Patrice Caire plays the Trocadéro Organ

[vleermuisje2]

Theodore Dubois for ever!

Al die organisten die zijn werk maar minderwaardig vinden en niet of nauwelijks spelen, moeten zich diep schamen.

Theodore Dubois heeft zijn werken in volle overtuiging en met grote muzikale inzet geschreven.

En ze zijn van grote kwaliteit.

Theodore Dubois for ever!

[EccentricRichard]

My God... what a truly hideous hall, what an ugly-looking organ. Really it ought to be repatriated to Paris, put in a proper reverberant concert hall like St George's Hall in Liverpool, or the organ hall in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, and have all its fonds and reeds returned to the Cavaillé-Coll sound (but keep the upperwork for Messiaen, Alain, Duruflé et al) - plus a new case and Barker-lever action would be required, of course!

[gerardbedecarter]

I would like to hear a performance of Piece Heroique on this organ.

[gerardbedecarter]

@gerardbedecarter ... without any unoriginal mixtures and mutations.

[gerardbedecarter]

Thanks for uploading this and also the interesting annotations and comments. Certainly the organ now has a rather brash sound. Not bad, of itself, but perhaps not like the sound Franck knew. The review of Franck's performance of his Trois Pieces at the Trocadero complained that the hall was far too reverberant [rather than being too dry]. The organ in the Trocadero had four manuals.

[roethinger]

Je ne suis pas fou de cette toccata de Dubois :-/ :-\ ...mais elle sonne bien sur l'orgue de l'auditorium de Lyon,dernier "vestige" à l'heure actuelle des orgues des salles de concert en France!

Mais bon...on m'a encore soutenu récemment que l'Orgue était un instrument "sacré" et qu'il ne saurait bien sonner ailleurs que dans une église!!! :-( :-( Donc si ça vous plait tant que ça les organistes,moi je ne me bat plus pour populariser cet instrument!!!"

[leonboelmann]

grande Patrice Caire...

nitidezza ed equilibrio nella scelta della registrazione....

e gran bell'organo

[ThirtyTwoFoot]

This Cavaille-Coll organ was originally built for Notre Dame d'Auteuil in Paris. It ended up in the Palais de Chaillot and this is its resting place! (for the time being).

[FromHolbergsTime]

This is really a fine sounding instrument and it is thrilling to hear it again after so many years. What a marvelous history this organ has experienced, first at the Paris Exposition of 1878 where it was played by Widor, Saint-Saens and by Franck who wrote "Piece heroique" for the inaugural event. The Palais de Chaillot was designed for the 1937 World Exhibition, and that's the designation given for Virgil Fox's recording with the Paris Opera Orchestra conducted by Georges Pretre. Fabulous!!!

[Mitchosaure]

An almost forgotten composer, on an almost forgotten organ by an almost forgotten organist, died too early...Let's hope that a new impulsion would be given to this wonderful instrument by talented servants like Pierre-Yves Fleury or, for a pair of seasons Thierry Escaich who let the Verdun & St-Etienne-du-Mont in Paris consoles to the good care of his friend Vincent Wargnier the time for him to grant Lyon of his inventive presence at the four manual console of the Maurice Ravel Auditorium organ.

[caddyorganist]

One of my favorite pieces!

[bombarde1701]

I have never heard of Patrice Caire until I was given a couple CDs of Caire at the Crystal Cathedral. A great performance here! So this is the same organ Virgil Fox recorded the Jongen on? Nice.

[ccoraxfan]

Well now I'm happy to find out that I'm not the only one who occasionally has trouble with left and right hands decoupling! Listen from 6:00 to 6:15

Still one of my favorite pieces. Not a bad sounding organ either!

[Audinos]

I could tell it was a Cavaillé-Coll just by listening. No builder since has ever reproduced his sound.

[julorg]

Have you ever heard a Cavaillé-Coll before ?

[klodg]

Belles images oui mais aussi belle pièce inspirante. Dubois c'est Dubois ! Grand mystique..

[ThirtyTwoFoot]

Wonderful for Durufle. It has the right mixture sound for his music.

[Leonorabp]

Escellent... Je me demande bien où vous avez récupéré certaines photos, d'ailleurs ! Enfin un grand merci, et si vous en avez d'autres je les attends avec impatience !

[marsvltor2]

Fascinating to hear the 'mortal remains' of a once historic instrument. Thank you so much for posting.

P :-)

[1963mathetes]

Thanks for posting this! You are so right, JFSnail...judging from the recording this organ is a real "sleeping giant" that deserves more exposure on CD. I had only a passing knowledge of Monsieur Caire, but it sounds like he was an absolutely tremendous musical talent. Can you post more of this CD?

[a55b47]

I bought the old Virgil LP of the Jongen when it first came out, & labored in vain to find out more about the instrument. I think this was the first time the piece had been recorded, & the music itself was just stunning (if a little bit overblown, IMHO). The recording was not a sonic masterpiece, & people (as usual) had a few bones to pick w/ Virgil's performance. But heard live (as I did a few years ago @ Washington Cathedral), the music is knock-your-socks-off caliber.

[CoutureOrganiste]

The 32' reed definitely has a CC quality to it. Wonder if it was altered at all?

[marsvltor2]

The contra sounds like a thoroughbred C-C example. Wonder how it would sound in a decent acoustic?

P :-)

[chwidder]

Cavaille-Coll's Trocadero organ is not really "forgotten". It's just that the instrument reconstructed in Lyons, and on which Caire plays, hardly has any of Cavaille-Coll's beauty left in it...

[JFSnail]

Looking through an old copy of the Organ October 1591, its says Gonzalez added 14 stops mostly mixtures and mutations, and what Gonzalez didn't like he revoiced. Perhaps the mixtures dont help, they are rather boldly voiced. And the lack of casework may be a factor too.

[chwidder]

Actually, this organ has been moved (and modified) *twice*. First by Victor Gonzalez after the old Trocadero building was taken down in 1937, to be moved into the newly built Palais de Chaillot, then again in the 1970s by Georges Danion (Gonzalez's successor), from Chaillot to Ravel.

[JFSnail]

Apologies for the poor sound quality! The organ was recorded VERY closely anyway, but if I have time I will try transferring again.