Guy-Ropartz: Complete Organ Works Markus Eichenlaub

• Joseph-Guy Ropartz (1864 - 1955):
• 1Introduction et Allegro moderato09:29
• Three pieces:
• 2I. Sur un thème breton05:03
• 3II. Intermède06:23
• 4III. Fugue07:11
• Premiès et secondes Vêpres des Saintes Femmes:
• 5I. Dum esset Rex in accubito suo01:20
• 6II. In odorem unguentorum02:03
• 7III. Iam hiems transiit01:58
• 8IV. Veni electa mea02:08
• 9V. Ista est speciosa01:37
• 10VI. Simile est regnum03:35
• 11VII. Manum suam aperuit inopini - Verset02:59
• 12VII. Manum suam aperuit inopini - Coda01:07
• Rhapsodie sur deux Noëls populaires de Bretagne:
• 13Rhapsodie sur deux Noëls populaires de Bretagne07:40
• Offertoire pascal:
• 14Offertoire pascal07:12
• Deux petites pièces:
• 15I. Andante con moto04:13
• 16II. Poco lento03:16
• Au Pied de l'Autel, Vol. 2:
• 17V. Allegretto02:47
• Au Pied de l'Autel, Vol. 1:
• 18XXXVII. Andante espressivo02:04
• 19XII. Allegro03:23
• Six Pièces pour Grand Orgue:
• 20VI. Fantaisie15:05
• Trois Méditations:
• 21III. Non troppo lento07:20
• Six Pièces pour Grand Orgue:
• 22V. Prière pour les trépassés10:12
• 23I. Prélude funèbre07:59
• 24II. Prière07:06
• Trois Méditations:
• 25I. Lento05:16
• Six Pièces pour Grand Orgue:
• 26IV. Thème varié04:04
• Trois Méditations:
• 27II. Adagio08:44
• Six Pièces pour Grand Orgue:
• 28III. Sortie09:24
• Total Runtime02:30:38

Info for Guy-Ropartz: Complete Organ Works

With this new complete recording of the grand organ works of Joseph Guy-Ropartz (1864-1955) Aeolus presents another luxury album!

As an Aeolus customer you could already listen to French late romantic organ music in the succession of César Franck on our SACD "... et après César Franck?" Kurt Lueders there presents the composition "Invocation à César Franck" by Joseph Guy-Ropartz. The organist of Speyer cathedral Markus Eichenlaub now invites you to discover together with him the complete grand organ works of this composer (with the exception of his harmonium works). For this recording we have chosen the rarely heard Aristide Cavaillé-Coll organ (1898, III / 40) of the Parish Church of Santa María la Real in Azkoitia (Basque Country). Built at the time when the composer created his first works, it ideally corresponds to his sonic ideas. It's rich romantic sound (captured by Aeolus producer Christoph Martin Frommen), the cathedralesque acoustics of the church as well as the sensitive and classy interpretations of Markus Eichenlaub guarantee pure listening pleasure!

This edition comes in the elegant PocketPac with a 36-page, consistently four-color booklet. The extensive booklet text has been written by the famous French musicologist François Sabatier. Each album reaches over 75 minutes playing time. This edition offers everything the heart of the lover of French organ romantics may desire ...

The sound of the Aristide Cavaillé-Coll organ (1898, III / 40) in the parish church of Santa María la Real has always fascinated me since my first visit there in 1993. The foundation stops are of velvety richness, the solo stops of great poetry and the powerful reeds of noble radiance. In addition, we find two horizontal trumpets, such as Cavaillé-Coll only built four times for his organs (Toulouse-Saint-Sernin, Loyola-Santuario de San Ignacio, Rouen-Saint-Ouen, and Azkoitia). Capturing this fascinating instrument in the grandiose acoustics of the church was an incredibly exciting task, which has been a great pleasure for me. I used DPA 4006 microphones for the stereo version as well as Schoeps M221 B (a rare tube microphone from the 1960s) with diffuse field capsules MK23 for the 5.0 surround version.

It is a pleasure for me to now share with you my own enthusiasm in the realization of this project. (Comment by producer Christoph Martin Frommen)

Markus Eichenlaub, organ

Markus Eichenlaub
Since 2010 Markus Eichenlaub has been responsible for the entire liturgical and concert organ music in the world’s largest Romanesque cathedral, the cathedral of Speyer. In addition, he coordinates the cathedral’s musical activities on the bishopric level as the diocesan church music director.

He received his musical childhood education from his father, who taught him to play the piano. At the universities of Karlsruhe, Hamburg and Stuttgart, he studied organ playing with Kay Johannsen, Pieter van Dijk and Jon Laukvik (church music and concert exam). As a professor of the Folkwang University of Essen from 2000 to 2010 he he directed an organ class and as assistant professor he taught organ playing at the Gutenberg University of Mainz from 2014 to 2017. Among the numerous highlights of his career have to be mentionned the concert with the world-famous “Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela” in Caracas in 2008, as well as his concert debut at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in autumn 2015. From 1998 to 2010 his musical basis was the activity as a cathedral organist at the cathedral of Limburg. There he had the opportunity to musically organize a great variety of liturgical celebrations and concerts, including the performance of the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach in a cycle of sixteen concerts. He has also performed all ten organ symphonies of Charles-Marie Widor at the cathedral of Speyer in 2012 in a cycle of five concerts.

His frequent activities as a performing artist and a jury member as well as his numerous awards at international competitions – including the first prize in 1997 at the “International Schnitger Organ Competition” in Alkmaar/Netherlands – and radio-, television- and many CD-recordings testify of his artistic creativity and his repertoire diversity.

As an editor and composer he published numerous works with leading publishers (Carus, Bärenreiter, Schott, Butz). Renowned composers like Enjott Schneider, Jür- gen Essl, Naji Hakim, Jan Janca, Christopher Tambling, and Andreas Willscher have dedicated works to him.

Booklet for Guy-Ropartz: Complete Organ Works