I won’t mince words. MDG’s first installment in its complete Marcel Dupré organ works cycle is so poorly engineered that it virtually disqualifies itself from the competition. The distant miking reduces the mighty Cavaillé-Coll Organ Saint Ouen in Rouen to the aural equivalent of stargazing from the wrong end of a telescope. More’s the pity, for Ben van Oosten’s steady traversal of the oft-recorded Symphonie-Passion stands out for its distinct registrations and rhythmic clarity, particularly in the agitated opening movement. Good as it is to have the beautiful Evocation performed on the very organ for which Dupré composed this piece, Oosten’s detailing evaporates in the sonic murk. Until Philips restores Dupré’s regal and authoritative self-interpretation of the Symphonie, stick with Daniel Roth’s solidly engineered and brilliantly performed version on Motette, or Stefan Engel’s swifter, more dryly engineered bargain on Naxos.
