French Impressions
Ermend BONNAL (1880-1944)
Paysages Euskariens [18:12]
Jean ROGER-DUCASSE (1873-1954)
Pastorale [11:59]
Louis VIERNE (1870-1937)
Scherzo from 6eme Symphonie op. 59 [4:26]
Pierre COCHEREAU (1924-1986)
Berceuse [7:21]
Maurice DURUFLÉ (1902-1986)
Suite op. 5 [23:01]
Daniel Bruun (organ)
rec. 29 September-1 October 2012, Aarhus Cathedral, Denmark
GATEWAY MUSIC DBCD 2012 [65:49]
“The painting Water Lilies by Claude Monet is
painted with unblended, visible brush strokes of mostly the same width.
Only few of the many brushstrokes are thinner. In this painting the painter
might have used only a limited variety of brush sizes. However the brushstrokes
do have different lengths and directions of movement. Different elements
in the painting are depicted with different kinds of strokes.” Marina
Abramovic
Hands up if this quote from a formal analysis of Monet’s most famous
work gives you the overall sense of the mood the painter wanted to convey.
Anyone? No I can’t say that this formal piece of writing is particularly
helpful but that wasn’t its purpose. Monet certainly springs to
mind when listening to this CD, as it did to the performer Daniel Bruun
when he wrote the liner-notes.
The first piece, by little known composer Bonnal, certainly conjures an
overall sense of colour for which impressionist art, both visual and musical,
is known. Without becoming pedantic about brush size, Denmark’s
largest organ manages the world of this music with surprisingly French-sounding
colours. This is also the case in Vierne’s Scherzo from the
sixth Symphonie. The opening colours, mutation and reed combined,
give the piece a light-hearted and cheeky feel, something which Bruun
capitalises on. Personally, I like this movement a little faster but Bruun’s
performance is concerned with clarity which is no bad thing. For an emotional
contrast - Cochereau’s Berceuse in memory of Vierne is a
masterpiece in the use of tonality. Combining Vierne’s tonal palette
with Cochereau’s spontaneous brilliance this piece is a worthy contribution
to this CD.
The main work on this CD, Duruflé’s Suite, is truly
stonking, not a word I use often. This is the sort of piece which really
sorts the men from the boys and Bruun’s performance is majestic
and confident. The first movement is well judged, with the transition
into the lyrical section prepared in advance. The middle movement, Sicilienne
uses wonderful earthy foundation stops at the beginning, followed by a
rich string sound. Again, some performances of this are played more quickly.
This time I fully support Bruun’s tempo choice, the legato and phrasing
are exquisitely handled. The Toccata, a whirlwind of figurations,
is as exciting as the Sicilienne is graceful. For a performance
on a French organ I would recommend having a listen to Olivier Latry’s
contribution (Intégrale De L'Oeuvre Pour Orgue BNL 112508).
However, this performance of this piece alone causes me to name this disc
as Record of the Month. Virtuosity combined with sensitivity and
technical facility creates a wholly absorbing atmosphere and really brings
this wonderful music to life, no brush-strokes are visible beyond the
overall impression.
Hannah Parry-Ridout
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