oo e Be le Ute ele ela ese: Works ean Guillou Organ St. Eustache Paris: nope ueal 7 Spo /X\ wea C)- son p vss)92282 ~ César Prancx -O rgan Works / Jean Guillow César PRANCK «1822-1890 Organ Werks (complete) cDI cD2 1. Pitce Héroique, in B minor 1, Final in B flat major Op. 21 5 2. Pastorale, in E major Op. 19 2. Fantaisie in C major Op. 16 1216 3. Fantaisie in A major 3, Prélude, Fugue et Variation, 4, Choral No. 1 in E major in B minor Op. 18 10°43, 5. Choral No.2 in B minor 4, Cantabile in B major 5143 6. Choral No. 3 in A minor Pritre, in C sharp minor Op, 20 us? 6. Grand Piéce Symphonique, ‘Total time: 7416 in F sharp minor Op. 17 21°28 Total time: 7215 JEAN GUILLOU, organ Van den Heuvel Organ of St. Eustache, Paris sup Sf eT Ul il || Engineers: Craig D. Dory, Brian C, Peters 5 lozsger 922829 Release under non-exclusive license of the Dorian Music Group Led a www brillianfelassics.com NOTND weet / sso MA ues CQ) ONWVUp VSI) eRteoANOTE ON THERECORDING This recording was made at the Church of St. Bustache, Paris in June and July, 1989, It is among the frst, recordings of the church's new van den Heuvel organ (tonal design by Jean-Louis Coignet, incorporati ideas by Jean Guillow ). As with the organ of the Tonhalle, Zrich, the new St.fustache organ full jean Guillow's ideals in instrument design, An enormous instrument of [47 ranks, it alles nly an ex ind power of sound, but also a huge range of colours, uiding aesthetic principle of this organ is to provide the performer with limitless interpretive and registrational possibilities. TThe St.Eustache organ is a versatile instrament on which the entire literature of the pipe organ can be rendered appropriately and idiomatially. César Franck’s orgin works are particularly suited to this instrument, which in many of its voices and tect es pays eloquent iibute to the creations of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll In tis repertoire, Jean Guillow with stong individuality that will interact with one another like the characters ina drama, never bec ved, yet capable of blending into a rich and massive sonic unity in tutti passages, The new s these special qualities with ‘a warmth and expressiveness of sound that evokes the quintessentially Eranckian Romanticism of such ‘works as the Grand Pigce Symphonique, the three Chorals and the Piece héroique, The acoustics of St.Eustache provide a perfect setting for this important instrument ~ richly reverberant, yet never obscuring the clarity of musical lines or dulling the vividaness of individual timbres In order to capture the organ's full palette of sounds its enormous dynamic ra acoustics and a true spatial perspective, the most exacting minimal microphone employed, From a wide range of options, the microphones were selected and placed following painstaking experimentation and numerous listening tests in which Jean Guillou was actively involved. The ultimate conception of the sound was arrived at in close consultation with Mb, Guillow in order to ensure that ‘what the listener heard truly embodies the artist's ideal ofthis instrument's sound SPECIALNOT ‘This recording presents the full low-frequency information by the Great Organ of St. Eustache. Specially designed and modified recording equipment has been used so that no low-Irequency roll-off has been introduced at any stage. The low-frequency content of the recording accurately reflects the aetual range of the instrument down to the open 32°pipes (preclucing.a 16H fundamental), ‘The naturally high levels of bass information, and exceptionally wide dynamic range, contribute immeasurable to the sonic excitement of this recording, However, on first hearing please exercise great caution. in setting the volume to establish a playback level that i safe for both of your equipment and your hearing,César Franck -- Organ Works Born at Liege in 1822, Franck had already received premiers pris for solfége and piano atthe conservatory of his native city by 1834. Pushed by his father to become a piano virtuoso —a carver to whch the mild- mannered Franck proved spectacularly unsuited ~ he continued his piano stucles in Paris and took lessons in harmony and counterpoint from Reicha (te teacher of Berlioz, Liszt and! Gounod). He was enrolled in the Paris Conservatory in 1837, and soon won premiers prix for piano and counter= point and (in the dass of Benoist) second prix for organ. By 1844 the family bad setted permanently in Paris (where Franck would remain until his death in 1890). Disagreements over the course of his career led the young man to a break with his father, and he began to support himself by teaching ~ both privately and in various schools and religious institutions — and by playing the organ, Fis first appointment in the latter capacity was at the church of Notre-Dame-ce-Torette, flowed bya tenure at St-Jean-St-Francois, n 1858 he was named organist of the new chureh of Ste-Clotilde, where he played one of Cavallé-Coll’s masterpieces from its inauguration | December 1859 until his death From 1872 he was professor of organ at the Conservatoire ‘Twelve major pieces, al products of the composer’s maturity, Franck’s compositions for organ appeared in three collectians: Six pieces, 1860-2, Trois pieces, 1878, and Trois chorals, 1890, Inspired by the Ste-Clovilde instrument, these works represented a radically new approach to writing for the organ. Among the characteristics features of Franck’s style are (1) rich chroraticism, (2) a fondness for long breathed “Romantic” melodies, (3} repetition of key melodic motif, with the crucial rising interval enlarged in the repetition, (4) a tendency to open pieces with “dialogues” between disparate thematic ‘ideas, played on different manuals, and (5) ingenious and subtle use of contrapuntal procedures, Franck’s rst collection of argan works, the Six Pieces, was completed in 1862, the composer’ fortieth yeat. Each of the pieces is dedicated toa significant figure in contemporary French musical life and seems almost to have been conceived specifically for its dedicates. The Fantaisie in C (dedicated to Alexis Chauvel, organist of Ste-Trinité in Paris) isa triptych. The frst panels itself in three parts, the fist and third almost winsome, rocking berceuse, the second a canon with 4 new melody singing above it.A modulatory passage, introduced by litle fanfares, leads to the pastoral central panel (Allegretto cantando), in which both the initial melody and its aeeompanimnent are developed at some length, Another transitional passage modulates back to the tonic, and the movement closes with a serene Adagio. In its free expansion of sonata-form structures to symphonic dimensions and its eylical treatment of themes, the Grande pitce symphonique (dedicated tothe pianist and composer Charles Alkan) seems to have been inspired by earlier experiments of Liszt and Schumann, two composers whom Franck particularly admired, A lengthy introduction (Andantino serioso) is a characteristic dialogue between @ ¥igorous striding theme in F sharp minor and a syncopated, questioning idea heard initially inthe dominant major. third theme, more lyrical, is suspended above the final appearance of the fst, leading to the exposition proper. Here a martial tune (the motto theme) is introduced by the pedal, and after some varied treatments itis answered by a gentler conjunct melody. A reappearance ofthe questioning motif from the introduction rounds out the exposition, and in the ensuing section the two main themes are developed. Yet another appearance of the questioning moti the transition to the Andante, which is based upon a typically Franckian chromatic melody. Then follns a scherzo-lke Allegro with a new cantando melody in its central trio, after whieh the Andante returns. The next section isa curious quodlibet, recalling the motto theme, the fist theme ofthe introduction, the scherzo figuration and the Andante, The recapitulation is announced by a triumphant restatement of the motio theme, now in the tonic major, played in great chords aver a moto perpetuo pedal line. In place ofa restatement ofthe exposition's second theme, however, a metamorphosis of the motto theme provides the subject for a fugue, This, in turn, evolves into the grand peroration with which the work concludes, Befitting its dedication to the great classicist of nineteenth-century French Music, Saint-Saéns, the Prelude, Fugue et Variation eschews the romantic flamboyance of the preceding opus. Here a limpid oboe solo unfolds over a gently rocking accompaniment. The fugue is announced by a sombre chordal transition (Lent) and concludes with a three-voice canon and several entries of the subject in stretto. Finally, above pedal point, the theme of the Prélude returns, with a nevi, undulating accompaniment. Rejecting the naturalistic “storm” effects in similarly titled pieces by Leféoure-Wely, Eranck’s Pastorale (dedicated to the organ builier Cavallé-Coll) seems to continue the Baroque teadition of rustic music evoking the visit of the shepherds at Chris’ birth. In the opening dialogue the blandishments of the Récit are answered by sober chords played on the Positif, ater which the intial idea is expanded and given off-beat echoes of repeated B's. In the central section of the work (Quasi allegretto) staccato chords aecompany a motif derived from the end of the preceding sectioa, The opening theme is now teated in a short fugato, afer which its superimposed on the solemn second theme, with final echoes of repeated BS. Mingling penitence and ecstasy, the Priére (dedicated to Franck’s organ teacher, Benoist) is a masterpiece of thematic concentration. Both the second theme (introduced by the pedal) and the ensuing triplet figuration are derived from the long-breathed, Romantic quasi-chorale heard atthe outset. ‘The work’s second halfis a variation of the first, both ending with a recitative. ‘The Final isa flashy showpiece, undoubtedly well-suited to its dedicates, Lefébure-Wely (with whomFranck had inaugurated the organ of Ste-Clotild). ‘Two themes are presented tice in the exposition of this modified sonata-form-movement— the first martial in character, the second a combination of chords and triplets leading to atypically Franckian “expanding moti?’ In the development these two themes are joined by a third, a big tune heard first in the pedal, then in the soprano, Only the frst and third themes are recalled in the recapitulation, and then a sort of cadenza leads to the final famboyant peroratio, The TROIS PIECES were composed for the new Cavalé-Coll organ of the Trocadéro Palace in Pats This great building, since replaced by the Palais cle Chaillot, was erected for the 1878 Universal Exposition, and Franck performed his new triptych atthe organ’ inaugural concert on | October 1878. The Fantaisie in A opens with another typically Franckian dialogue: a melody played in octaves is twice answered by a modulatory chordal idea played on the Récit, A metamorphosis and extension of the first idea, accompanied by insistent triplets, leads to another theme, a scale that slowly descends an then rises again over an undulating accompaniment, following, a transitional passage, a new lyrical melody i played with the Voix humaine stop. ‘These thematic entities are then taken up in a development section. A climax is reached with the recapitulation of the first theme (accompanied bya suggestion of the descending scale heard earlier) and its extension. The return of the scale theme, once again in its original form (with the undulating accompaniment), leads finally toa restatement of the Voix humaine melody, and a quiet conclusion in A minor. Suffused with Franck’s warmest religiosity, the Cantabile also opens with a dialogue. “Alternating at first with solemn chords played on rich foundations, a trumpet melody is elaborated into a sort of vacalise. The gathering urgency is discharged as the trumpet melody appears in canon between soprano and bass, and the mavernent ends peacefully ‘The Pigce heroique begins with an ominous theme accompanied by an insistent pattern of repeated chords. “Timpani strokes” announce the second theme characteristic Eranckian “chorale” melody which is developed with groving intensity after which the first theme returns, Ultimately the “chorale” emerges victorious, stated in big chords, with a final echo ofthe timpani strokes. In June of 1890 Franck was injured ina carriage accident, and ae went to the town of Nemours, just outside Pais, to rest and recuperate, twas there, during the months of August and September, that he composed the TROIS CHORALS, which were to be his last works, for an attack of pleurisy led to his death in November, The term “chorale” as applied to these three works is only marginally related to the hymnody that provided such thematic riches for the great German organist-composers, Here the “chorale” themes are of Francs own composition, although they might almost be taken for authentic hymn tunes. OF the first Choral (E major) Franck remarked: “The choral is not what you think it is: the true chorales «evolves daring the course ofthe work.” Indeed, the piece opens with a dialogue that is only indirectly derived from the “chorale” theme. Each of three statements on the Grand-orgue is answered by the Récit, before the actual theme (played with the Voix humaine stop) is finally heard. A cantabile trumpet solo — an elaborated form of the opening dialogue material — follows, appearing first in the soprano and chen in the tenor, It leads to a restatement of the “chorale now decorated with shatches of the cantabile melody ‘Another dialogue between Grand-orgue and Récit this time swith full organ, introduces a new cantabile trumpet melody. During the ensuing development the “chorale” melody is heard three times first in the tenor, then the soprano and finally in the bass. A further development, including a new triplet figure, produces a great crescendo, Now the chorale is confidently proclaimed in tutti chords, echoed by the pedal, and the works concludes with exuberant flourishes derived from the first cantabile melody. ‘The second Choral (B minor) begins as a set of variations on a theme (presumably the “chorale”) given cout by the pedal, which is then expanded into a sort of codetta. This new thematic elementiis answered tusice by alte divertimento-episode before there emerges what has been described as a “chant séraphique’, played with the Voix humaine, An Intermezzo, inthe form of a dramatic recitative for full organ, serves as fanfare announcing a second series of variations, Here only the first two phrases of the “chorale” theme are employed, the ive appearances being accompanied by various contrapuntal figurations. The codetta theme is now heard twice, each time in counterpoint with the “chorale” thome in the bass, The fist accompanimental figuration from the second sequence of variations engenders a development section based on surging patterns of sisteentl-notes (semiguavers).\ great crescendo leads to a statement in ociaves of the choral theme, the pedal accompanying with the same insistent conuapuntal figure, but alter this apotheosis the work ends quietly with a repr the “chant séraphign. ‘The third Choral (A minos), in three-part form, makes use of four thematic entities: (1) a rippling toceata motif, (2) a slower arpeggio figure, sometimes ascending, sometimes descending, (3) the “chorale” theme proper and (4) a lyrical atlagio melody. ier several alternations ofthe first two themes the “chorale” is heard twice. Another repetition of the fist two themes leads to the central adagio section, in which the cantilena melody appears asa solo — frst inthe soprano and then (alternating with phrases of the chorale”) in the tenor. Returning to the soprano voice this melody leads to a crescendo and a series of crashing chords played on the fll organ, Then, over a return of the toccata figure the chorale” emerges triumphantJean Guillow Jean Guillou has been hailed as one of the outstanding musicians of our day, Distinguished asa leading interpreter of organ literature from the 18th century to the present, Jean Guillow is recognized asa composer of importance with published works ranging from symphonies and concert for piano and organ to chamber music and works for solo organ. He has enriched the repertoire ofthe pipe organ through a series of extraordinary transcriptions of orchestral works by composers as diverse as Bach, Handel, 1st, Prokofiev , Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky and Stravinsky “The range of his artiste imagination is attested to by his varied compositional output which includes scores for several experimental films, incidental music for the theatre and for a number of pantomimes by Marcel Marceau. One of the ast great exponents ofthe art of improvisation, Guillow also has won praise as a pianist having premiered his own piano concerti and given the first performances in England and France of a forgotten romantic masterpiece, the piano sonata of Julius Reubke. With the publication of Guillow’s book, L’Ongue, Souvenir et Avenir, he has emerged as.a leading figure in the field of an organ theory and design. His ideas on organ design have yielded remarkable fruit, and several beautiful and revolutionary organs: have been constructed according to his plan: Emerging from the great tradition of French organist-composers embodied by his teacher, Marcel Dupré, Guillou nevertheless has a completely distinctive musical personality. With his teemendous virtuosity and highly personal approach to registration and rhythm, Guillon remains a devoted exponent of the miisic of JS. Bach, In 1985, he gave seven performances of the complete Bach organ wozks (in Lyon, he gave the 10-concert series aver a period of only 12 days and in Pavs, the series was played to standing room only audiences!) Le Fiagaco has tated, “His arts both seductive and awe-inspiring, It transcends tradition without ever being unfaithful to it? Jean Guillou has made more than 30 recordings for Philips, CBS, Fetivo and Dorian. He has won the Grand Prix du Disque Liszt ofthe Liszt Academy, Budapest and the “Intemational Performer ofthe year” ‘Award of New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organist, as well asa French Grand Prix du Disque. Since 1963, he has been titular organist of St. Eustache, Pari Organ Specifications ‘Orgue van cen Heuvel LPOSITIE Quintaton 16 Montre 8 Bourton 8 Saliconal 8 Unda Maris 8 Prestant 4 Flite afisean 4 Nasued 2.38 Doublette 2 Fierce 136 Larigot 13 Sepleme LUT Fourriture y Cymbale 0 Douaine 16 Irompette 8 Cromorne 8 lsiton 4 Trémalo 2GRAND-ORGUE Montre 2 Montre 16 Principal 8 Violoncelle 8 Grosse Flite 8 TT Fldte& cheminge — § Prestant 4 Hate Doublette Grand Cornet Sesquialtera Grande Fourniture Plein-fea Pombarde ‘Trompette Clairon 3 RECIT EXPRESSIF Flote& cheminee Principal Flate Teaversitve Cor de nuit Viole de Gambe Voix cdleste Octave Flite Octaviante Octavin Carillon Plein few Contrebasson Bombarce ‘Trornperte Harmonique Basson-Hautbois Yoix Hum Clairon Harmonique Tremolo 4 my 1 wv vv 16 8 4 vw 4.GRAND-CH@UR Violonbasse 16 Bourdon Is Diapson 8 Hite Majeure 8 Violon 8 Grande Quinte 5-13 Principal 4 Fliteconique 4 Grande Tierce 3115 Quinte 228 Grande Septitme 2-277 Fite > Grande Newitmel 719 Pi eu HarmonigulI-VIIL Clarinet 1s CordeRaset 8 TubaNisgna 1G Tuba Mirabilis 8 Cor Hanmonique 4 55010 Flite Harmonigue 8 FliteOctaiante 4 Nos Harmonique 2-23, Oetavin Tere Hermonigne Prccalo I Harmoriques IL Ranquetce 6 Chalumeaw a ‘Tompateeen chamadeS— LIT ‘Teompeteria W Trémolo Principal basse Fixe Contrebasse Soutasse Grande Quine Flite PEDALE 2 16 16 6 10-2/3 8 Violonele Grande Tietee 6. Quinte Flite 4 Flite 2 Theorbe i iste v Contre Bombarde 2 Conte Trombone 2 fombande 6 Basson io Tiomptte 8 Baryion 8 Clairon 4 Post 18 jeux Grand-Orque isjews Rect \Tews Grand-Cheeur 19 jeux Solo 1 jeux Pédale: 20 jeux TOTAL 101 jeux (8,000 tuyaus, 147 rags) 101 sops (00 pipes U1 aks)