This release features two of the most famous compositions in Western music history, though not quite as the listener knows them. As with many canonic works over the course of time, Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite have been boldly reimagined here for organ 4-hands; transcribed by Alexander Därr, these pieces find inventive solutions to the challenges of colour and texture posed by the originals, and yet are respectful of the range and potential of the instrument.
A matter of intrinsic creativity, therefore, which contrasts with earlier times in which transcriptions were a means of introducing opera to wider audiences, enriching the repertoire of certain instruments and providing adaptations for different ensembles. Also included on the set is Ralf Bölting’s lively Toccata Française sur le nom Helmut, a magnificent composition that celebrates great works of the past and calls for an enormous amount of skill on the part of the players, who are faced with what one critic described as a ‘staggering tour de force’. It’s an exciting ‘filler’ on a release detailing consummate performances by maestros Emanuele Cardi and Gianfranco Nicoletti, two of Italy’s leading organists.
00:00:00 The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: I. Miniature Overture
00:04:47 The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses Caractéristiques. March
00:07:44 The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses Caractéristiques. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
00:09:52 The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses Caractéristiques. Russian Dance
00:11:26 The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses Caractéristiques. Arabian Dance
00:14:22 The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses Caractéristiques. Chinese Dance
00:15:44 The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: II. Danses Caractéristiques. Dance of the Reed-Flutes
00:18:28 The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a: III. Waltz of the Flowers
00:27:03 French Toccata on “Helmut”
00:37:16 Carnival of the Animals: I. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion
00:40:04 Carnival of the Animals: II. Hens and Cockerels
00:41:15 Carnival of the Animals: III. Wild Asses
00:42:05 Carnival of the Animals: IV. Tortoises
00:44:00 Carnival of the Animals: V. The Elephant
00:45:44 Carnival of the Animals: VI. Kangaroos
00:46:33 Carnival of the Animals: VII. Aquarium
00:49:17 Carnival of the Animals: VIII. People with Long Ears
00:50:24 Carnival of the Animals: IX. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods
