Elgar played in Verdun Cathedral

Francois Henri-Houbart plays the heroic organ in the cathedral at Verdun. This organ was largely the work of Theodore Jacquot, who rebuilt the organ after the previous instrument (built by the firm of Jacquot-Jeanpierre & Sons of Rambervilliers) was all but destroyed by WWI and neglect. The Cathedral was a favourite target of the Germans during the war, the organ and case was miraculously spared damage but when it was removed to storage, the pipes were bent to fit into crates and then stored for a while in the nave, then open to the elements. Theodore Jacquot managed to restore the casework in 1927 and the virtually new organ (save for about 15 stops) was completed in 1935 and inaugurated by Marcel Dupré who professed it to be one the very best organs in France.

Its 64 stops are distributed across four manuals, Grand Orgue, Recit and Positif Expressif, powerful Bombarde division with 16/8/4 stentor fonds et anches and 11 ranks of mixtures, and the Pedale with its famous & thunderous 32' Bombarde, the 'Cannon of Verdun'. The specification is very much that of the Cavaille-Coll symphonic school, flutes, imitative reeds and strings in abundance.

Elgar needs no introduction, his Pomp and Circumstance March Op 39 No.4 was one of five marches, it was completed in 1907 and is played here in the transcription by Bryan Hesford. The piece was dedicated to George Sinclair organist of Hereford Cathedral.

Francois Henri-Houbart was born in Orléans in 1952, he received his musical education from Michel Chapuis, Suzanne Chaisemartin, Pierre Lantier and Pierre Cochereau. He is currently titulaire at the church of La Madeleine, Paris since 1980 and teaches the organ at the Orléans Academy of Music.

This recording comes from a CD Houbart recorded in May 1993 for the Forlane label UCD 16694. Other pieces include the Boellmann Suite Gothique, Dupré's Cortege et Litanie and an improvisation on La Marseillaise. I think the CD is no longer available.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Pipe
• Organ
• Francois
• Henri
• Houbart
• Verdun
• Cathedral
• Elgar

[stormkingfan]

Then I should look for recordings done on Jacquots.

[JFSnail]

@stormkingfan Trouble is there aren't that many! There is another large Jacquot however in Rouen Cathedral, that too is very impressive!

[stormkingfan]

Those are the most impressive pedal reeds I've heard on a Gonzalez, especially at 32', or were those Bombardes built by someone else?

[JFSnail]

@stormkingfan As mentioned in the notes above, the organ was built by Theodore Jacquot in 1935. Gonzalez merely restored the organ in 1986.

[hoefje14]

Brillant. Love the phrasing and sense of "direction" in this interpretation, combined with good control of sonorities. 

[Jscola30]

Look for a cd called Le Grand Orgue Heroique that's in print

[jamesbkozak]

I agree, lovely organ. Impressive. Blah, blah, blah. But more impressive is this performance. Spot on tempi, immaculate articulation, very orchestral registration. Francois Henri-Houbart understands the arc of the piece which many orchestral conductors do not. I was thrilled and delighted. So there.

[LJBSasha]

With other places, one could use MORE contrast (especially with Swell-boxing).

All in all, 4 stars...

[LJBSasha]

A few places where the dynamic contrasts jar excessively, but - on two hearings, I'm definitely impressed (now yours truly has got to check with a genuine British instrument to see how they'll really compare...).

[LJBSasha]

Remarkably good!!! Really good in fact!! Now, how about that somebody prove matters further by playing the same composer's G-major Sonata (Op.28), likely to be harder given this organ lacking divisional pistons!??

Nevertheless, it was truly well done (when remembering Sir John Barbirolli's recording of this piece...).