Organ Symphony No.3 in F-sharp minor - Louis Vierne

Описание: Performed by Randall Mullin on the Sonus Paradisi Hauptwerk sample set of the 1885 Cavaillé-Coll Organ in St. Etienne Abbey, Caen (France).

I - Allegro maestoso - Poco più vivo - Tempo I: 0:00
II - Cantinèle. Andantino moderato: 6:21
III - Intermezzo. Allegretto non vivo: 12:04
IV - Adagio quasi largo: 16:20
V - Final. Allegro: 23:16

Vierne's Organ Symphony No.3 was composed between March 18 and September 14 of 1911, finished when Vierne took vacation at the Dupré family villa in St Valery-en-Caux in Normandy. The Symphony is dedicated to Dupré, who premiered the work at the Salle Gaveau in Paris on March 12 of 1912. By 1911, Vierne had spent eight years with the Notre Dame organ and reached his creative highpoint, all while passing through a great depression. He would write many more organ works in the future, but this is considered one of his masterpieces.

While No.2 followed a cyclical design, in which the opening themes were the root of the material of the rest of the symphony, No.3 is more classical but maintaining subtle thematic relationships apparent between movements. Above all, Vierne uses academic forms to his advantage, allowing him to edit and perfect his musical ideas based on a purely abstract ideal. With this in mind, the work deserves careful study and attention to the twists and turns of how the themes are presented and developed.

The first movement is structured in sonata form. It opens with an imposing main theme, repeated in a roughly inverted form. A more lyrical second theme is soon presented, accompanied chromatically. After a substantial fugato transition, the development begins combining and transforming the materials. The music reaches a climax as the recapitulation of the main themes begin. A vibrant coda, based on the main theme, ends the movement brilliantly.

The second movement is structured in monothematic form, being, as the subtitle indicates, a song without words. It begins with a deeply lyrical main theme presented with long "hautbois" phrases, if a bit obscure in its colours. The theme is extensively ornamented and uneasily dippes into other tonalities. A peaceful coda brings the movement to an end.

The third movement is an intermezzo in an expanded ternary form (A-B-A'-B'-Coda). A rhythmic and playful main theme is presented, almost Spanish in character. It leapes and twistes in a humorous and gotesque manner, modulating far from its tonal center. The trio consist of a chorale-like, melodic second theme, impulsed by a constant bass ostinato. The intermezzo is resumed then in a manner similar to a scherzo. The trio is also recapitulated, leading us to a graceful coda based on the intermezzo's main theme.

The fourth movement is structured in tenary form. It begins with a three bar pedal, which leads to a meditative and solemn main theme, full of echoes of César Frank (Vierne's organ teacher). It unfolds canonically, supported by a Wagnerian chromatic harmony. The middle section opens with a more anguished second theme, presented through an extensive declamation. The main theme is softly recapitulated in a varied manner. A peaceful coda ends calmly the movement.

The fifth movement is structured as a toccata built on two themes. It begins with an ostinato in piano, which supports a vigorous and rhythmic main theme, which grows towards a climax. A more melodic second theme, in form of a chorale, is pressented by the basses over the rhythmic ostinato. The main theme is then developed through counterpoint, before being interrumpted by the second theme in an angelical tone. The main theme reappears, leading to a powerful climax contrasted by the lyrism of the second theme. A grand and brilliant coda brings the whole work to an end.

Picture: "The Balcony" (1868) by the French painter Édouard Manet.

Sources: https://bit.ly/3N7hIyZ, https://bit.ly/3VLEikv and https://bit.ly/3sjd4Eq

To check the score: https://bit.ly/3F1adY2