Immerseel

Sony Classical is delighted to announce the reissue of its recordings by Tafelmusik, the celebrated period instrument orchestra. Originally released between 1989 and 1998, they are all being issued together for the first time in a single Sony Classical box set of 47 CDs. Founded in 1979, the Toronto-based ensemble “has built in its special field a reputation as solid as those of the New York or Berlin philharmonics”, declared The Washington Post. The New York Times summed up Tafelmusik’s achievements, writing that “beyond its impeccable discipline and luminous textures, the group displays an expressive sensibility that transcends the instruments, whether strung with gut or wire”.

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.