Sophie-Véronique Choplin plays Bach (2)

[Dataelus]

Not even she has this memorized or can play it without error. You can even tell how much she admires the man's work. Long live J.S. Bach.

[russedav5]

Someone already may have noted this, but, per the Schmieder (BWV) catalog, this is actually the prelude of BWV 546, Prelude and Fugue in c minor (I wish she could have played the Fugue also!), not BWV 549, as the video shows, which is in the right key, also a "Präludium und Fuge c moll," but the wrong piece!

[russedav5]

Though I would ideally prefer a Germanic organ and registration for the Great Master Bach, regardless of that, this is the great Ste Sulpice and thus one properly can only bow in wonder and admiration! Both Schnitger/Silbermann and Cavaille-Coll were simply astounding builders of ineffable exquisite sonic architecture, each in his own way, the latter's keyboards here skillfully molded by the fine artist Sophie-Véronique Choplin.

[maxjamesorgans]

Loving the registration but I wish there could be a little more grandeur in the magnificent playing...

[felix1360]

To show us an excellent organist at work at a magnificent instrument this is great. And for the sheer power of massive sound. However, to show us the voices within the music, the variations and structure of the piece, this is of less interest.

[kalimur]

mi piace molto anche se d'abitudine lo si suona più lento. thsk

[Skoogorganist]

Brave and beautiful playing! Madame Cauchefer-Choplin is a favorite!

[carrietide]

Madame je vous admire.

[atesci]

She rules...period...



[lastnameinthebook]

Damn that was good. Most organists play Bach too slow and mushy. This was perfect.

[douddy21]

J.S.Bach sur cet orgue, c'est difficilement audible et donc imaginable. J'admire les organistes et les oeuvres écrites pour ce genre de "monstre" Mais pas pour JS Bach. Mais félicitation pour le courage de tenter d'incompatible. Est-ce bien utile

[adrianmusic2009]

beautiful...beautiful....Prelu­de -C moll-J.S.Bach. God bless you-Sophie !! BRAVO !

[jutescrim]

Can you imagine for one moment the absolute master Bach at the organ and us watching!!!!

[SalHernor]

@jutescrim

there will be a lot of people making remarks as "this is way too slow or too fast; that note wasn't clear; the registration there is not good; Bach is not supposed to be played like that...." (Bach playing his own music is not supposed to be played like that...I'm sure a lot of people would say that...)

There are records of Rachmaninoff playing his own music, also Prokofiev, even Ravel...you can read the comments....

hehehe :)

[TimVr92]

a lot of people here in the Netherlands says you can't play Bach on a romantic cavaille coll organ. you shows the otherwise. I saw more video's on youtube when you play Bach in de st sulpice, and it is very very great!!

[ds1868]

@TimVr92 Actually nearly 40% of the pipework in St Sulpice is 18th Century by Cliquot. When Cavaille-Coll rebuilt the organ he carefully preserved the Clicquot pipework. He then added his own, but voiced it to synthesise with the earlier work. Thus most of the reeds and mixtures are 18th Century Cliquot, including the 32' Bombarde. Cavaill-Coll called this the 'synthesis between old and new' (his exact words) and is therefore quite remarkable - only a genius could achieve this!

[TheCatedral]

Admirable interprétation de Sophie Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin, comme toujours: Une très grande organiste, digne du poste aux claviers de l'Orgue de Widor et de Dupré. De la très grande musique. Tout y est: Onction, exactitude, maîtrise de la technique et connaissance de son Cavaillé-Coll... ce qui n'est pas peu.

Elle interprète Bach - entre autres nombreux compositeurs - avec un art consommé. Et avec tant de simplicité et d'humilité. Bravo.

[HowardJohnstone]

Mme Cauchefer-Choplin is well versed in playing this with great technical detail, however at full organo pleno this makes it out for heavy listening. Please show

some restraint in registration as it should, and please do not rush and you will

find it much easier to handle. (I´ve played this since the 70-ties, and listening

to myself made me understand a lot about presence and style.) For a french

organist this performance is otherwise very good!

[Claus12]

Ein BRAVISSIMO der Organistin

[snoodify]

Played way too fast. I don't know what it is with French organists, but except for Daniel Roth (and sometimes Jean Guillot) they have no feeling with Baroc Music. If it was played by someone like Karl Richter on the Coll organ, it would have sounded much better ;)

[codeman2008]

@snoodify

Guillou may have technique, but when it comes to interpretation and taste, he is downright terrible.

[snoodify]

@codeman2008 : I totally agree :)

[3NUNS]

@snoodify : Thankyou.

[wolnoscnieokielznana]

The best is organ in Leżajsk.

[Vierne7037]

Brilliant rendition! Bach played on a French romantic organ - what a combination!!!!!!

[barbibrl]

fantastico organo !!

fantastica esecuzione !!! emozionante

[sasgeza]

That is how this peice must sound! The tempo is also OK! Thanks St. Sulpice thx Sophie-Veronique!

[3NUNS]

@sasgeza : And, while you are at it, pass the champagne !

[rowlandorganlover]

This has to be by far the best organ in the world bar none. And with Mme. Cauchefer-Choplin & M. Roth presiding over this instrument it is in the best possible hands. Please record all of Bach's major organ works on this instrument with both of the organists taking turns playing them. That would be pure paradise!

[organosc]

Why has she coupled all 5 manuals together? Fortunately with pneumatic action I assume the touch is not 5x as heavy!

[JeanDavid8]

The touch should be pretty much the same, since the action is supplemented by Barker Levers.

[andpearce]

it's not pneumatic... at the most there may be barker levers...

[advisorC101]

It is Barker.

[BearAZ]

@organosc The magic of the Barker lever!

[powerkites16]

wow. what a magnificent tone...I wish i had a Cavaille Coll in my house...

[polsterj]

Then the sound of the Cavaillé-Coll will knock down your house!

[Ntalikeris666]

how big is your house?

[susta1N]

lovely

[Owdfolkie]

Glorious!!

[tww1491]

Brings tears to my eyes. Marvelous performance -- she is my heroine. Played the organ 50 years ago as a teen and know what work it is to play a "tracker" action. Stick with the piano nowdays.

[Wendy3634745673]

wow,have 2 beers an listen to this ...omg,amazing

[Isaiah6twothrueight]

intense - great job!

[breadvan1980]

Perfect execution but the plenum from the start to finish is a little hard to face.

[meyerchen86]

its bwv 546

[advisorC101]

She is wonderful! Thank you! I'm so glad that today we are able to capture such moments in time.

[advisorC101]

That organ is The emperor of all french organs!

[organum74]

Yes, with St Ouen in Rouen, a Cavaillé-Coll too.

[advisorC101]

Et c'est un magnifique Cavaillé-Coll, ainsi!

[marsvltor2]

I agree - to choose between S Sulpice and S Ouen would take someone braver than me... phenomenal instruments both...

[bohm2]

bella esecuzione!sarebbe comunque ,a mio pare, più apprezzabile e più chiara la tessitura contrappuntistica se fossero introdotti dei cambi di registrazione. Sembra pi più un brano romantico.

[joeyboi87]

thats one beautiful sounding organ and spohie plays fantastic!! I love this piece, its now quite a well known piece of organ music to brits after having been used at princes dianas funeral in westminster abbey

[organum74]

Saint-Sulpice a la chance de posséder des jeux de l'ancien Clicquot, et de ce fait ceux-ci peuvent bien faire sonner Bach.

Mais Bach, de toute manière, peut être joué sur un orgue purement symphonique, les puristes qui hurlaient naguère n'ont qu'à aller se rhabiller !

L'inverse n'est pas vrai : la littérature symphonique est catastrophique sur un orgue classique ou baroque.

[pianoandpipes]

Very interesting interpretation. I actually really like what the French organists do with Bach. It is so romantically musical. So, while I might not play it that way myself, I quite enjoy and appreciate their viewpoint and musicality in playing Bach.

[pbmineral]

Simplement fantastique

Bravo

[skyler6290]

Such fabulous verve and all those other ' v ' words: vim, vigor, and vitality!! Stunning performance - - - love love love to hear Bach played on the great French instruments!!

[m1riccabona]

It is BWV 546 and not 549...

wonderful piece played on an extraordinary organ...

[vanmusician]

At this tempo I can't hear a lot of the 1/8 notes. It sounds like 2 in a bar instead of 4. In the acoustic of St. Sulpice it would be a blur. This was the postlude at the funeral of Princess Diana - at a much more stately tempo.

[vanmusician]

Hmmmmm - very fast - wonder how it sounded out in the church? I've heard her play there. She's doing a recital and masterclass here in Vancouver this week.

[sovereign254]

I like the tempo, it brings "life" to the song even more so than it already had. I'm looking forward to her concert here in Vancouver, I am looking forward to attending it.

[YevgeniyAlexey]

So far I didn`t know that Bach wrote symphonic works for Cavaille Coll organs.

[redletterchurch]

Who knows what Bach would have written if he played at Saint Sulpice instead of Saint Thomas. He might have even used the swell pedal. I prefer to hear Bach played on a Cavaille Coll organ in a reverberant acoustical environment, with a French Romantic interpretation. Especially BWV 582. I also like to hear Bach played on Silbermann organs with a North German interpretation. Often, though, Bach is played without passion in a rather mechanical manner with a sometimes harsh registration.

[aal49]

Haha!  Very good.

[marsvltor2]

I was born into the era of the 'Bach Organ', with Barock organs being built everywhere. Like most of my age, there was a time when Bach could only be bearable when played on a Dutch/German instrument. Then I heard (I know it's corny) BWV565 played by Cochereau at N-D. It was an ear-opener. One has to be symphonic in playing Bach on a Cavaille - trying to be authentic just doesn't work. Cavaille or Schnitger - it's the musicianship of the player that counts: that's all that matters. Paul :-)

[latribe]

There's a fabulous 4 manual organ going to be scrapped in January if a home cannot be found for it on which one can play orchestrally as well as Bach - search "bach organ to be scrapped" and "vierne organ to be scrapped" to hear it.

[keanur1]

Excellent! Très inspiré et inspirant! Grandiose!! Sublime!!!

[redletterchurch]

I love hearing Bach played on this organ by this organist! I'm in love with all three! French Romantic Bach! It doesn't get any better!

[ruggerrugger31]

Fantastic! makes me want to practice more than ever! thanks for posting!!!

[Branchporter]

I love Bach so much that I may be his much less talented reincarnation! ;-)

If so, Bach approves of this performance, as do I!