僕の好きな、好きな、大好きな音楽──セザール・フランクの『前奏曲、フーガと変奏曲』の演奏がまたまた YouTube にあった。しかもオリジナルのオルガンによるものだ。すごく嬉しい。Xaver Varnus さん、ありがとう！
Xaver Varnus - Franck: Prelude, fugue et variation Part 1
Xaver Varnus - Franck: Prelude, fugue et variation Part 2
同じオルガニストの演奏によるヨハン・ゼバスティアン・バッハのプレリュード（『プレリュードとフーガ』BWV 546 より）も圧倒的なまでに素晴らしい。こういう音楽を聴くと、生きてて良かったと本当に思う──こういう音楽があるからこそ生きていける。
Xaver Varnus - Bach: Prelude in C minor
場所はパリのサンシュルピス教会、オルガンは五段鍵盤と百のストップを持つアリスティド・カヴァイエ＝コル製造のものだ。
The church boasts one of the world's finest and most famous organs, a pipe organ constructed by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in 1862, using many materials from the church's earlier French Classical organ built by Clicquot in 1781. The Grand-Orgue of Saint-Sulpice was at the time of its building one of only three "100 stop" organs in all of Europe.
Its organists have also been renowned, starting with Nicolas Séjan in the 18th century, and continuing with Charles-Marie Widor (organist 1870-1933) and Marcel Dupré (organist 1934-1971), both great organists and composers of organ music.
Thus for over a century (1870-1971), Saint-Sulpice employed only two organists, and much credit is due to these two individuals for preserving the instrument and protecting it from the ravages of changes in taste and fashion which resulted in the destruction of many of Cavaillé-Coll's other masterpieces. The current organists are titulaire Daniel Roth (since 1985) and Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin.
Xaver Varnus - Improvisation
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