Justadad Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Does anyone know the story of this visually interesting organ? As far as I can make out from the site the inauguration has been delayed because dust struck the instrument dumb and locals have had to provide board and lodging for people to come and fix it (but I don't speak French so I may have entirely the wrong end of the stick). http://orgues.evreux.free.fr/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJJ Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Does anyone know the story of this visually interesting organ? ...http://orgues.evreux.free.fr/ It looks as if the whole thing has had to be taken apart and cleaned for some reason. We are down that way at Easter - 'maybe take a look. AJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHM Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Does anyone know the story of this visually interesting organ? ... (but I don't speak French so I may have entirely the wrong end of the stick). http://orgues.evreux.free.fr/ Try clicking the Union Jack symbol. There is an English version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Sayer Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Try clicking the Union Jack symbol. There is an English version. Yes, but this amusing semi-Franglais version doesn't seem to explain the dusty disaster to which Justadad refers. It's amazing how often church authorities spend a fortune on the organ and then start sandblasting the stonework or something similar. This sort of blunder seems to happen more often in France than anywhere else. JS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justadad Posted March 1, 2007 Author Share Posted March 1, 2007 When I looked it just said "Inauguration delayed". Try clicking the Union Jack symbol. There is an English version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJJ Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 When I looked it just said "Inauguration delayed". And Google translation services did not help much either!! AJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee Blick Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Yes, but this amusing semi-Franglais version doesn't seem to explain the dusty disaster to which Justadad refers. It's amazing how often church authorities spend a fortune on the organ and then start sandblasting the stonework or something similar. This sort of blunder seems to happen more often in France than anywhere else. JS I doubt it. The organ case looks as if it has been deliberately built to protect the instrument from that sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PF Baron Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 In fact, this organ is paid on public funds (and not by the church, or only for a small part), grouping the town of Evreux, the region, and the french state. Concerning what happened, the whole organ was ready for the opening concert, when a company in charge to install electrical devices (lights, I think) performed some drilling through the walls, generating a lot of abrasive dust ; everything had to be cleaned, including chasts and sliders. This also meant that everything had to be tuned again,n including the numerous ranks of Plein-Jeux. The companies involved in that problem as well as the french administration mitually agreed on certain parts of responsabilities, so as to raise money to have everything fixed? I do not know if everything has been done yet, but this souhld not be too long now. Best regards PFB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest temesvar Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 And Google translation services did not help much either!! AJJ Google "Translation" services are anything but reliable and just give word for word translation. Machine translation takes no account of syntax, idiom or nuance. It's high time you British took time to learn foreign languages. It's always up to us on "this side" of the channel to make all the efforts!! You have excellent cathedral choirs, some superb organists and some magnificient buildings. Some of your organs are splendid too, but when cathedral choirs come on tour over here, I get the impression they look down on us and that we must lay out red carpet for them and awful British Council people who lead the choirs around in "Empire" fashion!! We have a lot of catching up to do on the music front (some good choirs in Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria and Romania though) but we have fine buildings, historic organs are listed and protected not the case in UK) and we have decent food and drink and our women - in general - pay attention to their appearance!!. [Two sentences deleted by moderator.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJJ Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Some conclusions jumped to here I feel!! AJJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geoff McMahon Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 To: Tim E (forum username "temesvar" but with an English surname and used a French ISP to register on this forum) - if you want to avoid having your posts moderated before they appear, you will have to give up being quite so insolent and gratuitously rude. Thanks. Moderator, Mander Organs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaConsort Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 historic organs are listed and protected not the case in UK) and we have decent food and drink and our women - in general - pay attention to their appearance!!. Goodness me! Obviously hit a raw nerve there didn't we! Sorry to be frivolous but really! Most of us love France, the way of life, the organs, the people, the food and of course the wine.....When I visit, (not often enough) and start trying to speak in the native tongue, I am nearly always answered in English, so then give up trying very hard to speak French! Perhaps back to the topic now??? just off to open a wonderful Australian merlot to go with my dutch cheese............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprondel Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 historic organs are listed and protected not the case in UK) and we have decent food and drink and our women - in general - pay attention to their appearance!!. Perhaps back to the topic now??? Yes please -- I think the specification of the organ in question is interesting enough. A multum-in-parvo approach on a grand scale, so to speak. The Bombarde seems to act as a kind of joker division, ready to serve as acomplement to the Great and Pedal organs. I remember a discussion on another internet forum about this. Without having heard the organ, the question remained: If there is just one chorus of Bombardes 16-8-4 in the open that has to serve for the Great as well as for the Pedal, is it possible to arrive at a musically satisfying result without compromises? Doesn't the French symphonic sound require multiple independent reed choruses? Best, Friedrich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 We have a lot of catching up to do on the music front (some good choirs in Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria and Romania though) but we have fine buildings, historic organs are listed and protected not the case in UK) and we have decent food and drink and our women - in general - pay attention to their appearance!!. [Two sentences deleted by moderator.] Just three words: French public toilets.... Yes please -- If there is just one chorus of Bombardes 16-8-4 in the open that has to serve for the Great as well as for the Pedal, is it possible to arrive at a musically satisfying result without compromises? Doesn't the French symphonic sound require multiple independent reed choruses? Best, Friedrich I agree. The tutti on a Cavaillé-Coll depends on the successive coupling of each division to the GO (notably the reeds). Whilst there are some examples in which there are a few shared reeds, in my view, they are less aurally satisfying than those in which separate ranks are provided. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Robinson Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Just three words: French public toilets.... Yes, indeed. A couple of years ago I was in desperate need and was obliged to use the only one I could find in the village we were visiting. You do NOT want to know the details! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I cannot imagine that it was any worse than the underground toilets formerly sited to the west end of the Eglise S. Malo in Valognes, Manche. One of our choirmen had occasion to use these facilities in extremis prior to the Sunday morning Mass which we were shortly to sing. He returned a few minutes later, ashen-faced, mumbling something to the effect of "... looks like a bloody elephant has suffered a disabilitating bowel-movement in the damn place..." We thought it prudent not to press him for further details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavecin Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Been there, heard it! On the way back from the Dordogne last August we paid a visit as part of a long-term plan to see all the Cathedrals of France. We arrived on a Sunday in time for the 11.00 mass not expecting the new organ to be used, but, the lights came on and the doors slowly opened. A lady organist competently accompanied the mass from a modest 2 manual in the choir, whilst we heard an unknown Bach Chorale Prelude after the Gospel, an improvisation during the offertory and Bach's Fantasia in G at the end (not played particularly well!) on the Quoirin. What we heard of the organ sounded very good and I intend to return to hear it properly some time in the future. I guess that it hadn't been played at services much before, most of the departing congregation stood looking up to the organ at the end then watched to doors close. The organ was formally dedicated in September, followed by 5 recitals by noted French organists including: Leguay, Escaich, Pincemaille, Isoir and Lecaudey. It certainly looks stunning in the building, the photos don't do it justice at all If you visit the web site http://orgues.evreux.free.fr/ you can hear substantial tracks from Lecaudey's recital: Mozart Fantasie in F, Franck Chorale No.2, Reubke fugue. DT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombarde32 Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 and our women - in general - pay attention to their appearance!!. [Two sentences deleted by moderator.] I prefer my women dirty, thank you very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
french amateur Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I heard the Ménissier and Leguay opening concerts on this organ. Not my cup of tea at all. The console is very nice, very impressive. It's very good in the french XVIIth-XVIIIth century repertoire, excepted a cromorne I found vulgar. But for the XIXth century music... No comment. About the concept of this instrument, well, I heard people amazed by the barker couplers... invented by Victor Gonzalès in the 20's. So was this type of organ. It is described as "nouveau-classique" instead of "néo-classique" just to stress the fact that the classical part of the organ is really sounding like what we think being a classical french organ at the end of the XXth century. With however rather thin fluework, I think. And the box did not sounds so efficient to me. There is nothing really new for me in this instrument, and if it's a good organ it's because Pascal Quoirin is a good organ builder. Nothing to do with this conventional organ design, in my poor opinion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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