| Comments: | Willem Van Galen said:
A UNIQUE RECORDING
When you come across a recording of one of this century's most flamboyant American organists in the heart of the German town of Trier, when you subsequently notice that it is issued on a German label, and when you finally read that it has been "brought up to modern technical standard" by the former editor of a German Hi-Fi magazine, you know it must be something unique. And unique it is: one of the first digital organ recordings to be made in the USA, the only digital recording Fox ever made, and also his
last recording ever. But these are mere trivia next to the quality of playing and sound captured on this disc.
ICONOCLAST OR VISIONARY?
During his life, Virgil Fox was a controversial figure, to say the least. His approach to the organ repertoire, both expressed in his playing and in the way he talked about it, was so unorthodox that people either embraced or dismissed him. Without a doubt, he was a virtuoso of the highest order, with a very personal and free way of expressing himself. Ironically, it is these qualities that often drew the sharpest criticism. He has been quoted as saying that he did not care how Bach originally played his works, because the main thing is to listen to and interpret Bach with the aid of ears that are up to date. A statement like this seems to put him diametrically opposed to organists advocating authentic performance practices in an effort to arrive at a close approximation of how (Bach's) works might have sounded in the era of their creation. Ironically, perhaps, we see the same qualities that made Virgil Fox unique, at work in the authentic performance "camp" today. As an example, isn't it equally appropriate to describe one of the leading proponents of an authentic approach to organ playing, Ton Koopman, as "a virtuoso of the highest
order, with a very personal and free way of expressing himself"? Rather than being controversial in and of themselves, musicians like these generate debate because their unique and personal vision extends beyond the boundaries we impose on ourselves, and within which we feel "comfortable". It may take quite some time before we're prepared to move those boundaries to include their vision. But if and when we do, we often find it enriches us, because we've overcome a previous prejudice and acknowledged that there
are "many ways up the mountain".
THE MUSIC - BACH
The Toccata & Fugue in d are delivered at once without haste and with urgency, which gives them exactly the right amount of dramatic equilibrium. Manual, volume, and sound colour changes are frequent, but all done to great effect which only an authority on the subject can deliver. This recording of the Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C is by far the most engaging one of this work with which I'm familiar. With bold virtuosity and tender simplicity, Fox unearths a wealth of musical and emotional treasures of which other organists remain, apparently, largely unaware. At the same time, this "triptych" is presented as a whole that adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
THE MUSIC - FRENCH ROMANTICS
The remainder of the program concerns works from the 19th and 20th century French school. Jongen's Toccata sparkles and thunders, but is at the same time imbued with restless, never-dissipating energy. Franck's "Piece Heroique" is played in a manner that emphasizes boldness, confidence, and fearlessness instead of a more reluctant heroism resulting from self-doubt, introspection, and self-acceptance. Fox's rendition of Alain's "Litanies" reveals his mastery in the subtle way in which he effects a transition from
a relatively unconcerned mood to a rather agitated one. Widor's well-known Toccata is given a very lively, energetic and invigorating performance, which makes it sound fresh despite its familiarity. The "Finale" from Vierne's Sixth Symphony bursts into existence with a tumultuous opening episode, after which it enters into a more lyrical interlude that at the same time contains rhythmical reminders of the piece's underlying capriciousness. The closing section returns to the initial mood, includes some of the lyrical material along the way, and ends with a rousing flourish. For me, the high-light of this program -- albeit by a small margin -- are Dupre's Prelude and Fugue in g. The Prelude is performed so seamlessly that the music seems to glow, while the jaunty Fugue is delivered with such power, energy and virtuosity that it is hard to imagine a more appealing performance than this one. Finally, as if it were an encore, Fox offers Gigout's Toccata, with verve and gusto.
CONCLUSION
This recording shows a superb organist in full flight. Personal as these interpretations may be, there is nothing contrived or "gimmicky" about them (a possible exception is Fox's tendency to let a closing pedal note sound a second longer than their manual counterparts, but at about a dozen of such instances scattered across the entire program, that's only 12 seconds of idiosyncrasy). This, along with excellent sound, and the fact that this is Fox's final recording, makes this CD a worthy testimony to one of this
century's great organists.
Also available on: Laserlight 15 313 (budget price; Delta Music Inc., 2275 S Carmelina Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064) |
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