Adagio and Final from 3rd symphony

There are the last two movements from Vierne's 3rd symphony :
at 0:00 : the Adagio (4th)
at 7:27 : the Final (5th).
plus, at 13:46 some bars of the Adagio played at the tempo indicated on the score.

Both are generally considered among Vierne's very finest compositions, and they IMHO gain much to be heard consecutively ; the contrast enhances both of them.

The adagio could be qualified as the organ equivalent of the adagio from Bruckner's symphony n7. It is a long serene meditation. After the exposition comes at 2:03 a brief touching song on the flute solo - then, from 2:42, a more animated section - then everything goes progressively back to serenity until the atheral conclusion (from 5:39 to the end).

This Adagio has one of the most disturbing tempo indications ever written by Vierne : quarter = 84. It'd give less than 4'30 for the whole adagio when CD recordings are between 6'30 and 9', most of them around 7'30. From 13:46, you'll find some demo-bars played at Vierne's tempo. You'll judge but, IMHO, it is justified only if the player is late to catch his train or plane.

The Final is a passionate piece which begins with a stormy atmosphere (as often with Vierne), but ends with a glorious and luminous carillon (from 13:00 ). The crescendo from 8:20 is, IMHO again, the most spectacular among Vierne's crescendos.

Here again, tempo problem with quarter = 120 on the score. Whatever might be written on the score, my conservation instinct strictly forbade me to launch into such a dangerous affair as 120 :-). I rather aimed (or tried to aim) at roughly 100 for the first theme and around 92-96 for the second theme. Anyway, I simply cannot play it faster than recorded.

BTW : the fact that final from Vierne's 1st and final from 2nd were uploaded yesterday and final from 3rd today isn't the result of any conspiracy by Vierne's CCH fans :-) :-)