Louis Vierne ‒ 3 Nocturnes,

Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), 3 Nocturnes, (1915 - 1916) Performed by Georges Delvallée 00:00 - No. 1 La Nuit avait envahi la nef de la cathédrale 09:07 - No. 2 Au splendide mois de mai lorsque les bourgeons rompaient l’écorce 14:47 - No. 3 La lumiere rayonnait des astres de la nuit, le rossignol chantait After completing the twelve preludes for piano, Vierne returned to a happier and serene style in his music. Composed from December 1915 to January 1916, these nocturnes are the most “Debussy“ works by Vierne. As we know, Vierne was never attracted to Debussy’s Impressionism. He said: “... not free from genius influences, but his own hand and style magic to do no doubt. This is the man of impressions, but idealized impressions. Creator of vaporous atmospheres of blurred horizons, delicate atmospheres and subtle nuances, he is the most magnificent artist, the most beautiful contemporary nowadays. All his followers are grimacing monkeys. I would not demean their talent but I can however not support the statements in which they are deemed ’genius’.“ The impressionistic nights are not a reference to Debussy but correspond to a true inner poetry. In the literature of the nocturne for piano, besides John Field (the creator of the genre), it generally holds that Chopin and Fauré. Certainly Vierne wrote only three nocturnes, but they are of equal quality to the best of Faure (as the sixth and seventh). Again, one wonders why these pieces are seldom played in concert, as they received much praise during their creation. Nocturne No. 1: Lento in A minor. “The night had invaded the nave of the cathedral ...“. The cathedral in question is the Basilica of Saint-Ouen (Rouen) where Albert Dupré (Marcel’s father) had taken Vierne December 1, 1915 for an evening to try its magnificent Cavaillé-Coll. Vierne was strongly marked by the nocturnal atmosphere of the building, at least enough to immediately note his thoughts on paper. This vast night thus described the huge vessel of Saint-Ouen with its imposing arches, games of light and shadow, vaults, pillars ... both visual impressions but also because hearing rumble the organ in the distance. We can of course help to bring this piece of Sunken Cathedral Debussy. But the vision of Vierne, less tied to a legend, has a more solemn and grandiose side. A beautiful page that always impressed me by its mysterious atmosphere. Nocturne No. 2: Adagio cantabile in E major. “In the beautiful month of May, when the buds broke the bark ...“ (Intermezzo Heine). This night is very close to the first of Fauré. But where the latter proves impenetrable, Vierne can not hide his feelings and exults in a loving joy. Work of profound poetry, one feels a little happiness around every rating, every sentence, every harmony. Nocturne No. 3: Larghetto espressivo in D flat major. “The light shone the stars of the night, the nightingale sang ...“. In fact, it was a blackbird. Vierne confessed in his memoirs: “I made some bad deeds in my life. Although very scrupulous in matters of copyright, did not I a frustrated day of his poor blackbird in favor of an imaginary nightingale? “. After this anecdote, we listen carefully to this pure masterpiece. A masterpiece the theme of beauty and incredible purity. A masterpiece of generous theatrics. A masterpiece of magical and subtle poetry where the nightingale freely dialogue with the poet. And especially a masterpiece that sings, sings constantly enchanted us, to no end. In short, this is a fine example of one of the most beautiful piece by Vierne, if not the most wonderful. (Sorry for my poor translation, I tried my best to translate from French)