Composer: Cesar Franck
Performer: Bjorn Boysen
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: LAWO
Size: 1.33 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Andantino
Six pièces 1:
02. Fantaisie en ut, Op. 16
03. Grande Pièce Symphonique, Op. 17
04. Pastorale, Op. 19
05. Prière, Op. 20
06. Final, Op. 21
07. Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op. 18
Trois pièces
08. Fantaisie en la
09. Cantabile
10. Pièce héroïque
Trois Chorals pour grand orgue, M. 38-40
11. No. 1 in E major
12. No. 2 in B minor
13. No. 3 in A minor
On my retirement from the Norwegian Academy of Music, I was given the generous offer of the use of the Uranienborg organ to practice on, an offer I have made very good use of. Over the years I have become increasingly enthusiastic about the instrument. Every time I sit down on the organ bench I relive some of the youthful excitement I felt that led me to choose the organ as my career.
I had been toying with the idea of recording Franck’s organ works for some years and had had in mind an instrument maintained in an uncompromising, French symphonic style. As I gradually played my way through the repertoire, however, I realized that it would not be easy to find a Cavaillé-Coll copy that would meet the demands of Franck’s music as well as the organ at Uranienborg did. Here I found a clarinet on the Ryggpositiv that could be used as a solo stop accompanied by full swell in the Grande Pièce Symphonique. There are flutes that balance full swell in the Final; a beautiful, singing tone in the foundation stops, and an impressive tutti. I do perhaps miss having French pedal reeds, the sound is sometimes a little too rounded. Neither is the flute on the Great overblowing as it would be in the French tradition, but what does that matter when it makes such a lovely sound?
– Bjørn Boysen