Album insights
What are the essential ingredients for a musical fireworks display? First and foremost, the composer must have the desire to create music that dazzles the audience; then, there needs to be a performer capable of igniting the pyrotechnic work; and finally, an audience hungry for such an auditory spectacle must be present. The pieces featured in Fireworks III were predominantly composed by artists raised in the 19th century, a time when industrial furnaces of the industrial revolution were fiery hot, flames of political revolution were ablaze, and the enchantment of military conquests fueled the ambition of imperialism. These composers personally experienced the grandiose sound and technique of the powerful romantic organ and the magical skill of organists who could captivate mass audiences.
Edwin Lemare (1865-1934) emerged as a tragic hero of his era, growing up on the Isle of Wight, popularized by Queen Victoria and Alfred Lord Tennyson as a vacation spot. Making his way to London in his youth, Lemare showcased his talent at a concert during the international invention fair of 1885, performing works by composers such as Lefébure-Wély, Guilmant, and Bach. He later rose to become the organist of London's most sought-after church, All Saints in Margaret Street. Despite facing setbacks from a new church benefactor who diminished his achievements, Lemare persevered, becoming the world's highest-paid organist as the city organist of San Francisco.
However, Lemare's life took a downward spiral, fading into poverty despite the royalties earned from his arrangement known as "Moonlight and Roses." Once compared to pianists Paderewski and Godowsky and admired as a virtuoso who could make the organ dance, Lemare lost his health, technique, wealth, and fame. Nearly forgotten by cultural memory, Lemare's music was eventually rediscovered and revitalized, particularly by Christopher Herrick.
The title "Marche Héroïque" by Edwin Lemare hints at French influences, yet the piece, composed for the blind concert organist Alfred Hollins, bears similarities to Elgar’s style, resonating with Lemare's time of peak fame in London, coinciding with Elgar composing his "Pomp and Circumstance" marches.
Italian composer Enrico Bossi (1861-1925) had a dual musical personality. He delved into opera and various other music while also being an internationally recognized concert organist, meeting his demise at sea during his return from an American tour. The opening phrase of his Scherzo, with its undulating energy, progresses from quiet flutes to full organ sounds, reminiscent of Mendelssohn's style in a structure and musical language comparison.
Edouard Batiste (1820-1876), renowned for his commitment to solfeggio as a vocal instructor, was also a sought-after Parisian organist at St Eustache for over two decades. His Offertory in D minor showcases the French church music of the 19th century, emulating the theatricality of opera houses, leading to a dramatic culmination providing liberation from the dark confines of the D minor key.
Edwin Lemare's Concert Fantasia on "Hanover" is based on the famed church melody typically sung with the text of a metric version of Psalm 104 ("Praise the Lord, O my soul"). Notably, Lemare's Fantasia includes restraint even with phrases like "O measureless might," balancing full organ tones. The piece features an introduction that starts and ends calmly, transitioning into the hymn melody with an extended double pedal passage at its peak. Utilizing theme and variations as a pretext to explore softer organ stops, the piece deviates from the hymn's verses, with specific focus on the fifth variation in a minor key corresponding to the verse starting with "Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail." Lemare's technique of "thumbing" is evident in the second and sixth variations, demanding the performer to play on three manuals simultaneously. The finale includes a triumphal fugue, building on a counter-subject of the hymn melody for a victorious conclusion.
Marcel Dupré (1889-1971) skillfully expressed the art of improvisation cultivated by French organists. Proficient in J.S. Bach's organ music, he succeeded Widor at St. Sulpice and served as the organist at Notre Dame during Vierne's illness-related absence. "Cortège et Litanie," created in 1921, and arranged for solo organ by Dupré, features a procession passage leading to a litany comprising a sequence of choral fragments, intensifying with each repetition and merging with the "Cortège" theme for a spectacular finale.
André Jolivet (1905-1974), a contemporary of Messiaen, was part of the 1930s composer group "La jeune France," dedicated to sincerity, generosity, and good intentions in artistic expressions. Reflecting on human existence in the universe, Jolivet prefaces his "Hymne à l'Univers" with a quote from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. His piece from 1961, despite differing from Varèse's avant-garde methods, exhibits a dense structure, transitioning from rhetorical phrases to a monumental climax through spiraling melodies reminiscent of oriental prayers sung softly and then intensified with trumpet and dense harmonies, leading to an apocalyptic final chord.
Louis-James Lefébure-Wély (1817-1869) captivated Parisian organ audiences with the grandeur and sensationalism of opera. His "Marche" from the series "Meditaciones Religiosas" demanded an operatic backdrop, showcasing register combinations in a grandiose manner.
Théodore Dubois (1837-1924), choir director of Ste Clotilde and later organist at the popular Madeleine church, composed the grand and imposing "Grand Choeur," contrasting with Lefébure-Wély's instructions that denote a reserved approach until the powerful conclusion marked as "Toute la force."
Enrico Bossi's "Pièce Héroïque" mirrors César Franck's title, beginning delicately before escalating to an epic theme, only to gradually fade, leaving behind traces of the initial atmosphere.
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), praised by Liszt as the world's greatest organist, resisted the folkloric trend in French church music and strived for a classical composer's form and restraint. Despite composing his "Seven Improvisations," op. 150 in his old age, his seventh piece, "Allegro giocoso," serves as a fantasy on what appears to be an ancient French Christmas carol in dance form.