Search - Joseph Jongen, Edo de Waart, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra :: Jongen: Symphonie Concertante For Organ & Orchestra/Franck: Fantasie In A/Pastorale

Beautiful 20th Century Masterpiece, Spectacularly Performed

James M. Fitzwilliam | Staatsburg, NY, USA | 12/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just as an example of well-recorded organ sound in general, this is perhaps one of the best CDs you could find. As an example of organ WITH ORCHESTRA, this in my opinion is the finest recording available. Period. As an old commercial used to say, if you can find a better one, buy it! But buy this one too, you won't be disappointed.



Years ago in college, a friend of mine and I were listening to the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony one day, and he mentioned to me that there was a (sadly, largely-unknown) piece by one Joseph Jongen that actually made better use of the organ with the orchestra, and was ravishingly beautiful besides. I filed this info away in the back of my mind for several years, until I came upon this CD -- having been a fan already of Telarc recordings in general and Michael Murray as an organist in particular. It has now been nearly 20 years since that day in the record store, and I have never had second thoughts nor tired of hearing it.



Like a thrilling novel, the Symphonie Concertante grabs you right from page 1, with a tense pedal point and energetic, overlapping fugual entries in the strings. (Jongen himself once remarked that while most symphonic composers have to build up to a fugue, he STARTED his piece with one!) After just 37 seconds of this buildup, the organ makes a grand entrance with a full-throated roar that will shake the dust from your china and possibly lead to war with your next-door neighbors.



But, if all you want is a piece to show off your powerful stereo (though this indeed will do that) you may be disappointed, because one of the strengths of this work is that it is NOT all noise and bombast. After the first two thunderous phrases from the organ, things get down to business. The dramatic, window-rattling climaxes throughout the piece are not excessive in length, and are carefully paced by the composer for best effect, with plenty of contrasts in between.



Dating from 1926, the piece is (as the liner notes point out) conservatively-written by the standards of the time. But you will still hear plenty of influences of the impressionists, and Stravinsky's Firebird, and perhaps a touch of Mahler. The overall musical language is lushly romantic, but with plenty of interesting, fresh harmony and rich color. There is both soaring melody and scintillating passagework.



And the performance? Michael Murray is one of the greatest living organists, with superb taste and monster technique. And, as other reviewers have pointed out, this was the debut recording of the new Ruffati organ in Davies Symphony Hall. All of the musicians were obviously thrilled by it and having a blast. As a musician myself, I have had some thrilling performance experiences, so I know that feeling, and that enthusiasm and energy positively pours from this recording. The then-brand-new organ sounds glorious, and Telarc of course is all but notorious for its ability to capture large dynamic and frequency ranges on their discs.



And then there are these other two pieces, by Franck. Why are these on the disc? They don't really seem to quite fit, somehow. The Jongen by itself is only 35 minutes, however, would be a rather short CD! (One possible tie-in is that both Jongen and Franck were Belgian, so, after hearing the Jongen, you can listen for his roots in the works of his predecessor.) Nonetheless, both Franck pieces are great works from the French organ literature, and again masterfully played and wonderfully recorded. It is nice to have them here, really, because they provide additional chances to hear more of the organ's variety of sound colors and expressive range.



Highly recommended. On a scale from one to five stars, this one might actually be a six! If you like symphonic and/or organ music, or French romantic/Impressionistic music, at all, this is a sure bet. --JMF"

The definitive recording of the Symphonie Concertante

Robert Badger | Philadelphia, PA | 05/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Composing for orchestra and organ is not always easy. Hector Berlioz, one of the greatest masters of orchestration who ever lived once said that the orchestra is the emperor of music and the organ the pope of music. According to Berlioz, neither the twain shall meet.Unlike Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3, this work is more a concerto for the organ. The Saint-Saens work utilises the organ as a part of the larger orchestral ensemble. Murray is a wonderful organist and a wonderful musician. He is attentive to the intentions of the composer. He is a master of registration and a true virtuoso. This is by far the best performance of Jongen's masterpiece that I've ever heard.It is a pity that this great work isn't heard more often."

The premier recording of Joseph Jongen's Masterpiece!

David M. Fox | Port Orchard, WA United States | 07/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a knockout! Recorded totally digitally (DDD), it has no sound problems whatever, and the performance is flawless. Most people have never heard of Joseph Jongen, but consider this: Jongen's Symphonie Concertante (Opus 81) is probably the best major composition for organ and orchestra in the history of music, and is known among the cognoscenti as featuring perhaps the best blending of organ and orchestra. Ranging from delicate pianissimo woodwind/violin sections to thunderous full organ and full orchestra fortissimo sections with blaring brass, the piece moves from a lively start with alternate organ and orchestra sections to (to me) one of the most thrilling movements in all of classical music (the dramatic Tocatta). (I am writing this on the 50th anniversary of Jongen's death (12 July 1953)). The organist is Michael Murray, and he handles the circa 35 minutes of difficult non-stop organ playing excellently. He takes the modern and very large Davies Hall Ruffati organ from very sweet choir sections to snarling reeds to a full organ that overwhelms my stereo, even with a powered subwoofer. The San Francisco Symphony plays great counterpoint to Murray's organ, and the organ and orchestra come together with true overwhelming power in the Tocatta. I think all the musicians drew some extra energy from the fact that this was the first recording of the Davies Hall organ (in 1984), and it shows in their playing. This recording will probably remain the ne plus ultra recording of the Symphonie Concertante for all time. If (like me) you first heard the Tocatta from this piece as a solo organ recording by Virgil Fox, you HAVE to hear it with orchestra. I'm not sure, but I think Fox (no relation) plays the regular organ part, and it sounds great, but with organ and orchestra it sounds great squared. And the first three movements turn the tocatta into a fitting climax to a cohesive whole, as Jongen intended it to be. Buy this CD if you like organ music. Buy this CD if you like classical music. BUY THIS CD IF YOU ARE A HUMAN BEING! You WILL NOT be disappointed! Not to take anything away fron Tchaikovsky, but I personally think the Jongen Symphonie Concertante outshines Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture for pure drama, and for the life of me I don't know why Jongen and the Symphonie Concertante remain so obscure while the 1812 overture is known by everyone. P.S. The Franck pieces on this CD feature Murray on the organ alone, and sound great, but the Jongen Symphonie Concertante is what makes this CD vital."