Various Composers - Bastille Day (André Isoir)

Information

1. Claude-Benigne Balbastre - Marche des Marseillois et l’air Ça-ira (Version for Organ)
2. Guillaume-Antoine Calviere - Pièce en trio in E Minor
3. Michel Corrette - Deuxième Livre d’Orgue, Op. 26: Magnificat du 8e ton: I. Plein Jeu
4. Michel Corrette - Deuxième Livre d’Orgue, Op. 26: Magnificat du 8e ton: II. Duo
5. Michel Corrette - Deuxième Livre d’Orgue, Op. 26: Magnificat du 8e ton: III. Trio
6. Michel Corrette - Deuxième Livre d’Orgue, Op. 26: Magnificat du 8e ton: IV. Récit de Trompette
7. Michel Corrette - Deuxième Livre d’Orgue, Op. 26: Magnificat du 8e ton: V. Musette
8. Michel Corrette - Deuxième Livre d’Orgue, Op. 26: Magnificat du 8e ton: VI. Grand Jeu
9. Nicolas Sejan - Troisième Fugue in D Major
10. Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet - Douze Noël variés pour l’orgue, Op. 13: No. 11, Noël en grand chœur
11. Louis-Claude Daquin - Nouveau Livre de Noëls, Op. 2: No. 11, Noël en récit de taille
12. Guillaume Lasceux - Noël Lorrain
13. Claude-Benigne Balbastre - Quand Jésus naquit à Noël
14. Claude-Benigne Balbastre - Fugue en duo in D Minor
15. Christophe Moyreau - Pièces de Clavecin, Op. 5: No. 21, Les cloches d’Orléans (Version for Organ)
16. Guillaume Lasceux - Symphonie concertante
17. Guillaume Lasceux - Flûtes in D Minor
18. Guillaume Lasceux - Messe for Organ in F Major: XIII. Récit de tierce
19. Jean-Jacques Beauvarlet - La Victoire de l’Armée d’Italie
20. Michel Corrette - Nouveau livre de Noëls, Suite No. 1: IV. Noël provençal
21. Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle - La Marseillaise (Arr. for Organ by André Isoir)

André Isoir, organ

Date: 1975, 1985 / 2025

Label: La Dolce Volta

_____________________

Welcome to an historical exploration of the organ during the French Revolution.

The golden age of French classical music ended in 1764 with the deaths of Rameau and Leclair, ushering in a century-long decline broken only by Berlioz. In organ music, the downturn had begun earlier, as no successors matched the brilliance of François Couperin and Nicolas de Grigny, whose works around 1700 marked a peak. With waning religious sentiment, the organ remained tied to liturgy but lost creative vitality. The rococo era favored ornamental charm and sentimentality, yielding pieces that often resembled harpsichord or fortepiano transcriptions. Though lighter and more worldly, this repertoire retained a measure of dignity despite its superficiality.

André Isoir (1935–2016), born in Saint-Dizier, was one of France’s leading organists. Trained at the École César Franck and the Paris Conservatoire under Rolande Falcinelli, he won the premier prix for organ and improvisation in 1960. He went on to achieve international renown, winning first prize at St Albans (1965) and three consecutive victories at Haarlem (1966–68), earning the rare “Challenge Prize.” Over his career he recorded around sixty albums, winning eight Grands Prix du Disque and the Prix du Président de la République for his anthology Le Livre d’Or de l’Orgue Français. Isoir also valued organ building knowledge, enhancing his stylistic interpretations. He was organist emeritus at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres and of the Ordre National du Mérite.