The Opus 78 of Monsieur Charles-Camille

[dulcinea]

I had the very bad luck that I first heard the Organ Symphony in a radio that was hardly of hi-fi quality, with the result that the C major organ chord did not impress me the way it should have.
How was your first experience with that electrifying piece of music that is the Maestoso of the Opus 78?
I drew two cartoons: one of the premiere public bawling their hearts out at the sweet tender Poco Adagio: ;
the other of the public all totally stunned at the powerful Maestoso. Their hair is standing on end, and vapour is coming out of their ears: One gentleman, who looks a lot like Chaykovsky, smiles and says: WOW!!!

[jbuck919]

I'm looking forward to its New York premiere.

(Yes, I know that it's been performed in Alice Tully Hall with not the Berlin Philharmonic, and probably in formerly named Philharmonic Hall when it had an organ, and maybe in Carnegie Hall with an electronic organ, but you get my point.)

[absinthe]

Mine was on a Telarc LP with Michael Murry, soloist, and with Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia. One of those recordings made with the solo located elsewhere and relayed to the concert hall, IIRC. It was also an early attempt by Telarc at digital recording. Contrary to yourself dulcinea, it was being played on a very hi-fi outfit and, yes, it was a hair raiser all right. Goose pimples coming up all over!

When it arrived I bought the CD and it still has that power. It dazzles. It needs to be played loud so the floor vibrates. I'll have to revise my memory of the location of that organ. A splendid instrument that sounds as if it would do well with baroque.

I'd love to hear a live performance (on a good instrument)

[Wallingford]

Well, the first two times I heard it were on a public library recording....and I fell asleep both times, only to be gyrated awake by that big C-major organ chord.

Of course, I quickly learned how to stay awake thru it, and analyze it. I also heard it several times, on a 7- or 9-transistor portable radio. The recordings I heard were Ormandy 1 (w/E. Power BIggs), and the ever-popular Munch RCA Living Stereo (severliy squelched down to mono, from an AM station about 80 miles away with a perpetual howl when you moved the dial).

[maestrob]

My first experience of the Op. 78 was thanks to the Munch/RCA recording, and soon after, the Ormandy/Biggs recording. Unfortunately, the old Academy of Music on Broad St. in Philadelphia (where I grew up & attended concerts in my formative years) also lacked an organ, so I've never heard this piece live with a great orchestra, altho I did hear the concert with the Julliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall.

As I live in an apartment bldg., am not able to blast out my CDs, but on headphones, the Telarc CD with Michael Murray/Ormandy sounds absolutely fine!

Am particularly fond of the gentle slow movement as well. Too bad C. S.-S.'s other symphonies don't live up to this one.

[John F]

I heard it on the radio in the '50s but forget which recording it was. Bought Munch's first recording, with the New York Philharmonic on Columbia, heard it recently for the first time in years, and it's still impressive - quite fast, which does the piece good, and better played than in the Boston recording, thanks to Rodzinski's bringing the orchestra back to its former level of virtuosity.

But that rehearing also reminded me of why it had been years since the last time I listened to the symphony all the way through. The first movement is the best - the thematic material is handled in ways that suit it, and the whole effect is powerfully dramatic. From then on I think the symphony slides downhill, through the sentimental banality of the slow movement and the Berlioz-derived scherzo to the different banality of the puffed-up finale in which the Lisztian morphing of the first movement's themes, and then that fugato (the last resort of a 19th century composer who can't think of a better way to keep things moving), and so on. I feel I've decidedly grown out of this piece.

[jbuck919]

The first movement is the best - the thematic material is handled in ways that suit it, and the whole effect is powerfully dramatic. From then on I think the symphony slides downhill, through the sentimental banality of the slow movement and the Berlioz-derived scherzo to the different banality of the puffed-up finale in which the Lisztian morphing of the first movement's themes, and then that fugato (the last resort of a 19th century composer who can't think of a better way to keep things moving), and so on. I feel I've decidedly grown out of this piece.

I couldn't have put it better myself, but I resist those kinds of comments these days because I got tired of the drubbings from other posters (you know who you are) when I was frank about second-rate compositions by composers who remain at the top of the classical music charts. (John, I am not recommending that you refrain from frank critique. ) One difficulty I face is that the kind of thing you mention is rather typical of Romantic organ repertory and requires me to adjust my frame of reference if I'm going to discuss that kind of music.

To answer honestly the question originally asked, I'm sure I first heard it on a recording with E. Power Biggs, as if anything else were possible at the time, but I don't remember anything else about it.

[Donaldopato]

The Munch/Boston was my first and favorite recording, LP and CD.

On June 9 The KC Symphony is inaugurating the new Cassavant organ in its first appearance with the orchestra with the op 78, Paul Jacobs on the organ. My first time live and with a real live pipe organ too.

[jbuck919]

The Munch/Boston was my first and favorite recording, LP and CD.

On June 9 The KC Symphony is inaugurating the new Cassavant organ in its first appearance with the orchestra with the op 78, Paul Jacobs on the organ. My first time live and with a real live pipe organ too.

I looked that up. Over the decades, Casavant has produced both electronic- and mechanical-action organs, with the emphasis moving steadily toward the latter. Most American concert hall organs have electro-pneumatic action (Alice Tully Hall is a notable exception), so I was expecting the same for Kansas City, but I see that it is a mechanical action (tracker) organ. This should not be confused with the difference between a Baroque and a Romantic instrument. This organ has a largely Romantic specification. Hope you enjoy the performance.

If anyone is interested, here is the specification of the organ:

http://www.casavant.ca/new_temp/anglais ... asCity.pdf

[dulcinea]

The Munch/Boston was my first and favorite recording, LP and CD.

On June 9 The KC Symphony is inaugurating the new Cassavant organ in its first appearance with the orchestra with the op 78, Paul Jacobs on the organ. My first time live and with a real live pipe organ too.

I wish I could be with you. Watch the public's reaction; see if they get all mushy with the Poco Adagio, stunned with the Maestoso, and ecstatic with the concluding Allegro.
Isn't the purpose of this symphony to inspire and make people happy?

[Donaldopato]

Kind of a funky looking but very lovely and surprisingly mellow sounding instrument.

[maestrob]

The Munch/Boston was my first and favorite recording, LP and CD.

On June 9 The KC Symphony is inaugurating the new Cassavant organ in its first appearance with the orchestra with the op 78, Paul Jacobs on the organ. My first time live and with a real live pipe organ too.

I wish I could be with you. Watch the public's reaction; see if they get all mushy with the Poco Adagio, stunned with the Maestoso, and ecstatic with the concluding Allegro.
Isn't the purpose of this symphony to inspire and make people happy?

Yes!

There's also a fine document of the new organ's inaugural concerts in Philadelphia on this disc, led by Eschenbach, with fine playing from both organist and orchestra, which makes for a superb demonstration disc.......

[jbuck919]

Kind of a funky looking but very lovely and surprisingly mellow sounding instrument.

That seems to have caught on after the design of the organ for Disney Hall in L.A.

[Donaldopato]

Disney was a model for Kauffman in many ways.