Search - Francis Poulenc, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Elisabeth Chojnacka :: Francis Poulenc: Organ Concerto; Concert Champêtre; Suite française

Among the best versions of these endearing scores

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 04/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Notre Dame de Paris is one of the stars of this 1997 recording of Poulenc's two most popular scores, his "Organ Concerto in G Minor" and "Concert Champetre for harpsichord and orchestra". The players on this CD throw it a delectable extra, his "Suite Francaise d'apres Claude Gervais". I don't know who Claude Gervais was but he inspired a very nice suite!



The main course here, the organ concerto, is given a very driven and dramatic performance by an orchestra conducted by Jean-Claude Casadesus with Philippe Lefebvre playing the organ. Even with the resonant sound of the cathedral, every note is heard and everyting is clear in modern DDD sound. Elisabeth Chojnacka equits herself equally as well on harpsichord during the concert champetre.



The notes to this issue tell you something about Poulenc, the history of composition of these pieces (Claude Gervais was a 16th century musician whose work inspired the suite) and a little about all the performers. The back page of the notes lists all the working parts of the Great Organ of Notre Dame, Paris, the real star of the concerto. Those of you that know a stop from a go may have some fun reading this. It'll be jibberish to most others.



All told, a fine issue that Gramophone has rightly projected as the best current rendition of these wonderful 20th century masterpieces. Poulence is about as accessible as any famous 20th century composer and, if you are new to his music, this is a wonderful place to begin. At Naxos modest asking price, you can't go wrong."

A Must Buy

E. Murphy-Mancini | Wilbraham, MA USA | 05/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Poulenc was a fabulous composer during the early 20th century, composing in an idiom that would disappear in the face of war. His music is characterized by a certain lightness of feeling that leaves one happy after every performance. This CD, though consisting of some works in a minor key, perfectly reflects this sentiment of lightness and playfulness so often absent from many composers of Poulenc's time. The Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani is the highlight of this disc. A live performance of a work must always be handled with caution, but gloves are not necessary here. The performance is literally flawless. Philippe Lefebvre stays with the orchestra the entire time, and is balanced with their sound while still being able to utilize the full resources of Notre Dame, incidentally included with the liner notes. A nice addition for organists, certainly. The Concert Champ?tre is a very fine work for the harpsichord, an instrument rarely used outside period music. It is delightfully mischievous, with frequent tempo changes and widely varying textures. In the recording here, the large orchestra stays very balanced with the soloist, an especially difficult task considering the soft sound of the harpsichord. The final addition is a fun, little suite inspired by Claude Gervaise, a 16th century musician. The short movements are not a strong as the larger works, but have some moments, especially in the Carillon movement. The liner notes detail the composition of the works, and the whole CD looks nice. At under ten dollars, I can't think of a reason not to buy this music."

Cavernous and Cold Sound

Lester Tome | Philadelphia, PA United States | 05/29/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The sound in this recording of the Organ Concerto is cavernous and cold. You could feel the vastity of Notredame. It lacks inmediacy. The organ is in the foreground but the orchestra sounds remote. Many orchestral details are lost. The percusion reverberates from far away."