MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


CD REVIEW

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


Buy through MusicWeb from £14.99 postage paid World-Wide.
You may prefer to pay by Sterling cheque or Euro notes to avoid PayPal. Contact for details

Musicweb Purchase button

Grandes Messes du XXe siècle
Louis VIERNE (1870-1937)

Messe solennelle, pour deux orgues et choeur op 16 (1900) [22:39]
Jean-Pierre LEGUAY (b.1939)

Missa Deo Gratias, pour soprano solo, choeur mixte, deux orgues, deux trompettes, deux trombones et percussions (en exécutant) (2000) [30:26]
Philippe Lefèbvre (Vierne); Jean-Pierre Leguay (Leguay) (grand orgue)
Yves Castagnet (orgue de choeur)
Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris/Nicole Corti
rec. Notre-Dame de Paris, 2006, 2007
HORTUS 055 [53:07]





Yet another highly stylish and well presented release from the French label, Editions Hortus. And, yes, it does feature yet another recording of the Vierne Messe Solenelle. This is the first, as far as I know, to be recorded in the room for which it was intended, and the combination, and, especially, the contribution of the organs makes for compelling listening.

Among the current crop of recordings of the Messe Solennelle, this scores highly. The organ-playing is top drawer, Philippe Lefèbvre especially in his element at the grand orgue. And if the large mixed choir isn’t quite up the to standards of Westminster Cathedral on Hyperion, it scores much higher than the Toulouse ensemble ‘Les Elements’ featured on the Temperaments/Radio France recording with Michel Bouvard playing the St Sernin Cavaillé-Coll. If the choir is all-important, then Westminster Cathedral is the one to have. If the organ has to be French on the other hand then it’s a straight fight between this and the Festivo recording featuring Christine Kamp playing the utterly sublime Cavaillé-Coll in Rouen. The Notre-Dame organ is a little less authentic of course, post-Cochereau, though still stunning in its own way. My choice would be for the present recording, but only just; the more fluid tempi seem to me a touch more natural. Actually, go out and buy both, neither will disappoint and the contrast between the organs is fascinating.

Another element which may colour your choice however, might be the coupling. While the Festivo release is part of a cycle of Vierne’s organ works, the present coupling, Jean Pierre Leguay’s Mass, is a very different kettle of fish; highly atonal, making stunning use of the space for which it was written, and featuring improvisatory elements in the grand-orgue part. This won’t, in short, be for everyone. The sheer drama of the Sanctus, with its enormous dynamic contrasts between the soprano solo, and the tom-toms on the one hand, and the enormous organ tutti (plus brass) discords on the other is, in any case, breathtaking. Leguay’s 6 to 8 part, highly complex, choral writing and imaginative use of the brass instruments greatly adds to this colourful work.

As with everything produced by Hortus this is highly recommendable. My only gripe is that, at under 55 minutes, the CD is seriously short. A shame then, that the opportunity wasn’t taken to allow another mass for two organs and choir to be heard. A good example might have been the work by Léonce de Saint-Martin, who was after all titulaire of the grand-orgue between Vierne and Leguay.

Chris Bragg


 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.