Although Léon Boëllmann composed more than 150 pieces before his untimely death, his best known work by far is the four-movement Suite Gothique. The title highlights the work’s retrospective musical characteristics but also describes the aura of grandeur evoked by the first, second, and fourth movements. The first movement, with its grandiose opening, is essentially a study in echo effects, with quasi-modal chord progressions passed between manuals. This is followed by an energetic minuet in not-quite-ternary form, complete with contrasting trio section.
The city of Nancy (once the seat of the Dukes of Lorraine) is located only a couple of hours away from Boëllmann's home town of Ensisheim in neighbouring Alsace. Although much modified, the mighty organ in Nancy Cathedral still bears the hallmarks of its Cavaillé-Coll pedigree and is thus well suited for this music. It's an epic sound.
Despite the popularity of this music, its grandeur is never diminished so I hope that the addition of this rendition to those performances already uploaded is considered to be a worthy one.
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