Jongen: Symphonie Concertante/Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Fans of Saint-Saens's Organ Symphony are always on the lookout for a worthy sequel, and in fact there are several. Widor wrote a stunning symphony for organ and orchestra that still awaits a first class digital recording, and there's also this legendary piece. Jongen was an expert Belgian composer who wrote some very fine music. This is his only major effort to receive international attention, and it really is a logical successor to Saint-Saens's masterpiece, being a very satisfyingly crafted work in four tuneful movements. Not only is it superbly performed and recorded here, it comes with what is probably the best modern recording of the Saint-Saens as well. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Toccata And Fugue In D Minor
Toccata
Toccata
The Emperor's Fanfare
Beaucoup Plus Largement
Dieu Parmi Nous
Finale
Rigaudon
Fanfare
Maestoso

Customer Reviews:

"Blasted" away.......2006-09-27

I am by no standards an expert on music, let alone organ music. I just purchased this CD because I love the sound of the organ, and wanted an album from a mix of artists before I started branching out to single composers. I would also consider myself an audiophile, only listening to high quality music with my portable headphone amplifier and Sennheiser HD-555's. Let me tell you, the quality is perfect, and the music is incredible! Such a full sound, it's *almost* as good as sitting in audience, only lacking the full body experience of organ music. I would recommend this to anybody looking to get a foot into the world of organ music.

Wow!.......2006-06-07

I happen to love organ music, even that tacky Saint-Saens
Third Symphony (with which this CD ends and just the third movement).

I grew up with E. Power Biggs, Virgil Fox, et al. and had never heard of Michael Murray (okay, it's been a while). I bought this delightful CD when it first appeared and before Amazon had been invented.

Upon hearing that most famous work with which Murray begins, I confess I was just this side of hysterical -- I was laughing with pure happiness. Murray's take on is it wonderfully over-the-top in the best possible sense. I have a son-in-law who is a musician and, indeed, does play the organ (i.e., if any of them have had pipes, I don't know, but I'm here to tell you, I don't want to hear ANY but pipe organs -- okay, I'm old).

At any rate, to hear this Toccata and Fugue played with such (carefully studied) abandon so tickled me, I called Brian (the son-in-law) and demanded that he listen while I put it on my stereo.

Now I'm going to send it to my son Bruce upon learning last night that he LOVES organ music. Who knew? He's 54 years old, for goodness' sake and never mentioned that little item before.

For those who like BIG organ works.......2005-09-04

This CD concentrates on the big, showy organ pieces that organists love to play. As an organist myself, I find that such numbers are usually more fun to play than to hear. Fortunately, this CD is very listenable, and makes the case for both playing and listening to these works. I'd buy it again; maybe more telling, I'm looking for some of the music, so I can go play it!

Pure Majestic Power!.......2003-07-20

Corey is right - this is an outstanding organ CD, one of the best I've heard. Murray plays some of the largest and most powerful organs on Earth, and uses the reed stops more than the usual organist to produce great effects and a wall of sound that are majestic in the extreme. The selections are all great virtuoso showpieces, and track #6 by Messiaen (Dieu parmi nous from La Nativite') is especially demonstrative of the great contrasts available in a large organ. The horizontal trumpets in this piece are predominant and very bright, contrasting with the snarling bass of the pedal organ.

A word of caution - this CD requires a capable stereo (think subwoofer) to sound its best. Trust me - if you listen to this CD on a good stereo and if you like organ music, you'll sit there with a big grin on your face and tears in your eyes as you listen to this CD.

Excellent Performance by Murray.......2001-11-09

This is by far one of the best organ CD's I have ever listened to. The variety is very good overall. From the state trumpets at St. John's to the mighty organ of First Congregational Church, Murray provides nice registration on all of the organs sampled. The Finale from Saint-Saens No. 3 is awesome with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy,s direction. Murray provides his own notes on the organs and the pieces in the booklet that is included. This is some fine organ music!!

Jongen: Symphonie Concertante; Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3

Average customer rating:

A great composition marred by a poor interpretation
Jongen
Iconoclastic recording of Jongen
The Jongen Toccata is way too fast
Great recording - Less than great interpretation

Jongen: Symphonie Concertante; Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001QAE
Release Date: 1994-07-26

Tracks:

Symphonie Concertante For Organ And Orchestra, Op. 81: Allegro, molto moderato
Symphonie Concertante For Organ And Orchestra, Op. 81: Divertimento: Molto vivo
Symphonie Concertante For Organ And Orchestra, Op. 81: Molto Lento: Lento misterioso
Symphonie Concertante For Organ And Orchestra, Op. 81: Toccata (Moto Perpetuo): Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 78 'Organ': Adagio
Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 78 'Organ': Poco adagio
Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 78 'Organ': Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 78 'Organ': Maestoso

Amazon.com

Fans of Saint-Saens's Organ Symphony are always on the lookout for a worthy sequel, and in fact there are several. Widor wrote a stunning symphony for organ and orchestra that still awaits a first class digital recording, and there's also this legendary piece. Jongen was an expert Belgian composer who wrote some very fine music. This is his only major effort to receive international attention, and it really is a logical successor to Saint-Saens's masterpiece, being a very satisfyingly crafted work in four tuneful movements. Not only is it superbly performed and recorded here, it comes with what is probably the best modern recording of the Saint-Saens as well. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

A great composition marred by a poor interpretation.......2007-03-05

The focus on the reviews of this recording rightly centers on the Jongen Symphonie Concertante, surely THE seminal work for organ and orchestra. As late as 25 years ago, this piece was heard hardly at all -- and was championed only by organist Virgil Fox, who also made the first commercial recording of the piece back in the 1960s. Today, the work has achieved mild "cult" status, and is actually performed in quite a few places by the major symphony orchestras (e.g., Minneapolis, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, DC, etc.). And there have been at least nine commercial recordings that I've heard, so we now have a good selection of recorded performances to choose from.

Unfortunately, in the case of the present recording, the sonic splendors of the Dallas Symphony and Dorian are wasted in a self-indulgent interpretation by the organist. He seems to be trying to win a contest to play the work as fast as humanly possible -- and to out-run the orchestra in the bargain. Not to be caught short at the finish line, Litton and the Dallas players gamely play "catch the organist," but the effect is close to chaotic -- and does nothing to illuminate the brilliant flow of the work that Jongen has so masterfully woven into his composition. To hear the difference a really good performance makes, you can select any number of alternate interpretations -- best in my view are the Murray/deWaart/San Francisco Symphony (on Telarc); Hauk/Ibarra/Ingolstadt Philharmonic (on Guild); Wedd/Bernardi/Calgary Philharmonic (on CBC -- deleted at present); or the "old faithful" Fox/Pretre/Paris Opera Orchestra first recording (EMI -- deleted). Listen to any of these alternatives, and you'll see how much more musical depth and insight is brought out by the performers, and the effect is revelatory. By comparison, this performance is interpretively hidebound while tempi are rushed throughout -- and the result is hugely disappointing.

I keep this CD on my shelf to use as "Exhibit A" when demonstrating what can happen to a composer's work when performers throw thoughtful interpretation away in favor of engaging in the musically adolescent game of "anything you can play, I can play faster."

Jongen.......2007-02-22

I have heard the propulsive energy of Jongen's 1st and 2nd movements more convincingly conveyed, and a more sacred aura brought to the gorgeous 3rd movement. Yet there is a welcome clarity and smoothness of line in everything here, even in the insanely fast Toccata, where the brass flourishes and organ figurations emerge quite musically. Indeed, I wish other (slower :) versions were able to achieve such a nice balance between organ and orchestra.

Ultimately, I believe that the classical music collector and organ affectionado in particular, should not regard this as an authoritative recording of either work. But the "canon" is limited, and what does authoritative mean anyway?

Buy this CD and enjoy two unique and thoughtful interpretations - while you remember to check out Virgil Fox/Georges Pretre and Michael Murray/Edo de Waart's Symphonie Concertante, as well as Charles Dutoit/Peter Hurford's Symphony No. 3, in the future.

Iconoclastic recording of Jongen.......2004-04-24

Jean Guillou is probably one of the more controversial members of the organ world today. He has a very individualistic approach to tempi, registration, and rhythm. I've heard the Murray recording on Telarc (which I love). I prefer this recording, however.

Guillou is a very indivualistic interpreter. His interpretations are uniquely his own, and they often highlight other dimensions to the score that one might not have known were there. He is also a composer, so he does tend to approach each work from that particular horizon.

This is a stunning display of musicianship, both from orchestra and organist.

The Jongen Toccata is way too fast.......2003-09-01

My review addresses only the Jongen Piece - this is the only recording of the Saint-Saens that I have heard, so I have no real basis on which to compare it.

The first three movements of the Jongen Symphonie Concertante sound very good, and are perhaps equal to the quality of the 1984 Telarc recording of this piece featuring the San Francisco Symphony/Michael Murray, Organ/Edo DeWaart, conductor. Unfortunately, the overall effect is ruined by the simple fact that the Tocatta is taken at too fast a tempo. The indicated tempo is Allegro Moderato, but organist Jean Guillou starts it almost Presto and conductor Eduardo Mata keeps it there. It sounds like they just wanted to get through it fast, or perhaps they were trying to impress the audience with the speed at which it could be played, but the quick tempo obscures the grandeur of the climax. What is ordinarily a grand dramatic crescendo over the last half of the Tocatta sounds like a 33 rpm LP record played at 45 rpm - the effect is that bad. This turns one of the most dramatic climaxes in music into a rapid presentation of bombastic chords that stop making musical sense. This is a terrible misinterpretation of Jongen's masterpiece, and though this CD may be important for the Saint-Saens recording, I cannot recommend it for the Jongen Symphonie Concertante. The Telarc/San Francisco Symphony recording is superior - buy that CD if you want the best interpretation of the Jongen piece. My review of that disc is available on Amazon.com.

Great recording - Less than great interpretation.......2003-07-18

I looked forward to this recording based on previous reviews only to find myself disappointed upon listening to it. In terms of sheer sound, this CD does indeed qualify as an audiophile recording but I found the orchestra sound distant and the organ sound way too bass heavy. It seemed to me that Dorian was trying to faithfully capture the sounds of the 32-foot pipes which indeed they did, but other aspects of the sound spectrum suffered.

As an organist who has studied and performed both works, I felt that Guillou's approach to the Jongen somewhat schizophrenic. He seemed faithful to the dynamics and changes in tempo, but oblivious to Jongen's indicated registrations. I felt that the organ sound did not match that of the orchestra; this is an impressionistic piece played on a neo-baroque organs with a "French" division called "Resonance". I also noted a pedal registration which was just too heavy on deep bass. Guillou's breakneck tempo on the Toccata deprived the listener of the rich harmonic progressions but did display a fantastic technique.

I did appreciate that Guillou approaches the Saint-Saens as a symphony and not a concerto and thus takes great pains to blend in. I would have liked a little more organ sound in the fourth movement. On my audiophile system the drums seemed to stand out too much.

I am hoping that EMI releases Virgil Fox's monumental 1950's/1960's Jongen recording as, to my ear, he gets it right in terms of registration and tempo, despite a lot of extra organ playing not in the score. Michael Murray's approach (Telarc) is a fine performance and will remain my favorite on CD.

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