César Franck: Organ Works by Bjørn Boysen

César Franck

Bjørn Boysen

César Franck: Organ Works

Format: CD
Label: Lawo Classics
UPC: 7090020181691
Catnr: LWC 1147
Release date: 12 January 2018
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Label
Lawo Classics

UPC
7090020181691

Catalogue number
LWC 1147

Release date
12 January 2018

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

On my retirement from the Norwegian Academy of Music, I was given the generous offer of the use of the Uranienborg organ to practice on, an offer I have made very good use of. Over the years I have become increasingly enthusiastic about the instrument. Every time I sit down on the organ bench I relive some of the youthful excitement I felt that led me to choose the organ as my career.

I had been toying with the idea of recording Franck’s organ works for some years and had had in mind an instrument maintained in an uncompromising, French symphonic style. As I gradually played my way through the repertoire, however, I realized that it would not be easy to find a Cavaillé-Coll copy that would meet the demands of Franck’s music as well as the organ at Uranienborg did. Here I found a clarinet on the Ryggpositiv that could be used as a solo stop accompanied by full swell in the Grande Pièce Symphonique. There are flutes that balance full swell in the Final; a beautiful, singing tone in the foundation stops, and an impressive tutti. I do perhaps miss having French pedal reeds, the sound is sometimes a little too rounded. Neither is the flute on the Great overblowing as it would be in the French tradition, but what does that matter when it makes such a lovely sound?

- Bjørn Boysen

Nach meinem Rücktritt von der Norwegischen Musikakademie erhielt ich das großzügige Angebot, die Uranienborg-Orgel zum Üben zu benutzen. Im Laufe der Jahre habe ich mich immer mehr für das Instrument begeistert. Jedes Mal, wenn ich mich auf die Orgelbank setze, erlebe ich etwas von der jugendlichen Aufregung, die mich dazu gebracht hat, die Orgel als Instrument für meine Karriere zu wählen.
Ich hatte einige Jahre lang mit der Idee gespielt, Francks Orgelwerke aufzunehmen und hatte mir ein Instrument vorgestellt, das in einem kompromisslosen französischen Symphonie-Stil erhalten blieb. Als ich mich jedoch allmählich durch das Repertoire durchspielte, wurde mir klar, dass es nicht einfach sein würde, eine Cavaillé-Coll-Kopie zu finden, die den Ansprüchen von Francks Musik und der Orgel in Uranienborg gerecht würde... Bjørn Boysen

Artist(s)

Bjørn Boysen (organ)

Bjørn Boysen was born in Oslo in 1943.
At the age of fourteen he began taking organ lessons from cathedral organist Arild Sandvold in Oslo, a teacher-student relationship that lasted until Boysen’s début recital in 1966. Boysen subsequently continued his studies in Copenhagen with Finn Viderø.
Throughout his career Bjørn Boysen has taught organ, first at the Music Conservatory in Oslo from 1966, and then at the Norwegian Academy of Music from its opening in 1973 until he retired in 2014. From 1995 onwards he held the post of professor of organ at the Academy, and was Principal for eight years from 1991 to 1998. Many of today’s organists have had Bjørn Boysen as their teacher.
Bjørn Boysen is considered to be one of Norway’s leading recital organists. His performing career has taken him all over Norway and to many European countries. He has made numerous recordings and frequently performs on radio and television. Bjørn Boysen was organist at Oslo Concert Hall 1978–2016 with responsibility for one of Norway’s largest organs.
In addition to his career as a teacher and performer, Bjørn Boysen is a noted organ expert and is regularly consulted on organ matters.

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Composer(s)

César Franck

César Franck was simultaneously a child prodigy and a late bloomer. His parents quickly discovered his enormous talent, but they were mostly interested in the money and fame that he might generate. Because of this, he was presented as a piano virtuoso, without a focus on composition. Unfortunately, his virtuoso career was less promising then they had hoped, and he started earning his money more as a teacher and organist. Composing stayed in the background, but in the mean time he did get some notable students, such as Henri Duparc. After a while, a sort of "Franck school" of students arose, albeit against his will, who affectionately called him ‘Pater seraphicus’. It was not until he was 50 before he started to receive some acclaim as a composer, and from his 52nd he started a very prolific period, lasting until his death at the age of 68.
Nowadays, Franck is mostly known for his instrumental music, peaking at the famous Violin Sonata in A. Besides this work,, his small collection of organ works was particularly influential.

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