1926-7)
Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Rhapsodie no.3 (1866)
Théodore DUBOIS (1837-1924)
Toccata in G (1886)
Henri MULET (1878-1967)
Rosace, from Esquisses Byzantines (1920)
Maurice DURUFLÉ (1902-1986)
Chant Donné (1949)
Joseph JONGEN (1872-1953)
Sonata Eroica, op.94 (c.1930)
Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-92)
Le Banquet Céleste (1928)
Guy WEITZ
(1883-1970) Symphony No.1 (1930)
David M Patrick (organ)
Rec. Coventry Cathedral 27 April, 2017; 1 May, 17 July 2015
GUILD GMCD 7801
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.
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