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| Gabriel Pierné |
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937), whose compositions are being celebrated on
my other blog, also was a distinguished conductor and organist. This post looks at a few of the records he made leading the Orchestre Colonne, which he conducted from 1910-32.
The recordings, dating from December 1929, pay homage to two French composers of an older generation - Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-94) and César Franck (1822-90).
For Chabrier, Pierné chose the work that is still the composer's most popular - the orchestral rhapsody España. The lively and memorable piece set off a fashion for Spanish-themed works among French composers, including Debussy (Ibéria) and Ravel (Rapsodie espagnole). (It also "inspired" Perry Como's 1956 hit, "Hot Diggity.")
Franck is represented by a contrasting work, his solemn Prelude, choral et fugue, a brief piano work here in an orchestral transcription by the conductor. Pierné was one of Franck's organ students, and later succeeded him as organist at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris.
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| César Franck and Emmanuel Chabrier |
The recordings, remastered from transfers on Internet Archive, were originally issued on Odéon. The transfers come from somewhat later US Decca pressings. The sound is vivid despite a relatively constricted frequency response, which tails off below 200Hz and above 4.5kHz. It does provide a good representation of the sound of the Orchestre Colonne under its distinguished conductor.
LINK
For more on Pierné as conductor, please see
this post on Internet Archive by my friend Satyr. It includes Berlioz's
Carnaval Romain Overture, Grieg's
Peer Gynt Suite no. 1 and the
Berceuse from Stravinsky's
L'Oiseau de Feu (The Firebird). Pierné led the 1910 premiere of the work for the Ballets Russes.
