Parisian Cathedrals and Boulevards at ORGEL•PUNKT 12 at Basel Cathedral

The concert program “Parisian Cathedrals and Boulevards” is a musical journey that takes the listener straight to the heart of Paris, where the solemn tranquility of the cathedrals contrasts with the street noise and hustle and bustle of the city. Notre Dame, Sacré-Cœur, Pont Neuf, the Eiffel Tower, and other famous Parisian landmarks appear before the audience like musical postcards, reflecting the spirit and grandeur of this metropolis.

In addition to their magnificent architecture, all of Paris’s cathedrals and churches also possess an exceptionally rich musical heritage, linked to the organs housed there and the schools of organists and composers that developed around them. Most of these organs were built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who—born in 1811—brought many innovations to organ building. Among other things, the newly invented Barker mechanism made it possible to play monumental instruments with a light touch. Above all, however, he created an entirely new spectrum of orchestral timbres, laying the foundation for a symphonic organ style.

From then on, the organ was able to mimic the entire orchestra and its various instrumental sections. The concert’s opening piece, “Cathédrales” by the legendary blind Notre-Dame organist Louis Vierne (1870–1937), is a profound homage to the sacred architecture and spiritual atmosphere of Paris’s cathedrals. Majestic soundscapes resonate here in dialogue with imploring, harmonically ambiguous motifs that hint at the struggles and quests of the human soul. Notre-Dame is undoubtedly the most famous Gothic cathedral in the world, a fact reflected repeatedly in this program. It is also home to one of the largest Cavaillé-Coll organs, featuring five manuals and 87 stops. Louis Vierne served as organist at Notre-Dame for a total of 37 years, and his work is inextricably linked to this instrument and this place.

Henri Mulet’s (1878–1967) cycle “Esquisses Byzantines” is inspired by the Sacré-Cœur in Paris, next to which the composer grew up. Built in the Romanesque-Byzantine style, the basilica stands out against the Parisian skyline thanks to its white color and its location high on the hill of Montmartre. Mulets’ collection paints colorful musical pictures of various details of the sanctuary. One of the most enchanting pieces in the ten-part cycle is the intricately woven “Rosace,” which conjures before the listener’s eyes the divine play of light through a stained-glass window. Mulet’s compositional style was also closely linked to the 19th-century Cavaillé-Coll organ.

Julien Brets’s (b. 1974) musical language transports us to the present. In his cycle “Images de Paris,” he takes the listener on a tour of various Parisian landmarks, from Gare Saint-Lazare and Pont-Neuf to the Eiffel Tower. It is a colorful stroll through the vibrant life and historic charm of the streets of Paris. Brets’s approach to the organ is witty and humorous; at times, it sounds like an accordion or a barrel organ. Julien Bret is the organist at the Church of Saint-Ambroise in Paris.

The program concludes with Pierre Cochereau’s (1924–1984) “Suite Française,” which was composed in 1973 as an improvisation at Notre-Dame and transcribed by François Lombard. Cochereau was a world-renowned concert organist and a brilliant improviser. His improvisations were often based on French folk tunes, which reflect the rich cultural history that still resonates today in the melodies of the streets of Paris (including the Marché des Rois). Cochereau served as organist at Notre-Dame in Paris for nearly 30 years, and so the circle is complete: Bienvenue!

INES MAIDRE studied piano and organ at the Tallinn State Conservatory, where she graduated with honors in 1985. From 1989 to 1991, she continued her studies with Prof. Daniel Roth in Paris, graduating with the Prix d’Excellence avec félicitations. From 1994 to 1998, she studied harpsichord and Baroque interpretation at the Grieg Academy in Bergen, where she now serves as an organ instructor. In 1991, Ines Maidre won first prize at the Concours Musicale d’Ile de France. Since then, she has performed throughout Europe, Latin America, and the United States, including at many international festivals. Her focus on historical performance practices in early music and her virtuosic mastery in interpreting Romantic and contemporary repertoire attest to Maidre’s high level of musical competence and lend her repertoire an impressive versatility. Collaborations with various soloists and ensembles—including those featuring Gregorian chant, dance, percussion, harp, strings, and synthesizer—have resulted in a series of successful concerts featuring original programs. Under the baton of conductors such as Neeme Järvi, Martin Fischer-Dieskau, and others, she has appeared as a soloist in various concerts featuring organ and orchestra (Poulenc, Jongen, Barber, Kapp, Lepnurm). Her performances are documented on several CDs released by Toccata Classics, Grappa, Antes, Forte, Eres, and Carillon Music. www.inesmaidre.com

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.