Three breathtaking hits!

This SACD from Pentatone is immediately seductive in its fidelity to the acoustics of the Victoria Hall, reminding us of the complete Bruckner symphonies with the same Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. The opening bars of this beautiful third symphony by Saint-Saëns are tenderly caressed by Kazuki Yamada's supple, organic conducting, which moves the work forward with conviction like an architectural line. Towards the end of the first movement, the Japanese conductor relaxes the atmosphere once again, and marvelously anticipates the second, where - magic moment! - the entry of the organ pedals admirably supports the unison of the strings, without detracting from the richness of their timbre. In the third movement, PrestoA few small shifts don't bother, because it's the momentum that prevails, just like at the concert. As the Maestoso final, so eagerly awaited by all organ lovers, our "king of instruments" masterfully deploys the full play fortissimo, to great effect. And, according to the libretto (!), the symphony ends in triumph: "recorded at Victory Hall, Geneva"!

Francis Poulenc's pre-war masterpiece, his organ concerto expresses the paradoxes of his soul: a Parisian gaiety contrasting with the religious intimacy reminiscent of his choirs. a cappella. To quote the composer, it's " Rather, Poulenc on his way to the cloister! Christopher Jacobson does not hesitate to draw out rather aggressive, even shrill stops, to which Kazuki Yamada responds with delicacy and spiritual fullness. Fortunately, the two performers come together in moments of calm, at the heart of beautiful registrations, which merge harmoniously with the orchestra; on the other hand, others hide inner voices, notably those of the viola and cello solos in the coda. Moreover, here and there, the organist could breathe more freely, listening more to the orchestra. Of course, the console's distance from the orchestra doesn't help: we remember this difficulty with the old instrument, which, alas, burned down in 1984. On the other hand, the latter was closer to the color palette of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll's organs, the source of Poulenc's inspiration.

As a gift on this SACD, our virtuoso offers the famous Toccata by Widor, frequently recorded and played at countless weddings! Admittedly, we would have preferred to find a more original piece, by Maurice Duruflé for example, who premiered Poulenc's concerto in 1939 and made a reference recording of it for EMI in 1961. Nevertheless, Christopher Jacobson dispatches this Widor "hit" in an athletic, breathtaking manner - but not the organ's!

Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony); Poulenc: Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani; Widor: Symphony for Organ No. 5, Toccata. Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Christopher Jacobson, organ; Kazuki Yamada, conductor. Pentatone PTC 5186 638