Vincent Boucher - Tournemire: Mariae Virginis (2017)

"Charles Tournemire is, with Johann Sebastian Bach, my favourite composer," muses Vincent Boucher, titular organist at Montreal's iconic Saint Joseph's Oratory. We reached Boucher via email to talk about his new album, Mariae Virginis, the fourth volume of his ongoing project to record the complete organ works of Tournemire. It's due out April 14 on ATMA Classique.

"[Tournemire's] music is innovative, mystical, and poetic — music that won my admiration from the very first hearing. I count him among the most original and inspired composers of the 20th century. He is probably the biggest influence behind Olivier Messiaen’s style, who predicted that 'One day, the world will rediscover Tournemire.'”

Boucher is doing his part to fulfill Messiaen's prophecy.

Tournemire wrote a lot of organ music — 24 hours of it, to be precise. "[That's] more than Bach ever composed for the instrument," notes Boucher. "At the core is L’Orgue Mystique, a colossal monument comprised of 253 pieces, but there's even more: five symphonies, several suites, six poems, five improvisations, the Sept paroles du Christ, etc. To undertake this project is to face an unsuspected and gigantic quantity of music!"

Quantity, yes, but also quality. Boucher urges the listener to pay attention to the style of Tournemire's compositions, deeply rooted in plainchant and the unique colours of the organ. "The listener must understand that every piece of L’Orgue Mystique is written for a specific [liturgical] purpose, paraphrasing the Gregorian theme of the day," he explains.

"Also, Tournemire had a registration plan [for each piece] before he wrote the first note, which means that he had a unique organ sound in mind when he composed. As for the secular work, such as the Pièce Symphonique, it was written during the early part of Tournemire’s career, and resembles Louis Vierne, Charles-Marie Widor and other Romantic composers."

Tracklist:
1. Pièce symphonique, Op. 16
02. L'orgue mystique, Cycle après la Pentecôte, Op. 57 No. 35. In Assumptione B.M.V.: I. Prelude a l'Introït
03. L'orgue mystique, Cycle après la Pentecôte, Op. 57 No. 35. In Assumptione B.M.V.: II. Offertoire
04. L'orgue mystique, Cycle après la Pentecôte, Op. 57 No. 35. In Assumptione B.M.V.: III. Élévation
05. L'orgue mystique, Cycle après la Pentecôte, Op. 57 No. 35. In Assumptione B.M.V.: IV. Communion
06. L'orgue mystique, Cycle après la Pentecôte, Op. 57 No. 35. In Assumptione B.M.V.: V. Paraphrase-Carillon
07. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 In Assumptione B.M.V.: I. Introït
08. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 In Assumptione B.M.V.: II. Offertoire
09. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 In Assumptione B.M.V.: III. Élévation
10. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 In Assumptione B.M.V.: IV. Communion
11. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 In Assumptione B.M.V.: V. Chaconne
12. Postlude: In Assumptione B.M.V.
13. Postludes libres pour des antiennes de magnificat, Op. 68: Amen: In Assumptione B.M.V.
14. L'orgue mystique, Cycle de Noël, Op. 55 No. 2. Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: I. Prelude a l'Introït
15. L'orgue mystique, Cycle de Noël, Op. 55 No. 2. Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: II. Offertoire
16. L'orgue mystique, Cycle de Noël, Op. 55 No. 2. Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: III. Élévation
17. L'orgue mystique, Cycle de Noël, Op. 55 No. 2. Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: IV. Communion
18. L'orgue mystique, Cycle de Noël, Op. 55 No. 2. Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: V. Postlude
19. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: I. Introït
20. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: II. Offertoire
21. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: III. Élévation
22. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: IV. Communion
23. Petites fleurs musicales, Op. 66 Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis: V. Ricercare
24. Postlude: Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis
25. Postludes libres pour des antiennes de magnificat, Op. 68: Amen: Immaculata Conceptio B. Mariae Virginis