Organist Martin Jean, an excellent player, has chosen the Woolsey Hall organ at Yale University for these performances. It’s no disservice to Jean’s fine playing to say that choosing the right instrument in the right hall is half the battle.

In order to hear what I am talking about, consider the finale of the First Symphony. This is often a clogged up mess. Even the best organ has its limitations, and clear rhythm is one of them. That said, if you compare Jean…to Ben van Oosten’s equally impressive series for MDG on a series of Cavaillé-Coll cathedral organs in France, you will notice immediately the leaner basic sonority, the greater clarity of Jean’s bass line, and the more brightly lit treble accompanimeny…For me, this makes Jean’s performance less “churchy,” and much more listenable.

The same observation applies to the creepy first movement of the Fifth Symphony…where the descending bass lines and eerie, chromatic harmonies have a clarity and presence that all too often turns into fog and vanishes in a cathedral acoustic, unless managed with almost supernatural skill by the engineers. Jean points out in his notes that he has not attempted to replicate the sound of the Cavaillé-Coll organs…but instead he has decided to exploit the resources of the Woolsey Hall instrument within the parameters suggested by Vierne’s registration. It was the right decision, and it makes for a very enjoyable, effective, and above all lucid cycle of these important and well-crafted works. © 2012 ClassicsToday.com Read complete review