These three composers are linked through their place in the venerable tradition of Cesar Franck, as R. G. Vicar’s generous booklet-notes (ten pages) explain. The substantial work is the Vierne Symphony No. 2, already well represented in Colin Walsh’s recording along with No. 3 and somewhat victimized by the wayward Cochereau (on an eight-disc set). Farrell’s performance is consistently reliable, although there are times in all these works when his phrasing, struggling slightly against the cathedral acoustic, might be cleaner. The opening Allegro has drive but lingers over the start of the second subject, which is a strong one capable of sustaining the fine peroration. The climactic end to the second movement is impressive, and the succeeding Scherzo, with its double pedal parts, is neatly delivered.
Overall Farrell commands the work sympathetically and, even if it never shows the melodic charm of Vierne’s 24 Pieces en stile libre, the Second Symphony is a worthy representative of its French traditions in the early years of this century, as Debussy realized.
Langlais reaches forward from the Franckian heritage explored here into the era of Messiaen, who was a friend. Like him, and Tournemire earlier, Langlais often composed with plainsong. The improvisatory Trois Meditations (1962) have scriptural titles and include almost hidden references to Bach’s St Anne Fugue, BWV552 (early in No. 1 and at the climax of No. 3). The Jongen is often played but now seems less stable than Vierne or as individual as Langlais. The most obvious derivations, apart from other organist-composers, include passages from Liszt alongside whole-tone or pentatonic Debussy. But the one-movement structure contains a striking second subject (3'07'') which later gives rise to an academic fugue (12'17'' – Jongen was a Professor of Counterpoint and Fugue at the Brussels Conservatoire at a time when such studies were taken seriously). This turns into a toccata before reaching an obvious conclusion. Some clarity is missing in the declamatory opening pages but the sonata comes across well with the resources of the large but not specially distinctive St Edmundsbury instrument in an enjoyable, adequately recorded programme.'