Also, Piano Concerto No. 4. Daniel Roth, organ; Jean-Francois Heisser, piano. Francois-Xavier Roth, Les Siecles. Harmonia Mundi 905348.
By John J. Puccio
Les Siecles (“The Centuries”) is a period-instrument orchestra founded by Francois-Xavier Roth in 2003. On the current disc, organist Daniel Roth plays an instrument built 1862. Pianist Jean-Francois Heisser plays a piano built in 1874. They perform the “Organ Symphony” of Camille Saint-Saens from 1886 and the Fourth Piano Concerto from 1875. The results are probably as close as we can get to something Saint-Saens’s audiences of the day might have heard.
A question arises, however, about why Harmonia Mundi held off for a decade or more in releasing these live recordings. They answer that question in the liner notes, saying “As partner of Les Siecles since 2017, Harmonia Mundi felt it was a must to reissue these fiery readings of two masterpieces in the great French Romantic tradition, for which Francois-Xavier Roth invited two eminent soloists.” So, basically, during the pandemic HM went into the Les Siecles archives and found two older live recordings they felt they should rerelease on their own label. The performances are certainly worthwhile, although I’m not convinced the live sound is up to Harmonia Mundi’s usual studio standards.
The first selection on the album is the Symphony No. 3 in C minor, “Organ,” Op. 78. Saint-Saëns called the work “a symphony with organ” and said "I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again." Apparently he knew what he was talking about because even though he lived for another thirty-five years, he never wrote another symphony, organ or otherwise.
Saint-Saens divided the work into two major parts, with two divisions in each part. It’s an odd arrangement, but it essentially works out to a conventional four-movement symphony. What’s more, although most people today know the work as the “Organ Symphony,” Saint-Saens himself labeled it Symphonie No. 3 "avec orgue" (with organ). In fact, the organ only plays a part in two of the four movements, the second and the last. But it makes enough of an impression for folks to remember it.
After an introductory first movement, the second-movement Adagio always reminds me of soft, warm waves flowing over and around one’s body on a tropical beach somewhere. Here’s where the organ makes its first entry, coming in with what should be huge, gentle, undulating washes of sound. Maestro Roth and his forces handle both movements pretty well, generating some interest in the otherwise rather bland Allegro and providing a gentle, poignant, comforting Adagio.
The two sections that comprise the finale can be fiery and exhilarating, if not a little bombastic, with the organ blazing the trail. Here, again, Maestro Roth, with his father, organist Daniel Roth, and Les Siecles do a fine job capturing the excitement of the score with a good forward thrust, a driving beat, and a wonderfully pulsating rhythm. When the organ enters in the final movement, it is as grand and imposing as we would expect it to be; it is also passionate and vibrant, pretty much dominating the orchestra, as it should. Overall, a good performance.
The second item on the agenda is the Concerto for Piano No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44. Although it is not the most popular of Saint-Saens’s five piano concertos (that honor probably goes to No. 2), it is surely one of his most-original, most-imaginative works. Featuring pianist Jean-Francois Heisser, one must first become accustomed to the deeper yet less-mellifluent sound of the period piano. Together with the stormy, close-up recording, the music makes a grand sweep across the stage. One clearly hears the elements of traditional Classicism as well as (for Saint-Saens, anyway) contemporary Romanticism in Heisser’s playing. It’s a lovely performance.
Artistic Director Jiri Heger and sound engineer Anne-Sophie Versneyen recorded the music live at the eglise Saint-Sulpice, Paris (symphony) in May 2010 and at the Opera-Comique, Paris in June 2009. The sound is typically “live”; that is, it’s precise, close-up, enormously dynamic, and a trifle edgy. Imaging seems kind of all over the place, with little dimensionality and a limited stereo spread. (For being so close, it’s not very wide.) The organ, though loud enough, doesn’t seem deep enough; and the piano appears much too close (the recording a little louder, too). On the plus side, we hear no extraneous noises from the audience, and the engineers mercifully edited out any applause. As these older recordings do not quite meet Harmonia Mundi’s usual studio standards, perhaps the company will consider re-recording the pieces themselves (with much the same performers but without the live audience).
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
By John J. Puccio
A question arises, however, about why Harmonia Mundi held off for a decade or more in releasing these live recordings. They answer that question in the liner notes, saying “As partner of Les Siecles since 2017, Harmonia Mundi felt it was a must to reissue these fiery readings of two masterpieces in the great French Romantic tradition, for which Francois-Xavier Roth invited two eminent soloists.” So, basically, during the pandemic HM went into the Les Siecles archives and found two older live recordings they felt they should rerelease on their own label. The performances are certainly worthwhile, although I’m not convinced the live sound is up to Harmonia Mundi’s usual studio standards.
The first selection on the album is the Symphony No. 3 in C minor, “Organ,” Op. 78. Saint-Saëns called the work “a symphony with organ” and said "I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again." Apparently he knew what he was talking about because even though he lived for another thirty-five years, he never wrote another symphony, organ or otherwise.
After an introductory first movement, the second-movement Adagio always reminds me of soft, warm waves flowing over and around one’s body on a tropical beach somewhere. Here’s where the organ makes its first entry, coming in with what should be huge, gentle, undulating washes of sound. Maestro Roth and his forces handle both movements pretty well, generating some interest in the otherwise rather bland Allegro and providing a gentle, poignant, comforting Adagio.
The two sections that comprise the finale can be fiery and exhilarating, if not a little bombastic, with the organ blazing the trail. Here, again, Maestro Roth, with his father, organist Daniel Roth, and Les Siecles do a fine job capturing the excitement of the score with a good forward thrust, a driving beat, and a wonderfully pulsating rhythm. When the organ enters in the final movement, it is as grand and imposing as we would expect it to be; it is also passionate and vibrant, pretty much dominating the orchestra, as it should. Overall, a good performance.
The second item on the agenda is the Concerto for Piano No. 4 in C minor, Op. 44. Although it is not the most popular of Saint-Saens’s five piano concertos (that honor probably goes to No. 2), it is surely one of his most-original, most-imaginative works. Featuring pianist Jean-Francois Heisser, one must first become accustomed to the deeper yet less-mellifluent sound of the period piano. Together with the stormy, close-up recording, the music makes a grand sweep across the stage. One clearly hears the elements of traditional Classicism as well as (for Saint-Saens, anyway) contemporary Romanticism in Heisser’s playing. It’s a lovely performance.
Artistic Director Jiri Heger and sound engineer Anne-Sophie Versneyen recorded the music live at the eglise Saint-Sulpice, Paris (symphony) in May 2010 and at the Opera-Comique, Paris in June 2009. The sound is typically “live”; that is, it’s precise, close-up, enormously dynamic, and a trifle edgy. Imaging seems kind of all over the place, with little dimensionality and a limited stereo spread. (For being so close, it’s not very wide.) The organ, though loud enough, doesn’t seem deep enough; and the piano appears much too close (the recording a little louder, too). On the plus side, we hear no extraneous noises from the audience, and the engineers mercifully edited out any applause. As these older recordings do not quite meet Harmonia Mundi’s usual studio standards, perhaps the company will consider re-recording the pieces themselves (with much the same performers but without the live audience).
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
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