Malcolm Kemp Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Over the past couple of days when going out of doors has been the least favoured option I have twice watched my DVD of interviews with and about Cochereau. Rather like the biographies I have read of Guilmant and Dupre, this DVD makes Cochereau appear to be the nicest person and finest musician ever to have walked this earth. Do members think he is accurately portrayed on the DVD and is his own style of playing typical of Parisian organists of his generation, carrying on a Notre Dame or Paris tradition or is he completely unique? A while ago we discussed here PC's improvisations and the recordings and transcriptions of them. That was a very useful discussion but I am here asking more about his personality and interpretation of music by other composers. I know there are some members of this Board who are very much into Cochereau so I should be interested to hear ttheir comments. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heva Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The booklet in the 3-disc set 'Organiste de Notre-Dame' is also quite informative, especially the bit by Loic Mallie: If I remember correctly, he went into PC's office having to quit his studies for lack of finances upon which PC draw his chequebook. Enough said ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Ball Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Over the past couple of days when going out of doors has been the least favoured option I have twice watched my DVD of interviews with and about Cochereau. Rather like the biographies I have read of Guilmant and Dupre, this DVD makes Cochereau appear to be the nicest person and finest musician ever to have walked this earth. Do members think he is accurately portrayed on the DVD and is his own style of playing typical of Parisian organists of his generation, carrying on a Notre Dame or Paris tradition or is he completely unique? A while ago we discussed here PC's improvisations and the recordings and transcriptions of them. That was a very useful discussion but I am here asking more about his personality and interpretation of music by other composers. I know there are some members of this Board who are very much into Cochereau so I should be interested to hear ttheir comments. Malcolm Hi Malcolm Why don't you contact David Briggs? He is close to the Cochereau family and others who studied with PC (such as George Baker and François-Henri Houbart) and would be able to give you a pretty balanced picture of the man, as well as the tradition. There's also the excellent biography (albeit in French) by Yvette Carbou, published by Zurfluh. Kind regards Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Hi Malcolm Why don't you contact David Briggs? He is close to the Cochereau family and others who studied with PC (such as George Baker and François-Henri Houbart) and would be able to give you a pretty balanced picture of the man, as well as the tradition. There's also the excellent biography (albeit in French) by Yvette Carbou, published by Zurfluh. Kind regards Ian This is sound advice. You could also purchase the three-CD set of his performances, concert and liturgical improvisations (Pierre Cochereau: l'Organiste de Nôtre-Dame SOCD 94/96), which heva mentioned. Included in this box set is an informative booklet (with an English translation), which also gives an insight into Cochereau's character. Whilst I do like the DVD, I wish that there was rather less in the way of interviews - and much more film of him playing, particularly at Nôtre-Dame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flûte harmonique Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 The booklet in the 3-disc set 'Organiste de Notre-Dame' is also quite informative, especially the bit by Loic Mallie:If I remember correctly, he went into PC's office having to quit his studies for lack of finances upon which PC draw his chequebook. Enough said ... This is not Mallié but George Baker who reports this fact. I used to visit Cochereau when I was a teenager in the late 60's with several friends of mine who were very curious about listening and seeing this genious musician. All of them when going down from the tribune after a service said they were enthousiastic about what they have heard and about the kindness of PC. One sunday after the masses, we were 5 or 6 fans at the loft with Cochereau, some of them very closed to him. He proposed to everybody to have a lunch with him...seeing me alone and very timid in a corner of the loft, he told me : "Come on and join us ". Obviously he treated us very friendly!! Needless to say that I still consider him as the best organist I have ever heard and a very good man plenty of humour! When I visit the current tribune I still think of him with many regrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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