Fantômes from the third suite of the 24 Pièces de Fantaisie (Op. 54, No. 4) by Louis Vierne performed by Ben Bloor on the 45 stop 1954 Downes/Walker organ of the London Oratory Church on Thursday 15th October 2020.

Louis Vierne had a very difficult life. Blind from an early age, he lost his brother and son to the First World War, his wife left him for a close personal friend, and he was frequently overlooked for high-profile teaching jobs at the Paris Conservatoire. Nevertheless, he was Organist Titulaire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for the last 37 years of his life – indeed, he tragically died of a heart attack at the organ console during his 1750th recital – and his organ compositions are an enduring legacy, adored by audiences and organists for their inventiveness and originality. The 24 Pièces de Fantaisie were composed while on summer holiday in 1926 and 1927 and showcase Vierne at his most creative.

Although Vierne very much respected the solemnity of sacred liturgy, he argued that the organ ought not to hide when it comes to playing non-religious music in church, saying ‘the always elevated style of organ music, even if it takes the form of a scherzo, lends it the required dignity so as not to give offence in the holy place’. That said, the only one of his organ works that he specifically marked ‘for concert use only’ is Fantômes, which pictorially explores the notion of fate. In this piece, a varied array of characters (including an old pedant and a monkey) is depicted by the different tonal colours of the organ in discrete sections. ‘The Evoker’, who is portrayed with the low grumble of the reeds asks each character the question in turn – ‘Who prepares the future?’ The answer from the organ-grinder is ‘It belongs to misery’, while we hear a rendition of ‘O sole mio’ in typically chromatic fashion for Vierne. The piece finishes menacingly with ‘Fate’ itself answering ‘it is nowhere and everywhere’ on the anguished tones of the Vox Humana stop. Could it merely be coincidence that this piece concerning fate begins on the very same low E pedal note that Vierne played when he died at the Notre Dame console in the middle of his final recital?

Ben Bloor is Organist at the London Oratory Church and School Organist at Westminster School. For more information, please visit [ Ссылка ]

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