Nicolas de Grigny (1672-1703) died at the age of 31 without bequeathing everything his genius let hope for. Considered one of the greatest masters of the organ, de Grigny composed only one Organ Work (1699) called "Premier", consisting of a Mass and five Hymns for various Church festivals. Johann Sebastian Bach, a fervent admirer, discovered his music, during his youth and copied his entire work which would influence–as much as Buxtehude’s, then later Frescobaldi’s–his own organ work. The new release of this recording from 1992 on the historical organ of Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache pays tribute to the great organist André Isoir who died in 2016. The French organist and composer, André Isoir, studied in Paris at the École Cesar-Franck. At the Conservatoire de Paris, he studied with Rolande Falcinelli and received the premier prix in both organ and improvisation in 1960. He won several international organ competitions including the St Albans International Organ Festival in England in 1965, then won 3 consecutive annual prizes (Prix du Challenge) at Haarlem Competition in Holland (1966-1968). He was the first French organist to achieve this distinction in the history of the competition. André Isoir served as organist at St.-Médard from 1952 to 1957, at St.-Séverin from 1967 to 1973, and at the Abbatial Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris from 1973. As a recitalist, he became particularly well known for his performances of the works of J.S. Bach.

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REVIEW:

This is the second time Isoir has tackled the de Grigny oeuvre. These recordings were taped by Radio France at Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache in 1992. Twenty years earlier, the organist set down his interpretations for the Calliope label, using two organs – l’orgue Clicquot de la cathédrale Saint-Pierre, Poitiers and the Grand Orgue Jean Esprit Isnard de la Basilique de St Maximin la Sainte Baume. Since I have these earlier recordings, I made a head-to-head comparison. The two recordings are interpretively close, which is hardly surprising, and both adhere to very similar sounding registrations. The earlier set is more closely recorded, with some distance placed between the organ and the listener in the later version.

I am impressed by Isoir’s handling of registrations, in which he fully explores the Saint-Michel-en-Thiérache organ’s full potential. The liner notes, in French and English, give a brief history of the instrument and provide a list of its specifications. Radio France have achieved a warmer and more intimate sound than that found in the earlier set. The reissue of this 1992 cycle is a tribute to the great organist André Isoir who died in 2016.

– MusicWeb International

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DANDRIEU Organ and harpsichord works • André Isoir (org); Olivier Baumont (hpd) • RADIO FRANCE 316041.42 (111:24)


This is a re-release of two albums whose contents were recorded by Radio France in 1987, and subsequently issued. Little is available of Jean-François Dandrieu outside of organ collections featuring an occasional work, so two discs of his music is most welcome on that count alone.


James Anthony, in his French Baroque Music from Beaujoyeulx to Rameau , has some unkind things to say about Dandrieu’s organ music. Quoting the composer’s desire for “noble and elegant simplicity,” Anthony states it “results in overall ennui for performer and listener.” I can’t claim to know what Isoir’s opinion was on the matter while playing these selections, but I find them to be charming miniatures that mix pieces in a serious French sacred vein with folk-flavored treats. Textures are always light, and flowing movement is maintained through Dandrieu’s command of counterpoint as a source of energy. Contrast is a strong element in their favor: The haunting “Flûtes” (whose parts mostly avoid the cliché of winds moving in thirds) in the D-Minor Suite is followed by a songful, two-part canon, Basse du cromorne , which in turn leads to the one of the lengthiest and most majestic pieces in the collection, an Offertoire that is a theme and variations. The four suites presented here are each preceded and followed by one of those noëls which drew crowds who loved the tunes and wished to hear their favorite church organists display their virtuosity.


Dandrieu’s harpsichord works were regarded by some of his contemporaries as equal in quality to those of François Couperin, and that’s high praise indeed. Most of the pieces reside at a level of complexity far beyond style brisé , though the latter makes an appearance in La Tranquille and the theme of La Fastueuse et cinq variations . The thematic profile overall is very high, and the harmonic treatment unfailingly distinctive.


The performances by André Isoir are unfailingly effective, with an excellent selection of stops. Olivier Baumont in turn is fine, though he has a tendency sometimes to rush basic tempos—as in L’Harmonieuse, La Patétique , and again in La Lully: Ouverture, which misses the grandeur of the piece’s opening section, and creates little sense of contrast with its second. Based on acquaintance with Baumont’s more recent recordings, I suspect he’d feature less hectic performances in such pieces if he were to record the same material over again today. And when he isn’t pushing here, he phrases elastically to strong effect. La lyre d’Orphée and La Fidèle both benefit from the additional breathing space this provides.


The instruments deserve a mention as well. Baumont performs on a 1750 Benoist Stehlin harpsichord—one of three surviving instruments from his workshop—that once belonged to the composer Bernard Jumentier. It is a bit dry and hard (at least, as recorded here) but very clear. The Jean-Boizard Organ at the Abbey of Saint Michel-en-Thiérache that Isoir plays apparently is blessed. No other conclusion is possible. It escaped a fire in 1715; avoided being gutted in 1791 when the abbey was purchased, before the s ans-culottes could get to it; was passed over when organ pipes were frequently requisitioned during World War I for their metal; and missed a second disastrous fire in 1971 because it had been dismantled for restoration. Its sound is pleasantly varied, and each note, tonally distinct, without any mechanical noise.


There’s a lot more of Dandrieu’s organ and harpsichord music out there awaiting the attention of recording companies, but this fair sampling, performed attractively, should be in the collection of every fancier of French Baroque keyboard music.


FANFARE: Barry Brenesal

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“Can the devil play the organ?” asked Jules Verne. What a question! Listen to the incomparable crackling of the Mephisto Waltz, the fugue sparking like the flames of inferno. Then the nightmare miraculously yields to the angelic tones of the Suite francaise, followed by the down-to-earth Variations serieuses. What magic enables Karol Mossakowski to glide so swiftly from one realm to another? A few minutes of improvisation… For his first album, the talented Karol Mossakowski (artist in residence at Radio France for the 2020/22 seasons, following Thomas Ospital), recorded on the organ Gerhard Grenzing of the Auditorium of Radio France his transcriptions of the works of four great composers: Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Liszt. To enrich this contrasting program, Karol Mossakowski was inspired by pianists of the 19th century and improvised a few bars to move from one shore to another where another key, another atmosphere will reign.

Entirely devoted to the organ music of Elsa Barraine (1910-1999), Lucile Dollat's recording is an exceptional journey through sound, full of spiritual intensity. It opens with the remarkable Musique rituelle from 1967, which Barraine considered to be one of her most important works. It is followed by the two preludes and fugues from her early years, and Reflets magyars, a composition inspired by a traditional Hungarian folk song. The last piece on the record is the contemplative and celestial elevation.

Night Windows, the title of Fabien Waksman's work, is the general theme of Lucile Dollat's recital, playing out the many sonorous possibilities of the Grenzing organ in the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique Auditorium. This "window open on the night" invites us on an unpredictable journey, awash in mysterious resonances, intangible or thunderous, calling up fleeting and poetic images, flashes of improvisation, all combining to rekindle the imagination through a new vision of the repertoire.

At the turn of the XVII and XVIII Centuries, from the enigmatic Guilain, four suites dedicated to the Magnificat, one of the oldest and most venerated songs of praise in Christianity.

Here are charmingly fresh folk carols from the French countryside, arranged by one of the Ancien Régime’s favorite composers, and played alternately on the organ, the harpsichord and the fortepiano, following Balbastre’s own practice.

Considered one of the major harpsichordists of his generation, Olivier Baumont has for several decades enjoyed a rich career as a performer, teacher and researcher. At the Conservatoire national supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, juries unanimously awarded him first prizes for harpsichord and chamber music. He benefited from the artistic guidance of Huguette Dreyfus and Kenneth Gilbert, and was occasionally invited by Gustav Leonhardt to attend his interpretation classes in Cologne. Olivier Baumont’s fine qualities as a musician were quickly recognized. Curious, ardent and erudite, he has a keen sense of communication (masterclasses, conferences, radio and television programs), he enjoys being on stage and takes pleasure in sharing his taste for the 17th and 18th centuries with others, making him hailed as an artist with multiple facets, solicited around the world.

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