Duration: 13 minutes

Description: Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877–1933) composed Three Impressions, Op. 72 (Trois Impressions) for organ in 1909, at a time when French Impressionism was exerting a profound influence on European composers. Dedicated to the celebrated French organist Alexandre Guilmant, the three movements (1. Harmonies du soir; 2. Clair de lune; 3. La Nuit) reflect Karg-Elert’s admiration for the harmonic language and atmospheric sonorities of Claude Debussy while remaining firmly rooted in the German Romantic organ tradition. Indeed, the title Clair de lune deliberately echoes Debussy’s famous piano movement, and throughout the cycle Karg-Elert employs whole-tone sonorities, modal inflections, and coloristic effects to create evocative musical landscapes that were unlike anything previously written for the organ. The work was published in 1909 and quickly attracted attention among leading organists for its innovative style and refined craftsmanship. Today, Three Impressions, Op. 72 is regarded as one of Karg-Elert’s finest shorter organ cycles and one of the earliest and most successful syntheses of French Impressionism with German organ writing, occupying a respected place in the international recital repertoire and admired for its imaginative registration, harmonic richness, and poetic atmosphere. Reprint edition.

• M147391 / 36-M147391 3 IMPRESSIONS OP.72 SOLO $5.95Buy Now