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The Organ of Saint Sulpice Paris

Joseph Nolan

The Organ Magazine

The five manual Cavaillé-Coll in St Sulpice is a fine vehicle for the French and German romantic repertoire but a more challenging choice for works by Elgar and Thalben-Ball. Joseph Nolan’s approach to Boëllmann’s Suite Gothique is monumental and impressive. Tempi are on the slow side, which allows the music greater breadth and sensitivity, with a softly lyrical Priere. The Toccata comes across as a far more symphonic work than a more extrovert and possibly rushed tempi would have allowed.

This monumentality acts as a fine balance to Liszt’s Fantasie & Fuge uber den Chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam. Here the acoustic is allowed to come into its own and there is a fine sense of being in St Sulpice with the onslaught of the work and the sheer excitement of the playing. The end of the work is allowed to have its head and the climax is almost overwhelming.

Thalben-Ball’s Toccata Beorma was written for the University of Birmingham in 1972, and is probably the least known piece on the disc. Poema was written a few years later and the two published in 1980. Both pieces are untypical of Thalben-Ball’s more conservative writing but are here very much at home with the European works, for there is more than a touch of French organ music about the scores. The gentle, hypnotic Poema leads to a more strident and enthusiastic Toccata. For both, Joseph Nolan is able to convince us that they are not out of place in what might be assumed to be more prestigious company.

Elgar’s Second Sonata sits very comfortably on the Cavaillé-Coll. Given its brass band and orchestral origin it yields itself to a broad brush approach where registration is concerned and is here given a breadth of colour and tone which adds to its attraction. Joseph Nolan may have moved to Australia but his concert calendar and recordings like this help to keep us all in touch with a very fine performer.

Brian Hicks, The Organ Magazine

MusicWebInternational.com

This disc on Signum Classics features the wonderful sounds of the famous organ from the church of Saint Sulpice in Paris played by Joseph Nolan. The magnificent organ case was designed by Jean Chalgrin to house the five manual organ with pedals constructed by François-Henri Clicquot in 1781. Later in 1857 organ-builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll commenced work on a new instrument that preserved much of the previous organ.

Acknowledged as one of the world’s finest organs the 1862 Grandes Orgues de Saint-Sulpice was I believe at one time acclaimed as part of an esteemed group of three 100-stop European organs together with the Walcker organ at Ulm Cathedral, Germany and the Willis organ at St Georges Hall Liverpool, England. The Saint Sulpice organ has been played by many eminent musicians namely Marcel Dupré and Charles-Mari Widor. Camille Saint-Saëns was organist at the L'église de la Madeleine (1857-77) and it is difficult to believe that at some point he would not have played the Saint Sulpice organ. The organ in the church provides the setting for a vicious attack in the 2006 Ron Howard film The Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen.

The disc commences with a score from Léon Boëllmann a French composer/organist who is best known today for his small output for organ. Boëllmann’s most renowned work is his four movement Suite Gothique, Op. 25 completed in 1895. The final two movements are often played independently especially the brilliant Toccata.

Elgar’s Sonata No.2 for organ, Op.87a started out its life in 1930 as the Severn Suite - a test piece for brass band. Elgar’s friend Ivor Atkins, the organist at Worcester Cathedral transcribed four movements of the piece for organ.

George Thalben-Ball wrote his Toccata Beorma in 1972 in response to the award of an Honorary Doctor of Music from Birmingham University. The Poema was composed later and in 1980 the two scores were published together. I have greatly enjoyed the 1996 account of the Poema and Toccata Beorma played by Ian Le Grice at the Temple Church, London. Le Grice’s powerful performance is given on the Temple’s 1927 Harrison and Harrison organ, formerly located at Tabar Castle at Aboyne, on Priory Records PRCD 569.

Liszt’s immense Fantasia and Fugue on 'Ad nos, ad Salutarem, undam' (To us, to the water of salvation) uses the chorale from Meyerbeer’s successful five act grand opera Le prophète from 1849. Composed in 1850 and dedicated to Meyerbeer, Liszt swiftly capitalised on the tremendous success of Le prophète. Liszt undertook several revisions on the Fantasia and Fugue before its 1855 première performance by soloist Alexander Winterberger at Merseburg Cathedral, Germany.

There are several splendid alternative versions of Liszt’s Fantasia and Fugue in the catalogues. Andreas Rothkopf performs with drama and assurance on the Wilhelm Sauer organ of the Evangelische Stadtkirche, Bad Homburg, Germany on Naxos (see review). Hans-Jürgen Kaiser has also made a fine recording of the Fantasia and Fugue in 1997 on the Frederich Ladegast organ in Dom in Schwerin, Germany on Brilliant Classics (SACD) 92208. There is much to admire in Robert Costin’s 2007 account of the Fantasia and Fugue on the 1906 Norman and Beard organ of Wellington Town Hall, New Zealand (see review).

On this Signum Classics disc I especially enjoyed the opening movement Introduction - Chorale of Léon Boëllmann’s Suite Gothique a splendid way for Joseph Nolan to demonstrate the power and magnificence of the Saint Sulpice organ. The marked contrast of the light and intricate Menuet Gothique displays the subtle side of the instrument. More acclaimed as an organist than noted as a composer I found Thalben-Ball’s second movement Toccata Beorma especially successful. Notwithstanding the considerable technical challenges of Liszt’s monumental Fantasia and Fugue on 'Ad nos, ad salutarem undam' from Meyerbeer’s Le prophète the soloist displays a myriad instrumental colours from the spectacular to the poetic. Nolan’s interpretation is dramatic, relentlessly surging pressing the music forwards in an admirable performance.

The gallery organ of Saint Sulpice with its 102 stops, 135 ranks and around 7000 pipes is a remarkable instrument and one of the finest I have heard on disc. Congratulations are in order for the wonderful sound quality provided by the engineers. These performances are full of spontaneity yet for all Nolan’s brilliance he allows the requirements of the composer always to take priority. The sympathy and expression that Nolan gives to this music and the assurance of his results will undoubtedly give this recital a special place amongst organ collectors.

Michael Cookson

The Gramophone, December 2009

A brilliantly played Romantic recital on an oft-recorded organ.

Aristide Cavaillé‑Coll's masterpiece in Saint Sulpice is no stranger to the recording microphone, ever since the aged Widor was persuaded to cut two precious waxes there for HMV in 1932. Since then its swirling, cavernous acoustic has challenged many a sound engineer. For Signum Andrew Mellor has managed to capture an ideal balance, not so distant that everything becomes a faint blur and not so close that the chattering of the Barker Motor action distracts and detracts. With its 101 stops spread over five manuals this organ offers an incredibly rich palette of sounds. Joseph Nolan's Romantic programme opens with Boëllmann's ever-popular Suite gothique. The "Minuet" and "Prière" are particularly well poised and shaped, while the opening of the final Toccata purrs gently like a well oiled sewing machine before growing and growling like a mighty behemoth.

The two English items work especially well on this instrument. Ivor Atkins's 1932 transformation of Elgar's Severn Suite into the Organ Sonata No 2 has since been superseded by Jeremy Cull's more faithful transcription. However, Nolan adds a hint of Worcester sauce to his Parisian gastronomy to good effect. The greatest revelations on the disc are the linked pair of pieces by Thalben‑Ball. The Poema floats exquisitely and atmospherically preparing the ear for the distinctly Francophile and sparkling flavours of the Toccata Beorma.

The centrepiece of the programme is Liszt's mighty Fantasy and Fugue on Ad nos. Despite Nolan's committed interpretation I am not convinced that this effusion is anything more than vacuous waffle, though brilliantly played.

Malcolm Riley

American Record Guide, 26th November 2009

Liszt’s powerful Ad Nos suddenly turns up on four recent recordings. A similar group appeared a few years back (S/O 2001). The piece averages half an hour performance time and requires both technical agility and well honed Pedal skill. It also needs an instrument large enough to do it justice. The four newest contenders have all this.

The best of these is Nolan at Saint Sulpice, Paris with its potent 5-135 Cavaillé-Coll. Recorded in 2007, it has all the drama and panache demanded, and is similar to a recording by Cochereau at Notre-Dame in 1955 (Solstice 177, J/A 2001), which is still my favorite, even though the organ needed a major overhaul. It is slower than most (32:05). Nolan is currently Organist and Master of the Choristers at St George’s Cathedral, Perth, Australia. His recording of Widor and Guilmant won high marks (M/J 2005). The Ad Nos is as well performed as I have heard it. In spite of the very resonant surroundings, Nolan captures the majesty along with the more ethereal moments. His time (31:08) is mainstream, considering the reverberation. Boellmann’s well known composition gets an uneven interpretation.

The Introduction-Chorale is fine, but the Gothic Minuet is far too heavy, better suited to lead-footed dancers. The Prière is lovely, yet the Toccata is exceptionally slow. I’m sure Nolan wanted the manual work to be heard more clearly, but I miss the dazzle. Elgar’s contribution was originally the Severn Suite, a test piece for the 1930 Crystal Palace Brass Band Festival. It was later arranged for orchestra, which was then transcribed for organ by Ivor Atkins, a friend of Elgar and organist at Worcester Cathedral. To the three main parts—Introduction, Toccata, Fugue—Atkins appended a Cadenza and Coda. The brass band quality lingers, especially in the opening. George Thalben-Ball (1896-1987) was a well respected organist in England. In 1972 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Birmingham, and his Poema and Toccata Beorma was published in 1980 as a response to this honor. (Beorma was the supposed founder of Birmingham.) The Poema is a lovely, atmospheric piece. The Toccata is restless and more dissonant.

Haselbock is the Vienna Court Organist and has recorded often. This performance, done in 2005, is on the historically important 4-112 Ladegast (1853) organ in Merseburg Cathedral. The builder intended to combine baroque pipework with 19th Century romantic sonorities. Some blurring occurs with moving passages, but the overall sound is quite good. The fugue is begun quickly, and one notices a silvery quality to the sound—shimmering rather than warm. Haselbock sails through everything with ease and comfort. This piece was played at the organ’s inauguration. Haselbock presents a solid and somewhat swift interpretation (27:12). The three following selections are far less interesting, especially the ‘Andante Religioso’, which seems to be about five minutes searching for a purpose, much like a young organist improvising and not sure what to do next. Better than these by far is the setting of ‘Ein Feste Burg’, written in 1846 for orchestra, choir, and organ but arranged for organ solo in 1852. This is the most assertive of the supplemental material. Costin, trained at the Royal Academy of Music and Cambridge, plays this brief program on the 4-57 stop organ (Norman & Beard 1906, restored 1986) in Wellington Town Hall, New Zealand. Both selections are truly symphonic in nature, requiring ample technique and an instrument with extensive specifications. The Wellington installation is certainly potent enough, but the acoustics are not favorable. The lack of reverberation results in a somewhat flat sound. Costin controls the tempo very well in Ad Nos (30:24), with an energetic opening and a very subdued and leisurely adagio section. The fugal conclusion is fine. There are a few breaks in continuity owing to the limited combination system, requiring some extra hands to help with page turning and stop manipulation. Miking seems to be quite close, which allows the quietest portions to come through. The Reubke fares as well. Its sections follow selected passages from the Psalm, creating musical reflections on the text. Both compositions are performed intelligently and with musicality. Costin’s tempos and registrations are mainstream. A very respectable interpretation.

Kaiser is cathedral organist in Fulda and Professor of Improvisation at Gutenberg University. The program was performed in 1997 on the historic 4-84 Ladegast (1871) in the Schwerin-Dom. The instrument was considered the builder’s finest. On hearing Haselbock’s recording from Merseburg, however, that notion may need to be re-examined. Kaiser’s approach to Ad Nos is sluggish at first but improves as the piece develops. He takes a full ten minutes longer (37:21) than Haselbock. Part of that is the lingering that leads up to the fugue. Some cadences are milked for effect. Liner notes mention that the virtuoso Pedal runs were omitted because the sound at those moments “is so emotional, vital, tumultuous, and penetrating”. It sounds as though the runs are done manually. The final pages come out best, but overall I would rate this interpretation in the lower echelon. The Prelude & Fugue on BACH begins rather leisurely and remains that way into the fugue. Even at a slower pace, the moving lines tend to be obscured. Long pauses separate major sections, allowing the harmonies to float off into space. Kaiser takes a more introspective approach, which is all right, but I miss the more assertive performances we commonly hear. The Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen use the bass line from Bach’s Cantata 12 as the theme. This descending chromatic line echoes the bass line in the Crucifixus of the Mass in B minor. A somber quality permeates this composition, as one would expect, but that quality changes to promise and fulfillment at the conclusion. This is Kaiser’s best performance.

Donald Metz