‘In the world of the organ, the constant re-examination of aesthetics, whether in organ building or in how we make them sound, has shaped the journey of musicians of my generation. I believe that historical research can enrich our perspectives or challenge us. However, musicological information must not take precedence over the spontaneous connection to […]
Interview with Benjamin Alard Issue 72 has just been published! This issue’s main feature focuses on competitions, and you will find testimonials from numerous musicians. Among them is Benjamin Alard, a leading figure in the contemporary organ world, who kindly agreed to take part in this survey. Having studied with Louis Thiry, François Menissier, Andrea […]
The news came as a sudden shock: Michel Dautry passed away last Saturday, 14 March. His death casts a shadow of profound sadness over the article dedicated to him in our spring issue, ON72, which was published just days before his death. His account, recorded by Annie Kalifa and Catherine Robert, is an invaluable gift […]
‘Competition’: a word that immediately conjures up images of sweat, stress, early mornings, and litres of coffee consumed in an attempt to prove one’s worth. But where does this strange human invention come from, whereby individuals are judged through a test claimed to be fair? It all began in Antiquity. In Greece, the best citizens […]
An adventurer of pipes It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Paul-Louis Siron, who passed away on January 20 at the age of 101. Orgues Nouvelles had the pleasure of publishing a portrait of him in the form of an interview by Martine Hahn in its 53rd issue (summer 2021). […]
Marie-Claire Alain would have been one hundred years old on 10 August 2026. Included on the list of fifty personalities or events selected by the Institut de France for the 2026 National Commemorations, the great organist will be honoured in a variety of ways. Erato-Warner will be releasing a centenary box set in her honour, […]
In a 2009 article, Gilles Laprévote discusses the booklet accompanying a box set of three Pathé-Marconi LPs featuring recordings made between 1929 and 1957 by Édouard Commette on his organ at the Primatial Church of Saint John in Lyon – some of these recordings were included in the box set Orgues et organistes français du […]
30 years of the festival Toulouse les Orgues
The search for lost works by J.S. Bach has a long tradition. Since the nineteenth century, Bach enthusiasts such as Mendelssohn have endeavoured to preserve and conserve these works, rescuing them from oblivion. However, when these pioneers attributed a piece to Bach, they often did so more by intuition than by rigorous analysis. Today, rigorous […]
Various CDs allow us to appreciate Edouard Commette’s talent as both a performer and a composer. But who was this French organist, whose name adorns a small, shaded square on the south side of Lyon’s Saint-Jean Cathedral?Gilles Laprévote reminded us of this in an early issue of Orgues Nouvelles (2009). Born in Lyon in 1883, […]
