Dupré: Symphony for Organ and Orchestra

Marcel Dupré's Symphony in G minor, op. 25 (1927) is yet another work that is languishing in a dusty corner of the organ plus orchestra repertoire. A shame as it has a lot to offer, even to the casual listener. I've had this Telarc recording in my collection for ages and it has always been a pleasure to revisit this imaginative work that betrays a composer with a sense of proportion, melodic resourcefulness and a masterful feeling for color (with an exemplary blend of organ and orchestral timbres very much in evidence). The slow movement 'Lent' is ravishing in its languorously extatic, wave-like motion. The other three movements are more nimble and athletic. Altogether the work lasts just over 25 minutes. Dupré uses the tremendous forces fielded for this work in a very restrained way. Fortissimo's are few and far between.

The recording is on the whole quite successful. It was taped in London's Royal Albert Hall, a cavernous 7000-seat auditorium, and Michael Murray plays the house organ. This behemoth has just shy of 10.000 pipes and is powered by a 45 horsepower blowing plant which is clearly audible in the recording. The maestro on duty is Jahja Ling, currently with the San Diego Symphony, who coaxes a most svelte sound from the Royal PO. Technically it is a fairly restrained recording, with the orchestra positioned seemingly far away from a cheap seat in the Gallery. Typical for the early days at Telarc (1986) the sound is rather grainy and washed, reinforcing the impression of opulence to the detriment of analytical crispness. I suspected that the PPP reinforced this impression which I proceeded to calibrate against Robert Shaw's recording of Duruflé's Requiem. And indeed its soundstage, which always had been huge, has amazingly expanded. It is as if the choir is sitting beyond the confines of the living room. But the drawback is that the dynamics are slightly more recessed than I remember. So be it.