Catalogue Connection: 25159

This is Volume Six in Divine Art’s series of Carson Cooman organ music releases, of which I previously reviewed Volumes One and Five in 38:1 and 41:2; the label has also issued three discs of his orchestral and chamber music, of which I dissected the first in 37:3. This new issue, named for the piece The Cloak and the Stars, consists mostly of works dedicated to the German organist-com¬poser Andreas Willscher, a disc of whose music I discuss elsewhere in this issue. The dedicatees of the other pieces are the German-Sorbian composer-organist Felix Brauer (Entrata, Festiva, Ciaconna angelica), Beate Leibe (Gebet), the Italian organist Luca Massaglia and his fiancée (not “fiancé” as in the booklet notes) on their engagement (Sketch No. 3), and the German organist-com¬poser Walter Zielke (Variations on a Theme of Andreas Willscher).

As is Cooman’s wont, all the works here are of fairly brief duration, with individual tracks (16 total) ranging from 2:46 to 7:19 in length, though in this case there are three multi-movement works, with the longest (the Variations) lasting 19:14 total. Being primarily devoted to various devotional subjects—St. Francis of Assisi, St. Andrew the apostle (the namesake of Andreas Willscher), and sim¬ply prayer (Gebet)—most of the music on this disc is quiet, tonal, and consonant, striking much the same mood without much variety. The exceptions are the start of the opening track (which I continue to find rather jarring when it first comes on—I think putting that piece somewhere later in the disc would have been a better move), the Entrata festiva, the Toccata second movement of the Diptych, the Sketch No. 3, and the first and fourth movements of the closing San Andreas Suite. The finale of the last-named, with its churning, Widor-like figurations, is my favorite cut on the album and makes for a fine closing. Consequently, while all of the music is solidly crafted, this is not a disc that always repays listening to in a single sitting unless one is in a particular mood, and is best sampled in smaller doses. As always, Erik Simmons is a first-rate champion on Cooman’s behalf, and here he has a lovely instrument in the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Abbey of Saint-Etienne in Caen, France, accessed remotely through Hauptwerk software. The booklet states that these are live performances; if an audience was present, it is totally inaudible. In sum, fans of Cooman’s music will definitely wish to add this to their burgeoning collections; recommended accordingly.

This sixth volume in Erik Simmons’s survey of Carson Cooman’s organ music is playing a losing battle in keeping up with the prolific young composer. All 10 works were composed in 2017 with several, including the meditative title track, referencing St. Francis (as many dedicated to Andreas Willscher, three of whose symphonies Cooman has recorded).

The dominant accent is contemplative, the exuberant Entrata festiva a notable exception. Both the two larger pieces – Three St. Francis Legends and San Andreas Suite – move seamlessly between the sublime and the ecstatic, with Simmons making much of low registers and revelling in the unfettered energy that concludes the Suite.

The Cloak with the Stars – Music for Organ by Carson Cooman vol. 6 is a selection of works by this American composer and organist. Erik Simmons recorded several of the earlier volumes in this series and now enjoys an established reputation for a level of expertise with Cooman’s repertoire. Simmons performs using the Hauptwerk system digital sampling technology, and data from the organ of the Abbey of Saint-Etienne, Caen, France. The instrument was built by Cavaille-Coll in 1882-85 and despite its age, is the newest of numerous organs that have been in the Abbey since its founding by William the Conqueror in 1066.

One of Cooman’s strengths as a composer is his ability to use programmatic material, he remains free enough to create highly atmospheric works that deliver more of a feel about the subject matter than a linear storyline. Three St. Francis Legends is an excellent example. The disc’s finest track, however, is Diptych for a New Life, a tribute to the life-giving imagery of the sun. Cooman’s writing is colourful and highly effective.

Carson Cooman is a prolific American composer born in 1982 with a catalogue of works in many forms, ranging from solo instrumental pieces to operas, and from orchestral works to hymn tunes. His music has been performed on all six inhabited continents and has appeared on over 25 recordings. As a concert organist, he specialises exclusively in the performance of new music and over 130 new works have been written for him by composers from around the world. He is also a writer on musical subjects, producing articles and reviews, and serves as an active consultant on music business matters to composers and performing organizations.

Cooman’s organ compositions come in many styles, from liturgical models, to more gritty and substantial pieces such as his organ symphonies and preludes and fugues. Volume 6 in Divine Art’s series of his music features recordings of Erik Simmons playing the 1882 Cavaillé-Coll Organ of the Abbey of Saint-Etienne in Caen, France. Simmons plays with fine technique and assurance and the live recording quality is outstanding. The compositions (all written in 2017) are the stirring Three St. Francis Legends, Piccola fantasia francescana, The Cloak with the Stars (a shimmeringly beautiful piece), Entrata festiva, the exciting Diptych for New Life, Gebet, Sketch No. 3, the beautiful Ciaccona angelica, Variations on a Theme of Andreas Willscher, and the evocative San Andreas Suite. Much of this music, tonal and accessible though never lacking in complex chromaticism, was written for and dedicated to the German composer Andreas Willscher whose works Cooman is also recording for Divine Art.

The rate at which composer/organist Carson Cooman writes and publishes new music for the organ will never cease to amaze me. His previous recording was released in July of this year (2017), and now only four months later we see the release of Volume 6 in the Divine Art series of recordings featuring Erik Simmons at the organ. And even more impressive is that one would think that at this rate all of his compositions would sound the same as if coming off an assembly line, but quite the opposite, they are all distinctively different and varied in style, expression and technique. All the pieces on this CD are new compositions from this year, but organist Erik Simmons plays them as confidently as if he’d known them for years.

For example, the first of the St. Francis Legends is stoic and slow, and is a great model of how harmonic progression should work, whereas the Toccata from the Diptych for New Life is highly spirited, exuberant, and a fun listening experience. The Ciaccona angelica is a beautiful adagio with an inspired melody drifting over an almost motionless bed of serenity and calm, while the Entrata festiva, as its title implies, would certainly add circumstance to anyone’s procession up the centre aisle. The tolling of the heavy bells in Carillon in festo S. Andreae apostoli played on the pedalboard of the organ, may seem repetitive, but using a touch of compositional magic, the harmonically shifting chords on the keyboards make them seem different. And befitting a great ending, the final chord of the Toccata périgourdine will rattle anything not bolted down.

The instrument you hear on this recording is the 1882 Cavaillé-Coll Organ of the Abbey of Saint-Etienne, Caen, France. This recording was produced in live performance via the Hauptwerk system, which involves MIDI and virtual models of actual instruments. It would take too long to explain clearly how this works, but it is certainly worth your time to investigate it further. It’s almost like being in two places at once, or rather like playing an instrument remotely in real-time. If you have a MIDI keyboard and computer at home, you could be playing this Cavaillé-Coll pipe organ in your own living room, by simply downloading the required software. Quite fascinating!