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Pater Seraphicus
(Audio CD)
David Enlow

David Enlow plays the 12 major organ works of César Franck in this 3-disc set.  Inspiration for the title of this 2011 release comes from a common nickname for the composer Franck: Pater Seraphicus.  The organ of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, near Times Square in midtown Manhattan, New York City, provides a sumptuous acoustic and an instrument that is remarkably well-suited to the works of Franck.  A QuickTime video is also included on Disc 3 of the set, in which David Enlow provides insight into the recording project.

Released as a Triple Digital Audio Compact Disc.

This album is soon to be distributed digitally by Naxos and its streaming and download affiliates.

$19.98

84 in stock


Additional Details

Format: Digital Audio CD
Label:  PRO ORGANO
Catalog Number:  CD 7247
Length: 161’ 27”
Tracks:  15
Organ: Aeolian-Skinner, revised Mann and Trupiano
Venue: Church of St. Mary the Virgin, New York City USA
Recorded: 05/08/2011
Released: 11/10/2011
Producer: Frederick Hohman
Notes Author: David Enlow
Notes Language: English
Graphics Format: 16pp book, traycard, jewel box
UPC #: 636077724725

FFAO (Federation Francophone des Amis de l’Orgue) At first hearing, the entry of the reeds is surprising, or even confusing, as their character is very different to that which our ears are accustomed to. We must over-ride that, and put aside our Franck-ist and Symphonic atavism. David Enlow truly has much to say in the works of Franck, which he has perfectly comprehended and which he renders with personal expression while remaining faithful to the spirit of Franck. This approach is well suited to American organs, of which the organ at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in New York (Aeolian-Skinner Op. 891, 1932, revised and augmented from 1988-2002 by Mann and Trupiano) is a flagship. – 000

l’Orgue, Revue Indépendante, December 2012
”…the interpreter of this Franck set is David Enlow, graduate of the best American schools. He is a pure example of what the U.S. can offer for an organist at its best: perfect technique, inventive, flexible, vigorous musicality, free of conventions of registration that often make Franck’s music so boring on the Old Continent.In short, we have here all the ingredients of a lively rendering neither too fast nor too powerful, with magnificent reed colors, a sense of phrasing of extraordinary good taste and a subtle and effective rubato. Compared with the two very beautiful sets of Franck works mentioned above, we are here in a state of total surprise at a happy encounter with a joyfully revitalized ’Pater Seraphicus.’” – Georges Cattin, trans. Monique Dori

The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians, November 2012
“Enlow‘s playing is sensitive, is dramatic in its effect on the listener, and the full capability of Aeolian-Skinner is heard here. His conviction about this music, its importance for the modern ear, its serenity, and its transformative power is present in every piece. This is a masterful recording, abounding in heart.“ – Jonathan Dimmock

The Juilliard Journal Its dense, radiant spectrum of timbres shows Enlow’s masterful command of the Aeolian-Skinner instrument’s enormous range … Throughout, the combination of Enlow’s mastery and the church’s resonance should make Franck admirers very happy. … the introspection and sensitivity he [Enlow] seeks are evident in every bar. – Bruce Hodges

David Enlow is widely known as a concert organist of great accomplishment and distinction, both in his native Canada and his adopted homeland the United States. 

He is Organist and Choir Master of the church of the Resurrection in New York City where he directs a professional choir. He is a member of the organ faculty of The Juilliard School in New York and Sub-Dean of the NYC Chapter, American Guild of Organists.

Mr. Enlow holds both an undergraduate and a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School where he studied with John Weaver and Paul Jacobs. He also studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and with John Tuttle in Toronto. 

He is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, where he won the S. Lewis Elmer prize, and an Associate of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, where he won the Barker Prize. David Enlow has won several national performance competition first prizes including those of the Arthur Poister Competition and the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival USA.
 


His choir at the Church of the Resurrection performs over fifty mass settings each season, often with orchestra. While in Philadelphia he was Sub-Organist of St. Clement’s Church, and an assistant at the famous Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, the world’s largest playing musical instrument.

01 • Fantaisie in C, Opus 16 • César Franck • 12’53”
02 • Grande Pièce Symphonique, Opus 17 – Part One • César Franck • 10’13”
03 • Grande Pièce Symphonique, Opus 17 – Part Two • César Franck • 8’24”
04 • Grande Pièce Symphonique, Opus 17 – Part Three • César Franck • 7’41”
05 • Prélude, Fugue and Variation, Opus 18 • César Franck • 11’8″
06 • Pastorale, Opus 19 • César Franck • 8’48”
07 • Prière, Opus 20 • César Franck • 14’16”
08 • Final, Opus 21 • César Franck • 12’14”
09 • Fantaisie in A • César Franck • 15’36”
10 • Cantabile • César Franck • 6’46”
11 • Pièce Heroïque • César Franck • 9’7″
12 • Choral No. 1 in E Major • César Franck • 15’19”
13 • Choral No. 2 in B minor • César Franck • 14’36”
14 • Choral No. 3 in A minor • César Franck • 14’24”
15 • Video Feature (QuickTime File – plays in most computer CD drives) • On the making of Pater Seraphicus • 9’30”

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