1-1 	Prologue 	5:46
1-2 	Beatitude I: Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit, For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven 	13:41
1-3 	Beatitude II: Blessed Are The Meek, For They Shall Inherit The Earth 	10:47
1-4 	Beatitude III: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn, For They Shall Be Comforted 	18:16
1-5 	Beatitude IV: Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness, For They Shall Be Satisfied 9:56
2-1 	Beatitude V: Blessed Are The Mercyful, For They Shall Obtain Mercy 	15:25
2-2 	Beatitude VI: Blessed Are The Pure In Heart, For They Shall See God 	14:40
2-3 	Beatitude VII: Blessed Are The Peacemakers, For They Shall Be Called Sons Of God 	15:57
2-4 	Beatitude VIII: Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted For Righteousness' Sake 	12:39 

Tenor – Keith Lewis, Scot Weir 
Alto – Cornelia Kallisch
Baritone – Gilles Cachemaille
Bass  – John Cheek, Juan Vasle, Reinhard Hagen
Mezzo-soprano  – Diana Montague, Ingeborg Danz

Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart 
Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart
Conductor – Helmuth Rilling

We read in the anonymous notes accompanying this issue that César Franck died without ever hearing his oratorio Les Béatitudes, yet Martin Cooper in his celebrated book on French music (1951) tells us that it was performed, albeit privately, in 1879. Whichever is the case it would seem that Franck worked on it for almost ten years. Given the nature of the text and the nature of the man, it must have been a labour of love.

For the non-specialist music lover, César Franck’s reputation probably rests above all on three works: the Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra, the Violin Sonata and the Symphony in D minor. I think it’s as well if curious listeners begin with these pieces rather than the organ music, of which there is a fair amount. It tends to thickness and opacity, which on its own is enough to discourage us from investigating further the output of this composer; there is also a tendency to pedantry where passion might be hoped for. The three works cited above are more encouraging, though when he came to write a symphony it was almost as if he wanted to convert the symphony orchestra into a monstrous organ, and that work more than any other puts me in mind of Stravinsky’s famous remark about the organ that "the monster never breathes." But this is only one side of a composer who was capable of lighter things: the finale of the Violin Sonata is a particularly charming essay in canon, and the work as a whole is totally successful, and the end of the Symphonic Variations demonstrates a lightness of touch, even a lightness of heart, that Haydn might have recognised and appreciated.

A mixed composer, then, and his oratorio is certainly a mixed bag. The work takes as its starting point the eight beatitudes, or paragraphs of Christ’s sermon to the multitudes on the mountainside as recounted in chapter 5 of St. Matthew’s Gospel. We can’t know if Franck agreed with each and every sentiment delivered to the multitudes that day, but we can understand, given his deeply religious nature, how the subject would have appealed to him. At a little over two hours the oratorio is quite a long haul, and two elements which might have helped the listener – variety and drama – are both in short supply. This is hardly surprising, of course, given the source material, and perhaps the immense importance and gravity of the text blinded the composer to the difficulties it presented, its weaknesses as a vehicle for music. Christ’s sermon was neither varied nor dramatic: there is not much opportunity for a composer to differentiate between "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven" and, say, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." If we want to be charitable we can think that Franck appreciated this, and that drama was not part of what he was trying to achieve. In a two hour span, however, we do need something. The sung text was written by a certain Madame Colomb, and it amounts to a meditation on each of the eight beatitudes, with a prologue. In the third section, "Blessed are those who mourn", a mother expresses her pain at the loss of her child and a child mourns the loss of mother; Christ speaks, enlarging on the words attributed to him by Matthew. Unfortunately Madame Colomb was no Victor Hugo, at least on this showing, and her words are commonplace and uninspiring. And then there is the Devil. Even though there is little to terrify in Madame Colomb’s conventional words, another composer might well have made a better shot at portraying evil. Franck, sadly, just wasn’t up to it. Such criticisms do not amount to the whole story, however, as there are many, many beauties along the way. Time after time the listener is struck by a turn of phrase, a particularly expansive moment, more especially perhaps, a striking use of orchestral colour. This all makes for very pleasant and even compelling listening almost all the time, but the fact remains that the work is fatally short on the kind of cumulative power which leaves the listener satisfied at having accompanied the composer on a long and eventful journey.

Recorded in 1990, this performance was originally issued by Hänssler. Helmuth Rilling directs a compelling performance of Franck’s oratorio in which he gives the impression of being totally convinced by the work. Even he, however, can do nothing about the overall structure of the piece, and there is no sense of journey, nor can there be, nor arrival; there is no goal here, in spite of much incidental beauty. The soloists are excellent, which is just as well as there is a lot of work for them to do. It’s difficult to know who is singing at any one time, but I find Gilles Cachemaille particularly effective in his assumption of the words of Christ. His voice is extremely beautiful and individual, and he sings with as much intelligence here as on a recent Warner reissue of music by Frank Martin. The choir is extremely well-drilled and altogether excellent, as is the recorded sound.

The booklet contains an essay which spends most of its time justifying the work as one of the masterpieces of the twentieth century. This is a pity: no-one gains from this kind of special pleading with quotes from anybody and everybody, and the work is interesting enough in its own right not to need it. It would have been better to devote the space to giving more background information. The sung text is provided, which is much to be commended, but there is no translation, so only French speakers will understand what is going on.

There has been at least one other recording of this piece, conducted by Armin Jordan on Erato, and which I haven’t heard, but the present performance is first rate and I can’t imagine Jordan’s can be greatly superior. The present issue is also extremely cheap, and anyone with a particular interest in the composer, in choral music of the period, or indeed in this kind of curiosity should disregard any reservations I might have about the music and purchase this admirable set right away. ---William Hedley, musicweb-international.com

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1. Prelude, choral et fugue: Moderato
2. Prelude, choral et fugue: Poco piu lento
3. Prelude, choral et fugue: Tempo I
4. Prelude, choral et fugue: Allegro moderato e maestoso
5. Prelude, aria et final: Lento
6. Prelude, aria et final: Allegro molto ed agitato
7. Troisieme Choral
8. Danse Lente
9. Grand Caprice
10. Les Plaintes d'une poupee 

Performers:
Stephen Hough, piano

Only the most exalted comparisons will do for Stephen Hough’s latest disc, and even they are struggling to compete. Not that his predecessors had a level playing-field. Recorded in 1929 and 1932, presumably with little or no chance of retakes, Cortot offers a characteristic mixture of inspiration and approximation. In the Prelude, choral et fugue Richter on Melodiya is massively authoritative and daring (hear his drawing together of thematic threads towards the end), but the 1956 Russian recording is very fuzzy; his Philips account, of uncertain date, is live and has other heart-stopping moments (for instance the first arpeggiated entry of the “Choral”), but the thin-toned instrument is a penance to listen to.

To say that it is only the trappings of modern recording that enable Hough to stand shoulder to shoulder with these giants would be to underestimate his achievement. Of course a beautifully regulated Steinway and a near-ideal acoustic are a help. But Hough himself has a dream-ticket combination of virtues – astonishing agility, a faultless ear for texture, fine-tuned stylistic sensibility and an exceptional understanding of harmonic and structural tensions. He acknowledges all Franck’s nuances, notated and implied, without ever disturbing the broader flow; he gives full rein to the heroic Lisztian cascades, without ever tipping over into melodrama. Perahia (Sony Classical) and Cherkassky (Nimbus) – two of my favourite pianists – are among the Franck exponents on CD who are comfortably surpassed. The only hint of a nit I could pick would be that the fortissimo arpeggiations in the “Choral” (track 2, from 4'03'') don’t ring as resonantly as they might. I can’t imagine the calm at the end of the “Aria” being better judged.

In their very different ways the almost comical bravura of the Grand caprice and the salon charm of the Danse lente and Les plaintes d’une poupee are extremely difficult to bring off. Yet anyone who has followed Hough’s recording career will know that this sort of thing is meat and drink to him. As for his own transcription of the A minor Chorale, which stirred fond memories of my own organ-playing days, the unavoidable adjective is ‘awesome’.

Stephen Hough’s recent Hyperion issues have given him a lot to live up to. This recital triumphantly does that. His own booklet-essay couches information, insight and anecdote in clear, elegant prose. It would surely qualify for the Gramophone Award for insert-notes, if such a thing existed.-- Gramophone [4/1997], arkivmusic.com

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0. Introduction [03:57]
Ia. Chœur Terrestre : 'Que le jour monte ou s'abaisse' - Chœur [05:48]
Ib. Chœur Terrestre : 'Ah! Malheur aux vaincus' - Récitant seul [01:41]
II. Récit et Chœur des anges : 'Mais, je vois s'éclairer' - Récitant / Les Anges [04:39]
IIIa. Chœur, récit et air de l'archange : 'Où mènent vos chemins' - Chœur [01:19]
IIIb. Chœur, recit et air de l'archange : 'Les rois dont vous vantez la gloire' [08:46]
IV. Chœur général : 'Devant la loi nouvelle'- Chœur [04:22]
V. Morceau symphonique [13:56]
VIa. Chœur d'hommes : 'Où sommes-nous?' [04:22]
VIb. Chœur d'hommes : 'Toujours le chant moqueur!' - Récitant seul [01:28]
VII. Chœur des anges : 'Et vous, séraphins' - Récitant / Chœur [07:49]
VIIIa. Air de l'archange : 'Le flot se lève' - L'archange [05:40]
VIIIb. Air de l'archange : 'Prier! - Le pouvons-nous?' - Récitant seul [02:10]
IX. Chœur général : 'Seigneur, Seigneur, oublie' [07:20]

Lambert Wilson - récitant
Béatrice Uria-Monzon - mezzo-soprano
Orféon Donostiarra
Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Michel Plasson - conductor

César Franck’s Rédemption is not easily pigeonholed. It’s not exactly an oratorio, even though it employs soloists and choir and concerns itself with Godly matters. Franck himself referred to it as a Poème-Symphonie, but this doesn’t really nail it either, especially when you consider the extensive narration. Whatever it is, it represents Franck at his most ambitious–and heavy-handed. The text is the sort of quasi-religious prose endemic to 19th century art, the same kind that’s found its way, though in a more rarified form, into the current epoch in works by composers like John Tavener. Interestingly, Franck’s musical language here is closer to Berlioz than to his own Psyche, with its uniquely Franckian chromatic permutations.

In keeping with tradition, the composer assigns celestial music to the women’s voices (The Angels), but the passages for the Earthly Choir and Men’s Choir are also imbued with a sense of the ecstatic. Unfortunately, the piece tends to drag at times, and the extensive narration certainly adds to its longueurs. None of this can be blamed on the performers, however. Michel Plasson presents the music with sensitivity and persuasiveness, securing first rate playing from the Toulouse Orchestra. Béatrice Uria-Monzon sings radiantly as the Archangel, while Lambert Wilson delivers stylish and impassioned narration in French. The original 1994 EMI recording was well balanced, and sounds just fine in this remastering. Get this if you find yourself in serious need of some Gallic profundity. ---Victor Carr Jr, classicstoday.com

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1. Piece Heroique                         play
2. Prelude Fugue ET Variation Op 18
3. Trois Chorals Pour Grand Orgue 1
4. Trois Chorals Pour Grand Orgue 2
5. Trois Chorals Pour Grand Orgue 3

Olivier Latry – organ

None of this I am about to write is new. Indeed, César Franck's organ music characteristics are a well known quantity. It is mentioned on the reverse of this SACD that it was Liszt's educated opinion that (Franck's) "These poetic pieces have a clearly marked place alongside the masterpieces of J.S.Bach." There is no doubt that Franck was heavily influenced by Bach's music as well as Liszt himself and Wagner by way of Mendelsshon and Beethoven. This shows in his chromatic writing and in the development of thematic cells and the use of successive thematic modifications.

We should note that Franck wished his organ pieces to be played according to the registrations he had specified; clearly, the authenticity of any performance depends upon strict respect for these directions. We should also be reminded that these compositions were written at and for a very special Cavaillé-Coll organ at the Église de Sainte-Clotilde. This Cavallié-Coll has important differences in it's disposition compared to the normative organs by the same builder; the location and physical confines of the nave where the organ was placed in the late 1850's determined this. Thus, other performing solutions are necessary when performing Franck's music on other organs.

While all the pieces in this SACD were written "in" and "for" this organ, the only exception is the "Pièce heroique" that was composed to be played initially at the then new organ of the Trocaderó and that is a conundrum that has never been resolved satisfactorily ever since...so it seems. Latry's performance is no exception to the rule; he had to find a compromise solution for his own organ at Notre-Dame Cathedral. His organ is quite capable for the task but some questions remain which are in themselves very important indeed, and they refer to the artistic and psycho-acoustic merits of this recording. From the artistic point of view these are throughly "modern" performances when we consider the style of execution; Latry's chosen tempi are rather modern and fast and as a consequence his execution looses clarity in the lines and the exposition.

These are "normal" interpretations for our time: less lyricism, less romanticsm, less mystery...clearly a sign of our times. In Latry's hands there is very little left of Bach influence on Franck, however, these "influences" can be found in a handful of other recordings specially one that dates to 1976 which was reissued in CD format recently. From the psycho-acoustic perspective the sound of this SACD is remarkable as it captures the grandeur of the ambience of Notre-Dame, although at the expenses of the low bass and high notes which are also a known quantity in this marvelous organ. The producers of this recording obviously opted for a very unusual placement for their microphones (at least that's the way it sounds) within the confines of the large cathedral; not even the mechanical actions of this organ are heard as we should...the sound is begging for clarity. ---John Nemaric

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1. Prolog: O Vos Omnes, Qui Transitis Per Viam 
2. Pater, Dimitte Illis 
3. Amen, Dico Tibi 
4. Mulier, Ecce Filius Tuus 
5. Deus Meus, Ut Quid Dereliquisti Me ? 
6. Sitio 
7. Consummatum Est 
8. Pater, In Manus Tuas

Sophie Graf (soprano)
Valérie Bonnard (alto)
Valerio Contaldo, Mathias Reusser (tenors) 
Fabrice Hayoz (baritone)
Luc Aeschlimann (cello) 
Laura Ermaxora (harp) 
Marcelo Giannini (organ)

Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne
Michel Corboz – conductor

The fact that Franck's liturgical and religious music in the widest sense of the term has become to be dismissed as second-rate in the consciousness of the generations which succeeded him is probably to be attributed to the fact that during the last 15 years of his life - uncontestedly the period of his mature work - he completely turned his back to religiously motivated music of this kind for the sake of chamber and orchestral music, whereas church music was the dominant element in the early and most of all the middle period of his life.

One of the most striking compositions of the middle period is The Seven Words Of Christ On The Cross. Completed on August 14, 1859 and without an opus number, the work is puzzling: although a product of care and craftsmanship, it was not performed during the composer's lifetime. In fact, even the writers of music history were unaware of the existence. It was performed for the first time in 1977, i.e. almost 120 years after being written, after Armin Landgraf discovered the autograph in the University Library of Liège while doing research of Franck's church music, it having come into the possession of the library in 1955 after having been in private hands previously.

In the course of the music history, the dignity of the text has inspired a number of composers to put these biblical words to music (Schütz, Haydn); yet this did not actually result in the establishment of a genre tradition, i.e. a type of music with a precisely definable function and equally definable demands to be made on the composer.

Thus Franck selects a Latin version of the text in which he combines the words of Christ with additional biblical texts and liturgical texts not deriving from the Bible to form larger, self-contained units which are premised by a prologue.

Unpretentious in terms of harmonization and intended to be meditative rather than dramatic, the work is nevertheless very powerful, with the composer careful to make sure that the eight movements are combined to form a cyclical structure.

In doing so he employs his own key symbolism, i.e. he foregoes the use of sharp keys which for him represent light and joy and favours the minor keys. Twice - in the first and the fifth Word - the meditative atmosphere which dominates the piece is interrupted by dramatic elements, whereby elements of the grand-opera shine trough. --- classics-glaucus.blogspot.com

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1. Redemption – Morceau Symphonique
2. Nocturne pour contralto et  orchestra

Le Chasseur maudit – Poeme Symphonique
3. I. Le Paysage paisible du dimanche. Andantino quasi allegretto
4. II. La Chasse. L’istesso tempo – Poco piu animato – Poco meno vivo
5. III. La Malédiction. Molto lento
6. IV. La Poursuite des démons. Piu animato – Allegro molto – Poco piu allegro – Quasi presto

Psyche - Poeme Symphonique
7. I. Sommeil e Psyche. Lento
8. II. Psyche enlevee par les Zephyrs. Allegro vivo
9. III. Les jardins d’Eros. Poco animato – Un peu plus large.
10. IV. Psyche et Eros. Allegretto modere

11. Les Eolides - Poeme Symphonique

Christa Ludwig – mezzo-soprano (2)
Orchestre de Paris
Daniel Borenboim – conductor (1-10)

L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet – conductor (11)

Le Chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman) was inspired by the ballad Der wilde Jäger (The Wild Hunter) by the German poet Gottfried August Bürger. It tells the story of a Count of the Rhine who dares to go hunting on a Sunday morning, in violation of the Sabbath. As the piece begins, the count defiantly sounds his hunting horn, despite the warnings of the church bells and sacred chants which call the faithful to worship. Deep in the woods, the count is cursed by a terrible voice which condemns him to be pursued by demons for eternity.

Franck's orchestration perceptively evokes the dark, fantastic atmosphere of the infernal chase. The conclusion of the piece recalls the macabre Songe d'une nuit de sabbat of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (1830).

Les Éolides was written in 1876 and premiered the following year. Like the later Psyché, it is a symphonic poem based on the Greek classical mythology, in this case an episode in Homer's Odyssey. Eolus is the Greek god of the wind and the Éolides are the breezes which are sent by Poseidon to aid Odysseus in his return voyage. The work is of much more modest dimensions than Psyché. Unlike Le Chausseur Maudit, it is not obvious that the piece is the telling of a story. The 10-minute work is gentle throughout and without great changes in dynamics or mood. The orchestration is transparent, and the harp plays an important role. The thematic material is extremely chromatic but the work always maintains a clear feeling of major mode. Although three main themes could be discerned, they clearly inhabit the same harmonic and melodic world and consequently the piece could be considered monothematic. They appear successively and then simultaneously, a favorite device of the composer. An attractive mood piece, even if the personal style of Franck is not yet clearly discernible. ---AMG

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Symphony in D Minor
1. Lento – Allegro non troppo
2. Allegretto. Attacca
3. Allegro non troppo

London Orchestra Society
Adrian Boult – conductor

Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor, M 7
1. Molto moderato
2. Lento
3. Allegro non troppo

Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Borodin Quartet: Valentin Berlinsky (Cello), Dimitri Shebalin (Viola), 
Andrei Abramenkov (Violin), Mikhail Kopelman (Violin)

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Charles-Marie Widor
1 	Allegro From Symphony No. 6, Op. 42 	9:17
2 	Salve Regina 	6:18

César Franck
3 	Pièce Héroïque 	8:24
4 	Chorale No. 1 In E Major 	16:13
5 	Chorale No. 2 In B Minor 	14:00
6 	Chorale No. 3 In A Minor 	13:52

Marcel Dupré – organ

Marcel Dupré playing the organ at St. Thomas Church, New York City

This is indeed a true GEM. I have the original recording,Mercury did a first rate transfer. The recording was made 10/1957 CD transfer 1992. The sound is crisp clean and clear. Shut your eyes YOU ARE THERE,a must for organ lovers. This is only one of the many recordings Marcel Dupre' made in his 85 years. The organ was built by Ernest M. Skinner Organ Co. In 1913 at the St. Thomas Church,New York City. Mercury has four or more masters with M. Dupre' at Sainte-Suplice in Paris,France everyone,that means you. Let Mercury know you would like these to. Thanks ever so much. ---jerry lee hoy, amazon.com

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1. The Accursed Huntsman
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
Massimo Freccia – conductor,1968

2. Symphonic Variations For Piano And Orchestra
Earl Wild – piano
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
Massimo Freccia – conductor, 1968

3. Psyche: 'Psyche And Eros'
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Georges Pretre – conductor, 1963

4. Symphony In D Minor - Lento-Allegro non troppo
5. Symphony In D Minor - Allegretto
6. Symphony In D Minor - Allegro non troppo

London Orchestra Society
Adrian Boult – conductor, 1960

Culled from recordings dating back to1960-68, Chesky has compiled a very generous selection of mainstay orchestral works by Cesar Franck [1822-1890], including the attractive symphonic fragment, "Psyche and Eros," a decided bonus. This appealing CD would be noteworthy if for no other reason than having so much penultimate Franck at one's fingertips. However, the appeal is hardly limited to this alone. We are also treated to excellent performances and riveting interpretations.

A fine example of the latter is Freccia's exciting, roustabout rendition of The Accursed Huntsman, replete with hair-raising brass, ominous tolling bells, and fervent romantic sweep. The RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra keeps brilliantly apace. [1968]

In the Symphonic Variations, Freccia and the RCA VSO accompany pianist Earl Wild in a warmly engaging performance that emphasizes Franck's charming lyricism rather than bravura. Wild's gentle wending way is hypnotic: in full chordal passages his manner is never aggressive, and in meditative sections his touch is like a whisper. Wild's poetic vision of the Variations is the most personal I have ever heard, and a beauty. [1968]

"Psyche and Eros," extracted from Psyche, the composer's large-scale endeavor for chorus and orchestra, and rarely heard in other than fragments, is a pleasing melodic segue, especially idiomatic under Pretre and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. [1963]

But Franck's masterpiece Symphony in D minor remains the virtual core of his output, its contrasting ideas, repeating motifs and evocative orchestration still luminous. Under Sir Adrian Boult, the London Orchestra Society, in what to me sounds like a live recording, but I could be mistaken, tackles the work with aplomb. The opening Lento/Allegro, at over sixteen minutes, is a perfectly shaped mood piece of darkness and light beautifully balanced. The central Allegretto continues subdued and mysterious, yet maintaining an underlying tension, released in the recapitulative popular Allegro finale. All told, Boult's reading is unique, committed and romantic, if, unfortunately, hindered by somewhat dated sound. However, the ear adjusts, and the wisdom of the conductor's seamless grip fascinates. [1960] ---Melvyn M. Sobel, amazon.com

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