5.0 out of 5 stars
A definitive Franck recording, October 3, 2011
This review is from: Franck: Great Organ Works, Vol. 2 (Audio CD)
César Franck, the Belgium composer born in 1822, will always be remembered for his spectacular Trois Chorales, composed in 1890. In 1890 Franck's cab was struck by another vehicle, and although seemingly not seriously injured, he did start showing symptoms which may have been the result of the knock. A vacation in Nemours followed where he composed the three organ pieces. By November he was dead, possibly of a lung infection, which may or may not have been connected to the accident. So, in the last months of his life, this man composed some of the most beautiful music that we have today.
This CD is a very convincing rendition of not only the Chorales, but also his Pastorale and three other pieces. I would describe it as a standard copy of these works. You may find others with different tempi, unusual organ sounds etc., but this is a perfect starting point for a collector who wants only one copy of Frank's organ works. I like the fact that the three chorales are a bit faster than in some other recordings. Technically, the sound engineer (Laurent Péllisier) did a good job. Apart from the Chorales, all the pieces on this CD are worth having and you won't be bored for a second. An additional bonus is that you have in your collection the sound of a Cavaillé-Coll Organ.
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