French Organ Masterworks

French Organ Masterworks 

Works by  Maurice Duruflé,  Felix Alexandre Guilmant,  Louis Vierne,  Jules Grison,   ...  

Performer:  David M. Patrick 

All of these composers are from the mid to late 19th century into the earlier years of the 20th. All are inspired equally by the great Cavaillé-Coll instruments of their time and by Felix Mendelssohn’s lightly feathery and often otherworldly scherzos. Most will be known to the general organ fanatic. Included, however, are a few obscure names. Jules Grison is not even noted in my copy of the Eighth Edition of Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, and the notes to this offering offer no information as to who he is. I can tell you, however, that Joseph Bonnet (1884–1944) studied under Guilmant, Tournemere, and Vierne, and that Samuel Rousseau (1853–1904) was a student of Franck in organ and of Bazin in composition at the Paris Conservatory.

There have been, in recent years, more than a few recordings of this repertoire. Loft’s “French Symphonic Masterpieces,” featuring Hans Davidsson performing on the Verschueren organ, 1998, of Göteborg, Sweden (Loft 1054), has proven to be outstanding. Loft offers the Introduction and the Pastorale from Guilmant’s Sonata in d, op. 42; Prière, op. 20 of Franck; the Allegro (first movement), and the Adagio (second movement) from Widor’s Symphonie No. 6, op. 42; Intermezzo by Alain; and the Suite, op. 5 of Duruflé. Loft’s low pedal tones are window-rattlingly awesome, even at pianissimo levels. Sanctuary Classics’s effort is more middle-of-the road in that respect, but provides clean, well-balanced sound throughout the audible spectrum. Comparing this offering with several others that only obliquely share this repertoire—Christopher Herrick’s performance of Duruflé’s Sicilienne on Hyperion 67436 and Robert Delcamp’s Guilmant disc on Naxos 8.557614—I am struck more by the similarities than the differences. Not having access to the scores, I presume that not only metronome markings but also registration information are included. There is, however, one ringer—Felix Hell’s performance of the finale of Guilmant’s Sonata No. 1 in D Minor (Reference Recordings 101) where he takes it at an unprecedentedly breakneck speed, but his articulation is so razor-sharp and cleanly registered on Reference’s recording that the result is bracing, as is the rest of the recording which wanders into repertoire far removed from the stuff under review.

The bottom line: David M. Patrick, performing on the tracker Organ of Glouster Cathedral—an instrument originally built by Thomas Harris in 1666, and repeatedly updated, most recently by Nicholson in 1991—is wholly competitive with all the organists and instruments cited above. Full organ specs are provided. The micro-managed choice of repertoire is, therefore, the main reason that one should or should not acquire this recording. A lot of this music delves into the more atmospheric realms of the organ’s treble registrations, and here they are conveyed quite effectively. Recommended.

FANFARE: William Zagorski