🎵 César Franck - Prélude, Fugue et Variation | Görlitz, Germany

[@beautyinsound]

*This is one of my favourite pieces of French Organ Music - I think it's beautiful and perfectly crafted. What is your favourite piece of French Organ Music?*

[@SamuelSleath]

Too many favourite pieces to count! I love the Andante Cantabile from Widor's 4th Symphony, it's a beautiful piece.

[@sandrafogarty1073]

It's beautiful, and your performance of it is lovely. From what I have heard of Louis Vierne's music, I like it. I love his piece, Naiades, and also Berceuse. So much lovely organ music, I just can't pick a favourite!

[@kortouchka2b]

The prélude and mostly the fugue on the name of Alain is clearly a madeleine for me, but it is hard to choose among such a large repertoire

[@VoxAngelica8]

All of Dupre,Guilmant,Cesar Franck,Widor, and Boellman.

[@kenmerola4797]

Tough one, but I have to say Vierne symphony #1 (Finale) ... but the Westminster Carillon is pretty cool too!

[@railway187]

If heaven exists, and I will be allowed to enter it, I hope it will be a place where César Franck will be played at the organ. This music brings me in higher atmospheres, time and time again, I never get bored. Thanks for uploading this wonderful interpretation.

[@davidbenjamin4798]

Mr. McVeigh, your playing is most exquisite and beautiful.

[@rafikbaladi6555]

Such a piercing invention. The delivery is so dramatic and inclusive.

[@theprior46]

Back in 1958 when I was 12 - I sat on the organ bench and turned pages for my Piano Teacher and Choirmaster who took me to St Albans Abbey NW London and he played this lovely triste piece in that huge cathedral after dark with the whole place in darkness and only the organ loft lighting up the console and the music. It was a thrill like no other. Prelude Fugue and Variation was wriitten by Caesar Franck as a living tribute to his friend Camille Saint Saens. The melody and harmonies haves stayed with me to this day and I know every note of it but can't play it as it's so difficult and to play with bass pedals too requires immense coordination. I admire any Organist who tackles it and this one here was a superb rendering. I also heard Peter Hurford play it (the late former founder of the Organ society at the Abbey) Lovely memories. Thanks for making this video.

[@rafikbaladi6555]

I loved your insights. At best I played some Bach preludes at the Cairo All Saints Cathedral in the late fifties. I remember Peter Harford playing Bach's Canonic Variations in the late eighties. Here, the soloists handling of ritornello is sublime

[@LankyAnglican]

This is my all time favourite piece of organ music - so glad KZbin threw this up for me to listen! I first heard it played by Ian Tracey at a Liverpool Cathedral recital, and (in the days before abundant online music) I searched out a Marie-Claire Alain recording of Franck's complete organ works on CD... when I got home I listened to this piece on repeat! I find it so calming and mesmerising. I like the recording I have on CD because you can hear the action of the organ clicking away like a metronome, but I like this recording even better. Very peaceful and atmospheric. Thank you for sharing.

[@beautyinsound]

I’m glad this video found you, and I’m glad you enjoyed it. If you search for John Challenger’s organ recital from Salisbury Cathedral (also on BIS), he plays it and it is utterly marvellous!

[@LankyAnglican]

@@beautyinsound Thanks for that. It, too, is a lovely recording. I should be writing a sermon for Remembrance Sunday but I can feel myself falling down a very deep organ-themed rabbit hole!

[@donaldjacobson4184]

Excellent interpretation. I was afraid it might drag because of the softness of the accompaniment, but it never did. Masterful as always! I appreciate it so much. It brings back so many fond memories of playing the organ for me. I find our styles to be very similar. Eerily almost like listening to my younger pre-stroke self. You’ve made it possible for me to listen to organ music again without feeling sad. I am so very grateful.

[@geuros]

I have heard possibly every recording of this piece there is on KZbin, for my taste this is one of the very best. Wonderful control, registration, work with tempi, it has that mystical atmosphere I love about this piece. Bravo!!

[@beautyinsound]

Thank you - that is very kind of you!

[@tommoyk4294]

This piece is definitly one of my favorit pieces, especially when performed on a Cavaillé-Coll, Schyven, or other good romantic organ. I like however almost all romantic and late romantic composers, such as Lefebure-Wély, Widor, J.N. Lemmens, Guilmant, Vierne, Ernest Gillet, Dupré, Batiste, ... I also like organ transcriptions of romantic symphonical work or piano work. Thanks for sharing this wonderful performance of this heavenly music from Franck, very beautiful, even without a Cavaillé Coll.

[@nickmaguire5104]

I love this piece. Franck wrote some beautiful melodies. Very relaxing to listen to. French music flows very nicely when you play it.

[@beautyinsound]

You’re right - I think this piece is very relaxing 😊

[@MichaelConwayBaker]

See the other comments. I agree whole hardheartedly.

[@terenceocallaghan5639]

Beautiful rendition👍many thanks 🙏🏼

[@railway187]

Wonderful piece, fantastic performance. I'd love to hear you perform it on a Cavaillé-Coll organ.

[@stephenhoneyman9743]

Thank you for sharing. Very enjoyable.

[@Me.Myself.and.I.]

beautiful, thank you Richard for sharing your talent!

[@beautyinsound]

You are very welcome!

[@franciscotiagodejesuslopes6527]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🙌🙏🙏🙏muito bem obrigado pelo carinho que toca no seu órgão

[@jerrymartin79]

Beautiful!! It works really well on the Sonnenorgel. Thank you :) My favorite piece of French music - so difficult to chose one: I love Francks Chorale #1 (that second section with the contrasting flute/trompette after the stately introduction on foundations - gets me every time!)

[@beautyinsound]

I haven’t played any fast French music on this organ yet (Alain & Bednall are quite quick though aren’t they?!), but I think slower-moving music works well due to the acoustic and the way the organ has been sampled. Im really looking forward to being able to incorporate this organ into a larger console where I can actually use every stop! 😂

[@rogerlewis3787]

Sounds rather lovely on this organ I must say, and all credit to the organist as well!

[@beautyinsound]

Thanks Roger 😊

[@eoins671]

Wow, stunning playing and technique! I'm currently learning this beautiful piece. I really like Franck, particularly this piece and his Chorale in B minor!

[@beautyinsound]

Thank you very much Eoin! How are you getting on with learning this piece? There are moments in the Variation which I find tricky, don’t you?

[@eoins671]

@@beautyinsound getting on pretty ok thanks Richard, I have learned the prelude and fugue relatively well, but still having some issues with the variation, which I certainly have found quite tricky in moments! Always enjoy and look forward to your videos, and thanks so much for the reply!

[@kortouchka2b]

Thank you for this lovely interpretation, and sharing the full piece, I really love the final variation ! I was also wondering if you could share or show the registrations which you're using, it would really benefit to train our ears to recognize the stops, and discover new combinations .

[@beautyinsound]

Basically, the right-hand was just the Hautbois & a flute, and the left-hand was on a single flute on the Great / Choir. The Fugue was foundation stops on all manuals plus swell reeds. I like to couple all manuals together to bring all the colours together 😊

[@RalphLooij]

Beautifully played! I'm always surprised how well French music sounds on this Mathis organ. Not romantic, but my favourite French (baroque) organ piece: Clérambault - Suite du deuxième ton. Not the most popular choice, but therefore even more interesting.

[@beautyinsound]

Thanks Ralph! I think this organ does most music well, and I think slow-moving music works best due to the ambience and the way the pipes speak. I really enjoy playing it!

[@rvanoostrum]

Beautiful piece, I played this long ago, but haven't touched an organ in over 10 years. Now you made me want to build a Hauptwerk organ. My wife may want to have a word with you. :-). Another favorite is Vierne's Clair de Lune, also a very intimate piece.

[@beautyinsound]

I’d highly recommend a home Haupwerk organ! I hope you can see how much I love mine 😉

[@andybrown7325]

My favorite piece of French organ music is constantly changing but at the moment it is Widor symphony V as a whole. The second movement of that symphony has a similar registration to the Frank Richard played here: Pedal is 16' flute coupled to the Positif or Grand Orgue which is an 8' Flute that accompanies an Hautbois (Oboe) on the Recit.

[@beautyinsound]

I’m hoping to play the complete 5th Symphony in the coming months - perhaps on the upcoming Nancy organ....?

[@焼き芋-w1g]

It's like a Japanese song. It was a wonderful song that was emotional and listened to. Thank you for playing 😊.

[@beautyinsound]

Thank you very much for your lovely comments 😊 Sorry about the time difference. Will you be able to watch live on Sunday? I start at 0700 GMT.

[@焼き芋-w1g]

@@beautyinsound From London, there is a time difference of 9 hours, so in the morning it will be 4:00 (16:00) in the evening, so it seems that we can see it somehow. I made a reservation immediately.

[@AirchimeLTDproductions174]

Beautiful interpretation Richard!!! Thank you for all of this magnificent organ literature of course masterfully played :) I would do anything to hear your beautiful interpretation of Bachs Chorale Erbarm' dich mein, oh Herre Gott, BWV 721 again. Your interpretation was my personal favorite, I adored the trilling cornet!! :) I also have a playing request for you if your interested. :) C.M Widor's Suite Latine for organ Op.86.

[@beautyinsound]

Seeing as though you were very complimentary, keep an eye out on the channel on Saturday afternoon 😉

[@VoxAngelica8]

Great job!Will we get a Marcel Dupré Symphony de la Passion (or a piece from that symphony)?

[@beautyinsound]

Actually, I was hoping to learn it prior to Easter but time won’t allow. Perhaps next year? 😊

[@VoxAngelica8]

Why not ;)

[@IDFAFrans]

I see you have the Busch edition....very good.....basically the original reprinted ;-) very nice tempo One of the people who worked on getting these scores re-printed I know very well...organist Titulaire of the Catholic St Bavo Cathedral in Haarlem with the largest symphonic Dutch built symphonic organ of the Netherlands....over 80 stops. We must see that you can go there too... besides Rotterdam

[@beautyinsound]

I have the St Bavokerk organ in my fleet here on BIS, and I use it often. I dying to play the real things!! 😃

[@IDFAFrans]

@@beautyinsound I mean the Catholic Cathedral in Haarlem,...not the Old 17th century St Bavo organ...Ah yeah.....In Haarlem you have the 'Old bavo church' that has the famous organ, but besides that there is the very big Roman Catholic Cathedral with a very big Symphonic organ built by the Company of Adema wich nowadays is the oldest existing company in the netherlands dating back to 1854 I think....and they had very strong bonds with Cavaillé-Coll.....I'm quite proud that I worked for them for 4 years, and in the part of the country where I live, I still do tuning and small repairs for them, besides my work as organ player and choir leader....my English is probably terrible, but I hope you understand

[@marieke9489]

Nice marieke🥰

[@karipintakivi9153]

Sounds exquisite. Nevertheless I have to mention the Jean Guillou recording on Dorian DOR-90135: there in the Prelude he plays the left hand accompaniment slightly louder and clearer on the flutes than the main melody. First this sounded strange, but I have actually grown to like it a lot. Guillou was known for his sometimes controversial interpretations. And the van den Heuvel at St. Eustace is my favourite organ, having heard it played by Jean Guillou himself. Is it available from Hauptwerk? This is one of my favourites, as is his 3rd Choral. 2:48 ??? 6:30? 10:55?

[@beautyinsound]

I played the 3rd Chorale on Caen which sounded amazing - particularly the last page 😃 I played the 2nd on Alessandria which also worked well. I think the 3rd is temporarily offline though...