Poulenc: Organ Concerto; Saint-Saëns: Organ Symphony

Poulenc Organ Concerto Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony
    
Artist: James O'Donnell, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Francis Poulenc, Camille Saint-Saëns
Genre: Classical
Label: LPO

These recordings come from this year's Pull Out All the Stops festival, which celebrated the restoration of the Royal Festival Hall's Harrison & Harrison organ with its 7,866 pipes. James O'Donnell and Yannick Nézet- Séguin are smart and sharp in Poulenc's stylistically eclectic, always engaging Organ Concerto of 1938. Saint-Saëns's 1886 Organ Symphony is the 19th- century spectacle that audiences remain most attached to, and Nézet-Séguin's grasp of its myriad innovative orchestral texturings is always sure. By the end, no one will doubt about the restored instrument's facility, from snarling to seduction, thundering and blasting to soft- cushioned, hushed caresses. Tracks from the album can be streamed on the London Philharmonic Orchestra's website.

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor