This double SACD (stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound) brings together Louis Vierne's complete works for solo voice and organ for the first time, with AEOLUS securing the services of Wurzburg soprano Franziska Bobe and Wurzburg Cathedral organist Stefan Schmidt. In addition, Stefan Schmidt plays rarely heard pieces from the composer's early creative period as well as little-known late works. Another highlight is the complete 6th Organ Symphony from 1930. The large French symphonic instrument at St. Peter's in Dusseldorf, built by the Karl Gockel workshop, was inaugurated 25 years ago and attracted a great deal of attention from experts at the time. In combination with the cathedral acoustics of the large neo-Gothic sanctuary, it is ideally suited to Vierne's music.
Vision Pianist Michael Schöch presents a distinguished tribute to Louis Vierne's legacy, inviting listeners into a world of elegance, introspection, and timeless beauty. With captivating musicality, Schöch unveils hidden dimensions of Vierne, long overshadowed by his celebrated organ music. These pieces emerge here as intimate, richly coloured miniatures of late Romantic expression, presenting a composer of striking imagination and rare artistic depth. Origins The programme's early works already display Vierne's remarkable sensitivity to pianistic colour and atmosphere. Suite bourguignonne paints a poetic rural day in vivid tableaux, from luminous morning serenity to the shimmering stillness of "Clair de lune." These pieces reveal a composer who transforms simplicity into evocative musical storytelling. Resonance Echoes of Claude Debussy emerge in Trois Nocturnes, where impressionistic textures and harmonic nuance shape nocturnal visions of rare beauty. Inspired by the vast interior of Saint-Ouen Abbey, the first nocturne evokes monumental grandeur, while the third captures a starlit stillness enlivened by birdsong. Vierne's voice remains distinct-introspective, atmospheric, and deeply expressive. Artistry Michael Schöch interprets this repertoire with radiant clarity and stylistic authority, uniting virtuosity with poetic restraint. Alongside the major cycles, he brings equal care to the smaller, often posthumous works, revealing their understated charm. The historic Steinway Concert Grand Piano D (1901) "Manfred Bürki" lends an authentic tonal palette, perfectly attuned to Vierne's world.
On her album Naiades, the young Korean concert organist Hyelin Lee presents a representative cross-section of French organ music from the late Romantic period. Interestingly, she enriches her program with organ arrangements of piano works by Gabriel Faure, as the composer actually left behind not a single work for organ, even though he served as organist at the Madeleine in Paris for nine years. For lovers of French organ music, this album is particularly appealing because it features the Cavaille-Coll organ of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-d'Auray, an important instrument by the renowned French organ builder, of which there has been no official recording to date.
After coming to prominence as resident organist of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Iveta Apkalna has most recently been to the Far East, where in 2018 she inaugurated Asia's largest concert organ in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She has now recorded her new album on the organ at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying). It is an impressive instrument: Almost 10,000 pipes in over 120 registers, located in a twin organ. On the right-hand half of the stage is the great symphonic organ, which recreates the aesthetic timbre of the French Romantic style. And on the left there is the smaller "echo organ", oriented on the German Baroque repertoire. On this new album, Iveta Apkalna has compiled a programme that unites the two organs by placing the focus on the French Romantic style and making a brief foray to the father of organ music, J.S. Bach.
The name of Louis Vierne (1870-1937) will be associated with organ music immediately. Like a few other 19th century organists/composers he used the instrument as a means to perform 'symphonic' music. The scope in this respect was greatly enhanced by the new organs built at the time, for instance by Aristide Cavaille-Coll. The blend of styles in this music for organ is unique. It contains aspects of Romanticism combined with an impressionistic 'pastel-like' quality. Like many of his contemporary colleagues Vierne felt a strong fascination with Wagnerian chromaticism. An admirer and pupil of Cesar Franck at thirty, the virtually blind Vierne was appointed organist at the Paris Notre Dame. Among many other pieces for organ he wrote six (five movement) symphonies, which became standard organ repertoire. Franck inspired him in the use of cyclical elements and harmonic refinement, whereas Widor's influence is clear in the use of the organ and the classical forms. Louis Vierne's 24 Pieces en style libre Op.31 (1913), is a landmark collection in the French organ repertoire. Written for either organ or harmonium, these pieces demonstrate Vierne's gift for expressive lyricism and refined harmonic color. Unlike his larger symphonic works, the Pieces en style libre are concise, intimate, and accessible, designed for both liturgical use and concert performance. Each piece explores a distinct mood or character, from serene meditations like "Communion" and "elevation" to more animated works such as "Cortege" and "Postlude." Vierne's rich harmonic language, rooted in late Romanticism yet tinged with Impressionist nuance, reveals his deep sensitivity to tonal atmosphere. Played by Carlo Mazzone on the magnificent 1999 "Andrea Zeni" organ of the Parish Church of San Michele Arcangelo, Salgarede (TV), Italy. This instrument aimed to create a fully suited instrument for the performance of the organ repertoire of the second half of the 19th century in France. It is inspired by late-Romantic aesthetics, and endowed with all the stylistic and sonic prerequisites essential to the organ literature of the period.
The illustrious French organ tradition is celebrated in this album of Toccatas and Meditations, including masterpieces drawn from across the repertoire. Charles-Marie Widor was the founding father of the French Organ School, and his Toccata from Symphony No. 5 is a cornerstone of the organ repertoire. The Meditation by his contemporary Louis Vierne is among the highlights of Romantic organ works. Durufle, Boellmann and Guilmant are also represented, as is a beautiful Ravel arrangement. They're played on the magnificent Grenzing organ at Bauernkirche Iserlohn by Dariia Lytvishko - a Ukrainian-born virtuoso and one of the most lavishly gifted organists of her generation.
The programme presented here is particularly interesting from the point of view of Henri Vieuxtemps's Grande sonate concertante op.12, in four movements, a rare work written during the youth of the Verviers composer. Tatiana Samouil won the Grand Prix Vieuxtemps in Verviers in 1998, just after her arrival in Belgium. This prize marked the start of her major international career. She went on to win prizes at the Queen Elisabeth, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky competitions... Henri Vieuxtemps always held a special place in the heart of the violinist, who dreamt of giving the Vieuxtemps sonata a new lease of life in concert halls and on recordings. Her meeting with the brilliant Belgian pianist Johan Schmidt, winner of several major international competitions (Queen Elisabeth, Van Cliburn, Tchaikovsky...) was to make her wish come true! Tatiana Samouil and Johan Schmidt started from the original manuscript to create a new version of the score that is more accessible and readable in terms of interpretation and sound. Louis Vierne's Sonata for violin and piano in G minor Op.23, another rare gem dedicated to Eugene Ysaÿe, is considered to be his first major chamber music score and his first unanimously acknowledged masterpiece. It is a masterly work, full of strength, passion and tenderness. A CD between romanticism and modernity that illustrates the stylistic evolution of the French aesthetic with it's characteristics of clarity, balance and elegance.
Following the success of 10 Famous Cathedral Organs, this release Includes more Famous Cathedral organs with splendid sound. The Cathedrals are Westminster, Winchester, Salisbury, Hereford, Wells, Liverpool Anglican, St. Giles Edinburgh, Coventry and also King's College Chapel. Westminster Abbey, York Minster.
Louis Vierne will always be best remembered as one France’s most outstanding organ composers, but his piano works are part of a significant wider oeuvre and notable for their colourful and inspired inventiveness. Each of the Douze Préludes carries an evocative title in music filled with the pain and tumult of war and loss, while the epitaphs in Solitude were composed shortly after the deaths of Vierne’s brother and eldest son. Including recently published manuscripts, this is the second of two albums covering repertoire that deserves a place in the pantheon of French piano music.
Vierne: The Complete Organ Symphonies / Eric Plutz
Affetto Records
CD
$26.99Aug 05, 2022
Louis Vierne inhabits a unique place in the development of the Organ Symphony. Following in the footsteps of his teacher, Charles-Marie Widor, Vierne brought the organ symphony to its pinnacle with his six symphonies, written between 1895 and 1930. Symphonic in style, structure, and form rather than forces, these solo organ works are exquisite composition examples of the last great late French Romantic organ composer. As the thirty-one movements of these symphonies offer a staggering variety of character, from majestic to whimsical, and from deep despair to unbridled joy; the venues offer an equally broad variety of organs and acoustics.
Concert Organist Eric Plutz performs the Complete Organ Symphonies of Louis Vierne superbly and spectacularly on six separate organs around the United States from New York to Texas. This album is the culmination of “The Vierne Project,” a series of performances of the complete Vierne organ symphonies in celebration of the composer’s 150th birthday in 2020. The University Organist at Princeton University, Plutz is one of only a handful of organists to embark on such a venture. As an organ concert soloist, he has performed on distinguished and historic instruments across the United States and abroad including in Germany, Austria, and France.
Louis Vierne is renowned as one of the most brilliant of all French organ composers. His piano works are little known despite their colourful, imaginative and inspiring treatment of the instrument. The early Deux Pièces owe their lyrical style to Mendelssohn, while the Suite bourguignonne exudes an atmosphere of joie de vivre and romantic contentment. Impressionism can be heard in the Trois Nocturnes, the third of which is considered one of Vierne’s masterpieces with its evocative use of birdsong, while the shadows of war echo in the solemn Poème des cloches funèbres. This is the first of two albums covering repertoire that deserves a place in the pantheon of French piano music.
REViEW:
The overall impact of Volume 1 is wide-ranging. The musical style stretches from the Romantic character piece to post-Impressionism. The compositions on this album are placed in chronological order.
The playing by Sergio Monteiro captures the magic of this music. He can seize Vierne’s “colourful, imaginative and inspiring” approach to the piano. The recording is superb. The liner notes by Peter Siepmann are excellent; they give a brief overview of the composer’s life and achievement, detailed notes about each piece, and successfully manages to fit them into Vierne’s overall achievement. Bearing in mind that there are few other sources of information about this music, they make essential reading.
I enjoyed this exploration of Louis Vierne’s piano oeuvre. To whom will this disc appeal? I guess that listeners who appreciate the great tradition of French piano music, from Alkan to Messiaen. It fills a gap that has been ignored by most recitalists and I look forward to the second volume soon.
Vierne: Violin Sonata in G Minor; Piano Quintet in C Minor
Accentus Music
CD
$17.99May 27, 2016
Both already accomplished soloists, violinist Judith Ingolfsson and pianist Vladimir Stoupel began an outstandingly successful collaboration in 2006, devoting their partnership to chamber music and cultivating uncommon repertoire. The music on this album is dedicated to composer Louis Vierne (1870-1937), whose life was marked by unfortunate events and was influenced greatly by the first world war. This album includes Vierne’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, and his Piano Quintet in C minor. Ingolfsson and Stoupel are joined by violinist Rebecca Li, violist Stefan Fehlandt, and cellist Stephan Forck for this recording.
"•Between 1899 and 1930, Vierne wrote six organ symphonies of hitherto unknown richness in timbres, mysticism and cyclical architecture.
• With this volume, the three-part audite recording of the six Louis Vierne organ symphonies is complete.
• The St. Martin Goll organ creates unobtrusive power and fullness of sound yet remains clear.
• The work's polyphonic structures become distinct and the transparency of sound permits freshly considered tempi. Hans-Eberhard Roß is Director of Church Music in Memmingen."
Audite continues the three-part complete recordings of Louis Vierne's organ symphonies with the third and fourth symphonies. Recorded at the Goll organ of St. Martin in Memmingen, the recording is characterized by the warm, soft sound of the organ. It's sound creates unobtrusive power and fullness, making a symphonic effect in the church interior and yet always remaining clear.
The first of a three-part series of the famous Organ Symphonies this release commemorates the 75th anniversary of the death of organist composer and pedagogue Louis Vierne. These earliest of the Organ Symphonies steeped in rich timbres cyclic forms and the mysticism of Vierne's religious background are performed on the Goll organ of St. Martin Memmingen.
![Vierne: Organ Symphonies, Vol. 1 & 2 [2 CDs] / Roth](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/4144446-2911295.jpg?v=1786684127&width=400)
