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AE-11141 "Confluences"

Confluences

Maurice Clement

Diekirch, St. Laurentius

Contents:
Richard Wagner (1813-1883) Tristan-Vorspiel A major
César Franck (1822-1890) Fantaisie en la A minor
Samuel Rousseau (1853-1904) Fantaisie [op.73]
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) Adagio - Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam E major
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Am Grabe Richard Wagners A major
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Funérailles F sharp minor
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Maurice Clement, Organ
Playing time: 1:19 (h:m)
Booklet: 24p.,
Order Nr. AE 11141
EAN 4026798111410
Product category: SACD
Release date: 15/03/2018
  • play_circle_outline Prelude to Tristan
  • play_circle_outline Fantaisie en la
  • play_circle_outline Fantaisie en mi mineur Op. 73
  • play_circle_outline Adagio
  • play_circle_outline Am Grabe Richard Wagners
  • play_circle_outline Funérailles
  • play_circle_outline Funérailles

Late romantic organ music in the mirror of Richard Wagner: in Maurice Clement's album "Confluences" on the new Thomas organ (2016) , Wagner, Bruckner, Liszt, Franck and Rousseau merge perfectly ...

When the new organ of the Deanery Church of Diekirch in Luxembourg was inaugurated in May 2016, the audience was highly impressed by this instrument made by "Manufacture d'Orgues Thomas" from Stavelot (Ardennes, Belgium), known for their excellent instruments in Flemish Baroque style and their exemplary restorations of predominantly baroque organs. For the first time they had built a purely symphonic instrument that impresses with its majestic reed sound, its dynamic swell and its poetic solo stops. Incidentally, for the construction of this organ it was possible to reuse about 20 ranks of historic pipework from a Dalstein & Haerpfer organ from 1870. The concept of this instrument goes back to its titular organist Maurice Clement, who now presents the first recording of the organ for Aeolus.
His album "Confluences" represents 'a process of merger' in which works by Wagner, Bruckner, Liszt, Franck and Rousseau are contrasted with one another under the influence of Richard Wagner. Taking a transcription of the Prelude from Tristan (in a concert version arranged by the composer) as point of departure, the pieces illustrate the influence of Wagner on German and French composers from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth. This musical concept also goes to justify the particular choice of instrument, since the organ used for the recording is well suited to both the 'Germanic' world and the more hedonistic French spirit. The instrument of the "Manufacture d'Orgues Thomas" represents a successful synthesis of the two sound worlds. It is therefore able to do equal justice to both Liszt and Franck, and to create a coherent and captivating symphonic context for the chosen transcriptions!

€ 18,99 (including tax)
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Reviews on “Confluences”

 

Pizzicato Robert-Jan Erde, April 10, 2018 :

“Ein regelrechtes Morphing der Seelenklänge verursacht diese CD beim Hörer.”
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Die direkte Wirkung der Klänge auf die Seele und den Gemütszustand des Zuhörers ist verblüffend. Die Klarheit, die Atmosphäre, der Zusammenhang und die Kohärenz jeder einzelnen Note, jeder musikalischen Phrase oder eines übergeordneten musikalischen Gedankens sind stets wahrnehmbar – vom leisesten Pianissimo bis zum größten Fortissimo des Instruments.

Dazu wird der Raum der St. Laurentius-Kirche in Diekirch (Luxemburg) kontinuierlich als Bestandteil des Instrumentes gleichwertig betrachtet.

Diese CD zeigt, dass es möglich ist, an der Orgel die schwersten musikalischen Passagen mit märchenhafter Selbstverständlichkeit in ein Feuerwerk sich ständig ändernder Klangfacetten der musikalischen Erzählungen, Gefühle und Gedanken einzubinden.

Eine sehr subtile, leicht kaleidoskopische Morphing-Wirkung der an die musikalischen Gedanken perfekt angepassten, kongenialen Registrierungen dieser Orgel katapultiert den Zuhörer in neue Sphären und ermöglicht die Wahrnehmung neuer Zusammenhänge innerhalb eines Werkes und zwischen den ausgewählten Kompositionen. Das kommt auch durch das bis ins kleinste Detail durchdachte Programm der CD. Seine Architektur, abgeleitet vom Titel, wird sofort klar, und der Leitfaden der zusammenhängenden Gedanken auch sofort erkennbar.

www.pizzicato.lu/spiel-mit-seelenklangen/

 

Music Web International Stephen Greenbank, July 4, 2018 :

“Clement’s imaginative registration choices showcase the organ’s many colours and sonorities.”
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Maurice Clement here presents a thoughtfully curated programme of organ music. The title Confluences refers to a ‘process of merger’, in which selected works from a range of composers are contrasted. The underlying common denominator is Wagner, who was a significant influence on German and French composers from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth. So, the Prelude from Tristan and Isolde, in an arrangement by Clement, is an ideal place to start. I was initially apprehensive as to how this orchestral work would adapt, but the arrangement works very well.
In 1883, on what would have been Wagner’s 70th birthday, Liszt composed his At the Grave of Richard Wagner. This brief work exists in versions for piano, organ and quartet with harp. It’s one of a series of epitaphs Liszt composed in memory of Wagner together with the two versions of La Lugubre gondola and R.W. - Venezia, the latter immediately following Wagner’s death. Its eldrich character is suitably portrayed, with the bells of Monsalvet, at the end, vividly captured. In similar vein we have ‘Funérailles’ from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, a much earlier work dating from 1849. It sounds wonderful on the organ and provides a potent and dramatic finale.
Wagner’s enduring presence can be noted in Franck’s ‘Fantasie in A major’ from Trois Pièces (1878). With its heroism, romantic sweep and drama, embroidered with refined chromatic harmonies, the work makes a tremendous impact. The ‘Fantasie in E minor’ by Samuel Rousseau, a composer I have to admit I haven’t come across before, was written in memory of César Franck. It’s a boldly expressive piece, heightened with colourful harmonic brush strokes.
I am very taken with the arrangement of the Bruckner slow movement. In his Seventh Symphony, the composer pays homage to Wagner. The Adagio is inscribed “in memory of the deceased, much loved and immortal master”. Clement, responsible for this stunning transformation, coaxes myriad colours and sonorities from the organ with overwhelming effect.
The instrument is the Dalstein & Haerpfer/Manufacture d'orgues Thomas Organ (1870/2016) of St. Laurentius Church, Diekirch, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Aeolus engineers have done a marvellous job in capturing the splendours of its magnificence in splendid SACD sound. Clement’s imaginative registration choices showcase the organ’s many colours and sonorities. Combining both German and French influences, its hybrid nature is particularly suited to the selection of music on display. I enjoyed this disc immensely and it gets my enthusiastic endorsement.
Stephen Greenbank

Read this article on Music Web International

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Pizzicato :

Ein regelrechtes Morphing der Seelenklänge verursacht diese CD beim Hörer.

Music Web International :

Clement’s imaginative registration choices showcase the organ’s many colours and sonorities.
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