Louise Cliffe, Kerri Guiney, Emma Van De Velde (fr0nt 08 2007 Uk)

For his new album "Belgian symphonic organ", Antwerp cathedral organist Peter Van de Velde has recorded a delightful program with lots of exciting rarities: at the centre of the program is a world premiere recording of the three-movement organ symphony in B minor by Camille Jacquemin (1899 - 1947), a student of Vincent d'Indy and Louis Vierne.

In Greek, the word signifies the reshaping (ana) of a form or image (Morfe). Since the Renaissance, artists have reshaped and experimented with perspectives on images. However, such reshaping can also occur in music, and this idea constitutes the concept of this album. The starting point of this album are compositions by Chopin (I) and Ravel (II), which are subsequently transformed into contemporary idiom and “perspective”, in the Chopiniata by Clément Doucet (I/1) or Anamorfosi by Salvatore Sciarrino (II/1).

Worthwhile extension of the repertoire of French-symphonic organ music on the largest symphonic organ in Belgium! The transcriptions of key works by César Franck recorded here by Peter Van de Velde on the historic organ of Antwerp Cathedral (1891) show, in comparison with his great organ works, how strongly the composer thought of his other pieces from the organ - or how closely he based his organ works on his orchestral, piano and chamber music works. A corresponding quotation from him is handed down. When asked about the organ in his parish church, he said: "My organ? It is an orchestra!

There were a number of influences that contributed to Franck’s distinctly personal compositional method, with two having the most substantial impact on his late style: the Austro-German tradition, particularly their notion of structural unity; and the tradition of France, the country where he lived for the vast majority of his life.

Paulien Van Schaik takes a big risk for a young Dutch singer, not only tackling some of the most popular standards from the Great American Songbook, but doing so backed solely by bassist Hein Van De Geyn and trumpeter Bert Joris. Fortunately, her gamble pays off. The leader's clear voice and precise enunciation benefit from the sparse accompaniment, starting off with a delicious take of "Embraceable You".

Now that the whole world is literally and figuratively shaken up, we want to reach people with special music from a time in which everything was also at risk: the period after the First World War. We want to convey an artistic message in which quality and content are central and not the volatility of social media.