Here is another in the In
édits ORTF series, following on my recent post of
orchestral works by Gabriel Fauré.
As with the
Fauré disc, this LP contains previously unrecorded music, in this case by the famed organist and composer Louis Vierne (1870-1937). The main work is his Symphony in A minor, his only orchestral symphony, which was dedicated to Fauré. Also on the album are four of Vierne's nine orchestral settings of Paul Verlaine, Spleens et détresses.
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| Louis Vierne |
Vierne's output was primarily organ works (he was the organist at Notre-Dame de Paris for 37 years) and chamber music. Vierne was born nearly blind, and it is thought that this condition made it difficult for him to orchestrate.
The Symphony in A minor is a enjoyable Franckian work, here well played by the ORTF Philharmonic Orchestra led by Georges Tzipine (1907-87). The conductor led the first performances of works by many of his contemporaries, including Honegger, Rivier, Roussel, Ibert, Milhaud, Poulenc and others.
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| Georges Tzipine |
I can't pretend to enjoy Verlaine's dreary verse ("A long black sleep / Descends upon my life: / Sleep, all hope, / Sleep, all desire!"), but French composers at the turn of the century found his poetry irresistible. Vierne does well by these works, as does soprano Yva Barthélémy. Texts and translations are in the download.
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| Yva Barthélémy |
This LP was the second in the Inédits series, which eventually encompassed about 40 LPs. It seems to date from 1969. The sound is excellent.
