Rêves

Description

When I discovered the organ about ten years ago, it was above all its orchestral dimension that immediately fascinated me. It therefore seemed natural to me, a few years later, to turn to the performance of transcriptions of symphonic works, even to the point of making some myself. I also found that this repertoire made it possible to introduce the organ to a wider audience. Around the same time, discovering the music of Jean-Louis Florentz marked a decisive turning point in my journey. His writing for the organ, deeply orchestral, makes exceptionally rich use of the full range of the instrument’s resources and colors, and especially those of mutation stops. For the program of this album, the idea then naturally arose to pair Debout sur le Soleil by Jean-Louis Florentz with transcriptions of orchestral works by Claude Debussy, one of his great sources of inspiration: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune and Nocturnes. The choice of instrument fell on the Van den Heuvel organ of Saint-Eustache, for which Debout sur le Soleil was composed, and which I have been fortunate enough to play regularly in recent years as a student of Thomas Ospital. Thus, the richness of this instrument’s timbres, combined with the exceptional acoustics of the venue, serves the music of Florentz just as admirably as that of Debussy. Finally, the works brought together on this album share the same universe, that of wonder and dream. Florentz’s music is nourished by his many travels, while Debussy draws his inspiration from poetry for Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune and from the visual arts for Nocturnes.