Duration: 38 minutes

Description: Louis Vierne (1870–1937), the celebrated organist of Notre-Dame de Paris, composed his Pièces de fantaisie, Opp. 51, 53, 54, and 55, during 1926–1927, creating a cycle of twenty-four character pieces organized into four suites. Written late in his career, these works represent the culmination of Vierne’s distinctive musical language, blending the grandeur of the French Romantic organ tradition inherited from César Franck and Charles-Marie Widor with the richer harmonies and atmospheric colors of early twentieth-century French music. Several pieces reflect Vierne’s experiences during his successful 1927 American tour, while others evoke vivid images, moods, and places, from the haunting Cathédrales and sparkling Naïades to the famous Carillon de Westminster, inspired by the chimes of London’s Houses of Parliament. The first suite received its premiere on February 4, 1927, in the Wanamaker Auditorium in New York, performed by the composer himself, while other pieces were introduced individually in recitals in France and abroad. Pièces de fantaisie is regarded as one of the crowning achievements of the French organ repertoire; together with Vierne’s six Organ Symphonies, these suites form a cornerstone of the concert organ tradition, with Carillon de Westminster ranking among the most frequently performed and recorded organ works of the twentieth century. Pieces de Fantasie, Op. 54 (Suite No. 3 for Organ) includes the following movements: 1. Dédicace; 2. Impromptu; 3. Étoile du soir; 4. Fantômes; 5. Sur le Rhin; 6. Carillon de Westminster. Reprint edition.

• M223391 / 36-M223391 PIECES DE FANTASIE STE 3, OP. 54 SOLO $13.95Buy Now