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César Franck gradually abandoned his career as a virtuoso pianist as he completed his training under various Parisian masters, one of whom was the organist François Benoist. Franck then served as organist in various important Parisian churches from 1853 onwards before accepting a position at Sainte-Clotilde, where he benefited from Cavaillé-Coll's brand new instrument. He composed works for the organ as well as in other genres that became part of the apotheosis of what is now termed Le Renouveau français. Franck also composed pieces specifically intended for the harmonium. We are proud to mark the bicentenary of his birth with a reissue of his complete works for organ and for harmonium, in which Joris Verdin's fascinating interpretations have incorporated Franck’s own recently discovered metronome markings.

A little-known Franck: Legend has it that César Franck (1822-1890) did not really find himself until the 1870s. This would be to ignore a huge part of his career as a composer! Barely younger than his model and mentor Franz Liszt (1811-1886), whom he met in 1837, he began, like Liszt, to experiment with new musical forms at a very early age, and throughout his life he let his inspiration speak for itself without limit. His chamber music is, in this respect, one of the most fascinating markers of his artistic trajectory, the essence of which has yet to be rediscovered.

While studying the composer's archives, Darina Maleeva discovered Melancolie, a late work by Cesar Franck. She gave the first performance in Europe, Japan and the United States. Lemoine Editions published the work in her own revision in 2002.This CD also presents two other little-known and fascinating pieces by the young Cesar Franck, as well as a deeply sensitive interpretation of the famous Sonata. Darina Maleeva and Xavier Lecomte de la Bretonnerie present here a unique program of rare and unpublished works by Cesar Franck.

César Franck gradually abandoned his career as a virtuoso pianist as he completed his training under various Parisian masters, one of whom was the organist François Benoist. Franck then served as organist in various important Parisian churches from 1853 onwards before accepting a position at Sainte-Clotilde, where he benefited from Cavaillé-Coll's brand new instrument. He composed works for the organ as well as in other genres that became part of the apotheosis of what is now termed Le Renouveau français. Franck also composed pieces specifically intended for the harmonium. We are proud to mark the bicentenary of his birth with a reissue of his complete works for organ and for harmonium, in which Joris Verdin's fascinating interpretations have incorporated Franck’s own recently discovered metronome markings.