Franck Organ Music – Kåre Nordstoga

Organ symphony

The extraordinary work of the brilliant organ-builder Artiside Cavaille-Coll, had a marked effect on the music of César Franck. The French composer worked on his “Six Pieces” from 1859-62, very much inspired by the sound and “colours” of his new instrument. The largest of the six pieces, “Grande Piece Symphonique” is nothing less than the first organ symphony, a work in three movements displaying all the characteristics of this form of composition, with nods to Beethoven´s Symphony No. 9 and Listz´s B minor Piano Sonata. Franck´s “Trois Chorales” stands as an artistic landmark in the literature of the instrument. From the nobility and expressive value of his melodic phrase in the first choral, via the sad introspection of the second, to the directness of the third, Franck´s “Trois Chorales” represent his finest achievement in the composition of organ music.

A well-known recitalist, with extensive touring laid behind him, and accompanist, often appearing with the most prominent Norwegian soloists and choirs, Kåre Nordstoga performs these two works by Franck on this album on the Cavaillé-Coll Organ of l´Abbatiale Saint-Etienne de Caen.