LOUIS VIERNE: Pièces de fantaisie, Suite Nos. I & III, Op. 51 & 54 – Kay Johannsen, Kern pipe organ of the Dresden Frauenkirche – Carus multichannel SACD 83.250, 64:45 [Distr. by Albany] ****:
Vierne represents for me the pinnacle of the French Organ School in his many colorful works for the instrument – full of multi-layered, rich harmonic structures. They built on the advances of his predecessor Widor and have an even more lavish sound. Vierne was principal organist at Notre Dame in Paris from 1900 until his death in 1937, and was famed for his amazing improvisations which listeners found difficult to distinguish from “properly-composed” works.
The composer’s four suites were created in 1926 and 27 and some even more strongly suggest written-down improvisations than than his organ symphonies. Each suite has six movements, and the very first movement of No. 1 suggests a Bach prelude in C. The last one in this suite would be expected to show optimistic grandeur, being titled Nuptial March, but it is quite gloomy and said to reflect many misfortunes in the composer’s life. One was the challenge of his near-blindness. The Carillion of Westminster, closing out the third suite, is a frequent organ encore and postlude, and its imposing conclusion will probably be familiar to many listeners who are not specifically acquainted with Vierne.
The organ in the Dresden cathedral was originally a Silbermann, and had additional stops added based on the design of organs of the French School. All the stops are listed in the disc’s booklet, which now make it possible for the organist to play symphonically-oriented organ works as well as any repertory of the 19th and 20th centuries. The cathedral’s reverb time is extended, lending a most enveloping and rich sound to the hi-res surround playback.
– John Sunier
