Great Organ Works of César
Franck
Pièce Héroïque. Three Chorals. Prélude, Fugue
et Variation.
Catharine Crozier
(organ).
Delos DE3272 [DDD]
[59'01]
Crotchet
£11.99
AmazonUS
$14.22
This is an extremely well recorded disc of organ music. The instrument in
question is the Great Marcussen Pipe Organ in Wiedermann Hall, Wichita State
University, Kansas, and Delos' producer/engineer John Eargle has succeeded
in capturing its wealth of timbre.
As Eargle's own sparse notes point out, Franck's major organ works fit
comfortably on to two discs, and if this is what is required, then Marie-Claire
Alain's 1995 set on Erato 0630-12706-2 would seem a wise choice (she plays
the Cavaillé-Coll organ in Saint-Etienne, Caen, France).
Catharine Crozier's curriculum vitae makes for impressive reading. She was
a member of the faculty of Eastman School of Music between 1938 and 1955
and has sat on juries of organ competitions throughout the World, including
Bruges, Chartres and St Albans. Certainly there is a confidence about her
playing which is most reassuring: she seems totally at home in Franck's musical
language and is able to elucidate the structure of these works well. She
captures the cumulative, slow-moving progress of the Pièce
Héroïque, whose solemn majesty is testament to Franck's stature
in this genre. Crozier also impresses in the late Three Chorals of
1890. The toccata-like aspects of the B minor Chorale (the third) have real
clarity, and she projects the improvisational passages well. Moreover, there
is an amazing variety of texture to enjoy throughout these fairly substantial
pieces.
The tempos for the Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op. 18 are
carefully chosen so that the opening Andantino cantabile can contrast with
the following Lento. The final section (Andantino) is as peaceful as one
could wish.
Colin Clarke
Performance
Recording
