Vierne: Symphony No. 2 & Les Angélus (Organ of Westminster Cathedral)

Featuring

David Hill
Gordon Jones
Louis Vierne

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Instruments

The Grand Organ of Westminster Cathedral, where this recording was made, was built by Henry Willis & Sons between 1922 and 1932 and underwent a complete overhaul and restoration in 1984.

Critical Reception

Claude Debussy, a renowned French composer, highly praised Vierne's Symphony No. 2, writing that "Old J S Bach, the father of us all, would have been pleased with Monsieur Vierne."

Compositional Technique

Vierne's Symphony No. 2 utilizes a cyclic form, where themes from the first movement (Allegro) are derived and developed throughout the subsequent movements.

Composition History

Vierne's Symphony No. 2, dedicated to organ-builder Charles Mutin, was composed in 1902 and established Vierne's use of cyclic form in his symphonies.

Performer Biography

David Hill, the organist on this recording, was Organ Scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, and studied organ with Gillian Weir and Peter Hurford.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Vierne's organ music was directly inspired by the Cavaillé-Coll organ in Notre Dame, and its ideal realization requires a similarly proportioned instrument and resonant acoustic.

Composer Biography

Louis Vierne, a near-blind native of Poitiers, served as organist of Notre Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death in 1937 at the keyboard of his beloved organ.