Fantaisie
12 Pieces, Op. 16 (excerpts)
- No. 1. Prélude
- No. 2. Fugue
- No. 4. Intermezzo
- No. 11. Adagietto
- No. 5. Carillon
Deuxième suite, Op. 27
- Prélude pastoral
- Allegretto con moto
- Andantino
- Finale: March
Heures mystiques, Op. 29, No. 4
- Entrée in E-Flat Major
- Offertoire in G Major
- Sortie in D Minor
Suite gothique, Op. 25
- Introduction - Choral
- Menuet gothique
- Prière à Notre-Dame
- Toccata

No decent or comprehensive classical music CD collection should be without any recordings of the organ music by French composer Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897). He was a contemporary of other iconic organist-composers like the Belgian born César Franck, and his French compatriots Vierne and Widor. And yet unlike these three his name is rarely mentioned within organ music circles. Had he lived longer than his short 35 years, a longer list of opus numbers might have reinforced his reputation. Nonetheless his music is masterfully crafted and firmly conceived with the qualities of the pipe organ in mind. It may be less harmonically advanced and/or technically demanding as the organ music of Vierne or Widor, but is fuelled rather by a strong melodic impulse like the music of Franck. He was also quite adept at writing Chamber Music.

Take for example the impressive Toccata from his Suite gothique, Op. 25. While both hands are playing a series of broken chords as fast as possible, the whole piece is driven forward by a mighty melody in the pedals that brings everything to a powerful finish (audio clip below). Or how about his most performed piece, the beautifully evocative Prière à Notre-Dame from the same suite. Was there ever an organ work so aptly titled? It's humble and reverent melody, like a penitent gazing upwards, and its use of soft stops like the Voix céleste, create an atmosphere second to none. I never tired of playing it myself back when I was an organist.

This release by Brilliant Classics is a reissue of recordings dating back to 1977 on the 1881 Cavaillé-Coll organ of Sint Augustinuskerk, Amsterdam, and 2002 on the 2000 Flentrop organ of Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk, Oostende, Belgium, originally released on the Cantilena label. Organist Piet van der Steen has studied organ with the who's who of the organ world including Marie-Claire Alain and André Isoir. He has performed on most of the larger organs in The Netherlands, and is organist at the Oud-Katholieke Kathedrale Kerk in Utrecht.