Liszt / Clement - Confluences [CD]

The programme of Maurice Clement's album Confluences represents 'a process of merger' in which works by a number of composers are contrasted with one another. Taking a transcription of the Prelude from Tristan (in a concert version arranged by the composer) as point of departure, the pieces illustrate the influence of Wagner on German and French composers from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth. This musical concept also goes to justify the particular choice of instrument, since the organ used for the recording is well suited to both the 'Germanic' world and the more hedonistic French spirit. The interpretations (which take into account historical, analytical and aesthetic considerations) therefore also benefit from the hybrid nature of this instrument: built by Dalstein & Haerpfer and reconstructed by Manufacture d'Orgues Thomas, it represents a successful synthesis of the two sound worlds. It is therefore able to do equal justice to both Liszt and Franck, and to create a coherent and captivating symphonic context for the chosen transcriptions.