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1868 Cavaillé-Coll organ at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
The world is filled with joyful music at Christmas time, and nowhere is the music more exuberant than in the organ lofts of France. Beginning already in the 1600s, the tradition of holiday organ concerts grew to be so popular that in some places the French clergy outlawed them-their ‘dulci jubilo’ having swung a bit to far into the jubilo end of things. But why not? Even the angelic hosts would smile at the joyous works of Jean Guillou, Pierre Cochereau, Jean-Francois Dandrieu and the others, whose genius enlivens the vaults of Notre Dame Cathedral and other churches in Marseilles, Thiérache and Rouen and whose music brightens every corner during this remarkable season. Philippe Gueit, Andre Isoir, and Rene Oberson also play their part in this Pipedreams pageant.
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GIGOUT: Rhapsodie sur des Noëls –Philippe Gueit (1868 Cavaillé-Coll/Church of Saint Joseph, Marseille, France) Sonpact CD-90225
LANGLAIS: Noël breton –René Oberson (1992 Ayer-Morel/Saint Laurence Collegiate Church, Estavayer-le-lac, Switzerland) Gallo CD-700\
DUPRÉ: Variations on Adeste fidelis –John Scott Whiteley (1890 Cavaillé- Coll/Church of Saint Ouen, Rouen, France) Priory CD-619
GUILLOU: Rondo-Improvisation on The First Noël; Divertimento-Improvisation on Joy to the World –Jean Guillou (1988 Kleuker-Steinmeyer/Tonehalle, Zürich, Switzerland) Dorian CD-90119
DANDRIEU: Noël Variations. BROSSARD: Kyrie, from Missa pro Tempore Nativitatis Domini –Ensemble Parlement de Musique; Martin Gester (1714 Boizard/Abbey Church, Saint Michel en Thiérache, France) Temperaments CD-316005
HURÉ: Pour la communion d’une messe de minuit a Noël –André Isoir (1967 Kern/Church of Saint-Brice d’Ay, France) Calliope CD-9933
COCHEREAU: Variations sur un noël (homage to Marcel Dupré) –Pierre Cochereau (1868 Cavaillé-Coll/Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France) Solstice CD- 152