Search - Marcel Dupre, Bruce Neswick :: Dupré: Works for Organ, Vol. 9

Marcel Dupré is an important historical as well as musical figure, his compositional freedom linking the golden age of Widor and Vierne with the radical rethinking that Messiaen saw through in his great organ cycles. Never doing things by halves, Naxos has reached Volume 9 of the complete organ works--mainly chamber pieces involving organ. Most substantial is the "Trio for Violin, Cello, and Organ," in one sense a throwback to the Baroque line of trio sonatas, but with a harmonic richness that indicates a late-19th-century inheritance--thoughtful, undemonstrative music, persuasively realized by Bruce Neswick and colleagues. The "Quartet" adds a viola to the lineup, but a delightful scherzando apart is a lesser affair, while the "Sonata for Cello and Organ" is a modest but interesting work (at least for the way Dupré makes a telling contrast between the sonorities of the two instruments). Again, perceptive playing from Neswick, whose Indiana organ has a clear, bright sound that makes the generous selection of Chorales interesting for the listener as well as the player. At the price, a worthwhile collection of some unusual repertoire. --Richard Whitehouse