Welcome to the website of the Rieger
in the Christchurch Town Hall,
New Zealand
KRISTIAAN
SEYNHAVE
plays CÉSAR FRANCK
Kristiaan Seynhave
1st Prize Winner, International César Franck Competition,
Haarlem 1998.
on the new Van den Heuvel organ
Sankt-Franciscus Kirche, München
Trois
Pieces
1)
Fantaisie in A major
2)
Cantabile
3)
Piece Heroique
Choral
No. 3 in A minor
Total
playing time 64.13
Looking
at Kristiaan Seynhave's pedigree one would naturally expect an
impeccable product.
Listening to his all-Franck recital on the marvellous 1993 Van
den Heuvel organ at the St Franziscus Kirche in Munich, it is immediately
obvious that Seynhave knows his way around the organ and is mostly
well-practised and yet the end result is not wholly satisfying.
Seynhave is at his best in the Grande Piece Symphonique, the most
extensive work of the programme and one that is clearly close to his heart,
even referring to it in his sleeve notes as the birth and baptism of the French
organ symphony. Curiously the year of birth (1862) is not mentioned. In the Fantasie
he gives a nearly perfect account but does not achieve enough tension in the
poco animato section, mainly because the large repeated chords are smoothed out
rather than stressed. Some of the phrasing is a little breathless. In the Piece
Heroique, there are moments such as in the massive dotted chordal sequences where
he loses drama and therefore the "Heroique" flavour, so
derived from strong rhythm. In many ways the Third Choral was the most
disappointing account. This almost over-indulged warhorse has both enormous
drive and pathos. The most lyrical sections come across in this performance almost
as being weary.
Franck, although a native of Liege in Belgium, is usually credited with
dragging French music up from operetta and brash facile offerings to noble
and artistic works, especially in the fields of chamber, symphonic, piano
and organ music. He is especially notable for his melodic lines and rhythmic
drive, even though the latter has often been criticised for frequent pauses,
usually caused by manual registration changes. Kristiaan Seynhaven does
not always give individual phrases a chance to breathe, and the most lyrical
passages suffer as a result.
The French School have furnished several complete recordings of Cesar
Franck's organ works, including Jean Langlais, Andre Marchal, Andre Isoir,
Marie-Claire Alain and Jeanne Demessieux. Franck's pupil Charles Tournemire also
recorded the 3rd Choral, Cantabile and two pieces from L'Organiste. In all
these cases there is a unifying interpretation which embodies clarity of line,
strong rhythm and melodies which really sing.
If Kristiaan Seynhave were to
breathe more, he would be among them.
