Charles Tournemire was a French organist-composer from Brittany. Although not really "modern," he deserves more attention than he currently gets.
I'm a very critical sort of person, and there are just a handful of pieces in any given style which I am able to return to again and again. Tournemire's Symphonie-Choral Op.69 is one of these, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. An excellent recording:
I believe this one has not been reissued yet since ADDA went out of business and then came back.
A little article I wrote on Tournemire a while ago, describing some of the ways I find his music interesting. The article is rather dated at this point, and not really written for posterity, as it were.
There is a cycle of orchestral symphonies begun on the Marco Polo label; symphonies 1, 2, 4 & 5 have been released thus far. Symphony No. 6 is available on Valois, while Symphonies 3 & 7 are on ADDA.
The late organ symphonies (of which op.69 is the paramount example) are interesting primarily for their formal vigor, combined with compelling thematic material in a compact and satisfying way. In his later music, Tournemire was able to pack many ideas into a small span, without abandoning classical melodic development.
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Todd M. McComb 29 May 1995