Grieg & Franck: Symphonic Masterworks (Arr. for Organ)

Featuring

Thomas Murray
Edvard Grieg
César Franck

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Performer Biography

Thomas Murray, the organist on this recording, is University Organist and Professor in the Practice of Organ at Yale University and is widely known for his interpretations of Romantic repertoire and orchestral transcriptions.

Interpretation

Calvin Hampton, a New York City composer and organist, created the organ transcription of Franck's Symphony in D Minor, aiming to make it entirely idiomatic to the organ.

Historical Context

Baron Ludwig Holberg, whom Grieg's suite honors, created a new class of satirical literature in the Danish language during a time when Danish was not commonly spoken by gentlemen.

Instruments

The Gloria Dei Organ at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, featured in this recording, was designed by Jack Bethards of Schoenstein & Co., who pioneered orchestrally-inspired organs during a time when Romantic-style organs were dismissed.

Composition History

Edvard Grieg's "From Holberg's Time," a 'Suite in Antique Style,' was composed to honor Baron Ludwig Holberg, who is often acclaimed as the founder of Danish literature.

Compositional Technique

César Franck's Symphony in D Minor is a prime example of his 'cyclical' technique, where themes from earlier movements reappear in the final movement to create unity.

Composition History

Grieg composed the Holberg Suite for the bicentenary of Baron Ludwig Holberg's birth in 1884, and it exists in versions for full orchestra, string orchestra, and piano solo.