L’Esprit Symphonique Français

Composers often transcribed symphonic compositions for the orchestra for either piano duo or duet. Although intended for piano, their orchestrations were inevitably reduced to suit the new media, though these rarely capture more than a ‘black and white’ picture, despite the originals being so rich in orchestral colours. However, using four hands and four feet on the organ makes it possible to incorporate all the orchestral parts and reorchestrate (or we might even say ‘colourise’) all these versions, allowing us to return to the composers’ original thoughts. It is a sort of round trip: from the orchestra to the piano reduction and from that version to the organ. This allows us to take a fresh look at these masterpieces and reintroduce them to the public in a new and exciting manner.

With Lyrebird Music, the Vernet-Meckler Duo has published For Two to Play Bach, a world premier critical edition of Gustav Holst’s own arrangement for two organists of ‘Neptune’ from The Planets in the composer’s organ duet version.

The duo has also published transcriptions of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera-ballets, Le Rameau d’Olivier (Sinfonie d’Orphée, 2022). The Vernet-Meckler duo has recorded a dozen discs which specialist international press reviews have acclaimed. The music in this volume contains the program of their CD Apprentis Sorciers (Ligia Digital – Lidi 0104360-21).

Contents:

1. Maurice Ravel: Boléro (Op. 8)
2. Claude Debussy: Symphonie in B minor
3. Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre (Op. 40)
4. Camille Saint-Saëns –– Poco Adagio, Symphonie avec Orgue (No. 3, Op. 78)
5. Charles-Marie Widor –– Andante, Symphonie pour Orchestre No. 1 (Op. 16)
6. Louis Vierne –– Scherzo, Symphonie pour Orchestre (Op. 24)
7. Paul Dukas –– l‘Apprenti Sorcier