Grandes PiAces Symphoniques (Incls Widor-Symphonie, Op. 13 No. 4)

"First-class performances and recording make this the ideal CD for beginners and aficionados of the French organ repertoire alike: very strongly recommended."
(MusicWeb Recording of the Month Nov 2007)

Performed on Liverpool Cathedral's great Henry Willis organ - one of the largest in the country.

Franck's rarely recorded Grand Pièce symphonique is recorded here for the first time on a British organ.

The vibrant Liverpool Cathedral sound is perfectly captured on this release on a hybrid surround SA-CD, which plays on a normal CD player, but for those with surround-sound SA-CD reproduction, the quality or reproduction is astounding.
Ian Tracey presents his second solo organ recital disc for Chandos on the enormous Willis organ of Liverpool Cathedral with which he has had a life-long association. Organist's Review wrote on his first solo disc, 'Tracey has an absolute feel for the building and the organ… its wonderful palette of well-nigh incomparable soft solo colours enlivens the softer moments in the programme which will bring pleasure to many'.

Ian Tracey is well established as one of the leading exponents of French organ music. He studied in Paris with Isoir, and received many lessons from Langlais, a pupil and successor of Franck at St Clotilde. He comments that the Willis organ is very French in its constitution; it has forty-seven reeds which, combined with its generous acoustic, makes it very suitable for the performance of this type of repertoire. On this disc Ian Tracey aims to bring fresh insights to works by some of the greatest French masters of the instrument, and offers authoritative and distinguished interpretations that centre on the impressive Grand Pièce symphonique by Franck. Amongst the other works are Widor's Organ Symphony No. 4, Saint-Saëns's Allegro giocoso from the Sept Improvisations and Tournemire's Improvisation sur le 'Te Deum', reconstructed by Duruflé. In 2006 the University of Liverpool conferred upon Ian Tracey the degree of Doctor of Music, in recognition of his long and distinguished service to music in Liverpool and of his national and international reputation as a musician.