César Franck, a Belgian born in Liège, was an influential professor and organist in Paris, considered one of the fathers of French organ symphony.
Composer Biography
Engelbert Humperdinck, known for his opera 'Hansel and Gretel', also wrote other operas, incidental music, and numerous songs, many of which he never officially published.
Instruments
Cologne Cathedral features three distinct organ sections: the transept organ, the nave organ, and a high-pressure bombarde division in the westwork, each with unique characteristics and history.
Critical Reception
Adolphe Adam's 'Cantique de Noël' was so popular that the clergy wished to ban it, with one 1864 review calling it 'degenerate and humiliating'.
Historical Context
The traditional Breton song 'Entre le bœuf et l'âne gris', arranged by Belgian composer François-Auguste Gevaert, refers to the ox and donkey warming the newborn Jesus in the manger, a detail not found in the Gospels but possibly from Isaiah.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in Cologne Cathedral using high-quality microphones from Brüel & Kjær and Neumann.
Composition History
Josef Gabriel Rheinberger's 'Maria' from his oratorio 'Stern von Bethlehem' is connected to painful memories for the composer, as his wife was on her deathbed during its premiere.
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