The Marche funèbre is in a ternary form. A heroic song announces itself as the main theme above rhythmically pulsating chords. In the middle section, elements of this theme are heard in a chorale-like four-part texture in the major key. The funeral march is then taken up once more and ends in pianissimo. The Berceuse is a lullaby, which Vierne dedicated to his daughter Colette, carries the subtitle "sur les paroles classiques". It is based on the French children's song "Dodo, l'enfant do", which Vierne harmonises in a extraordinary emotional manner. This delicate, charming piece is one of Vierne's best-loved organ works. The Pastorale, after a recitative-style introduction, whose melody later returns as an interlude, a cantabile solo enters, supported by the bass pizzicato efects. A more agitated middle section in the major key is followed by the repise of the solo, now, however, with a more expansive bass part. A reminder of the middle section is heard in the coda. The Carillon is a piece based on the carillon of the Chapel of the Castle of Longpont (Aisne). It opens with full organ, the carillon theme entering in an energetic perpetuum mobile in the pedals, above which powerful, detached chords appear. In the middle the volume drops and the carillon theme continues on the manuals. Striking features are the modulations, the highly effective staccato articulations and the dynamic effects. A gradual crescendo leads into the repise of the opening, ending with a coda. With the Élégie, among the pieces in free style there are a remarkable number of pieces of a serious, melancholy character that reflects Vierne's depressive tendencies. So it is with this moving and extremely chromatic lament. Vierne's biographer Bernard Gavoty indicates the influence of Gabriel Fauré in the closing section. The Éphitalame starts with a Vierne's characteristic, expressive melodic writing and colourful harmonies are also evident in this "wedding ode". The Postlude may be divided into two sections. In the first section lively, improvisatory semiquaver passages are heard, interrupted by expressive chords. An allegro non troppo vivo e sostenuto in a terser style follows. A dotted theme in the upper voice is accompanied by semiquaver figures and a gradual crescendo leads to a climax on full organ. Sources from the booklet of the recording.
I recently found a full CD recording of van Oosten of all of Vierne's organ works for a few bucks in an antiquariat. Absolute gold, beautiful recordings, wonderful musicianship and excellent postproduction and sound design. He plays everything with an incredibly sober gravitas and seriousness that totally elevates everything he touches. I heard him about a year ago in a concert playing Vierne's 6th symphony and some fairly unknown works by Franck in a church in north-west Germany. Absolute magic and you definitely feel what meticulous preparation went into this concert. That concert was definitely something special. One could argue that his Vierne recordings doesn't have the typical bite one comes to expect from most interpretations, especially those made on the organ of Notre-Dame in Paris with its beautifully nasal chamades. But I don't miss them on van Oosten's recordings at all. He recorded the second symphony in the abbey church of St. Ouen in Rouen and the third in St. Sernin in Toulouse and both sound very rich in texture and definitely very original and outstanding from all of the other famous recordings. I can't say if they're the objectively best interpretations, but they are definitely my preferred version.
Thanks for posting this already legendary performance. Many years ago I was told that Ben van Oosten was the best Vierne performer. I am a former concert organist and played several of these wonderful pieces myself. Currently I am working as pipe organ technician, but it brings back fond memories, and I absolutely love the Cavaille-Coll sound. Although symphonic organs and their music are finally coming back into style, there is no par to this.
I like all the pieces of this collection. I remember in the time I studied organ in Sao Paulo many local organists used to play only a fourth of them: Epitaph, Dream, Marche Funebre, Berceuse, Carillon and Elegy, invariably.
Thank you fotis!. The terminology I have learnt comes from years of reading about classical music, as well as a bit of music education in general. I want everyone to be able to read and understand what the form and the music contains, and thus, I try to write accesible descriptions almost everyone can understand. My style actually comes from a website on the genre of the symphony, I started reading it a year before beginning to publish music on youtube back in 2017: www.historiadelasinfonia.es/
