(The) Grand Organ of York Minster
Double treat from York: sonic and visual
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Maurice Guillaume, (Marie Joseph Léon) Désiré Pâque, (Jean) Emile (Auguste) Bernard, Maurice Ravel, Marcel Dupré, Joris Verdin, Jehan (Ariste) Alain, Pierre Charles Cochereau
Genre:
Instrumental
Label: Regent
Magazine Review Date: 2/2009
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 74
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: REGCD275
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Litanies |
Jehan (Ariste) Alain, Composer
Jehan (Ariste) Alain, Composer John Scott Whiteley, Organ |
Berceuse marine |
Maurice Guillaume, Composer
John Scott Whiteley, Organ Maurice Guillaume, Composer |
Cortège et Litanie |
Marcel Dupré, Composer
John Scott Whiteley, Organ Marcel Dupré, Composer |
Pièce pour orgue |
(Marie Joseph Léon) Désiré Pâque, Composer
(Marie Joseph Léon) Désiré Pâque, Composer John Scott Whiteley, Organ |
Scherzo-Caprice |
(Jean) Emile (Auguste) Bernard, Composer
(Jean) Emile (Auguste) Bernard, Composer John Scott Whiteley, Organ |
Ma mère l'oye, Movement: Petit Poucet arr organ |
Maurice Ravel, Composer
John Scott Whiteley, Organ Maurice Ravel, Composer |
Organetto |
Joris Verdin, Composer
John Scott Whiteley, Organ Joris Verdin, Composer |
Symphonie en improvisation |
Pierre Charles Cochereau, Composer
John Scott Whiteley, Organ Pierre Charles Cochereau, Composer |
Genre:
DVD
Label: Priory
Magazine Review Date: 2/2009
Media Format: Digital Versatile Disc
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
Stereo
Catalogue Number: PRDVD2
Author: Malcolm Riley
Regent’s programme opens with a magisterial account of Alain’s ecstatic Litanies, followed by a nicely contrasted Berceuse marine by Maurice Guillaume. Marie Joseph Léon Désiré Pâque’s Pièce ambles along agreeably (if slightly disjointedly) but more satisfactory is Bernard’s delicious Scherzo-Caprice. Another highlight is the Ravel transcription (from Mother Goose) which fits the organ like a glove. Dupré’s Cortège et Litanie is most beautifully shaped. The Organetto by Joris Verdin (b 1952) consists of seven short movements that parody those forms of composition possible on the 15th-century Italian portative organetto. It’s worth hearing once. The major work is Whiteley’s transcription of Cochereau’s Symphonie en improvisation (1963), a strong work, played with great verve. A thunderous opening movement and a tremendous Tarantella frame an elfin Scherzo and a meditative Adagio. The disc is a treat for the ear with first-rate notes and documentation.
Priory’s DVD programme eschews any music by York composers, though there is Charles Wood’s charming Prelude on York and the briefest extract from Francis Jackson’s Op 5 Impromptu. Instead, the emphasis is on the player’s physical interaction with the manuals and pedalboard. With reference to the latter, this performance of Thalben-Ball’s Paganini Variations should be compulsory viewing. Views of the Minster’s exquisite stained glass and clocks add flavour, particularly in Mulet’s Rosace and Mozart’s Fantasia, K608. The Cymbelstern stop adds tingle to Mushel’s fairground-like Toccata.
Although Elgar’s Imperial March suffers from a surfeit of rubato there is no shortage of élan in Cochereau’s thrilling Easter plainsong improvisation on Haec dies. I liked the authentically gallic tang to the tuning as the wind occasionally struggles to cope. Richard Knight’s camerawork is superb and Paul Crichton’s sound beautifully balanced and warm. A delightful production throughout.
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