Orgue en ascension

17th edition of orgue en ascension at Abbaye Saint-Philibert. On the programme this year: Emmanuel Arakelian from St Maximin, Benjamin Alard from Paris, Pierre Saintsulpice from Mâcon and Gérard Goudet from Chalon and Tournus.

Thursday: "Opera invites itself into organ music

By Emmanuel ARAKÉLIAN

Titular Organist of the Great Organ of the Basilica of St MAXIMIN (83)

Marin Marais, Marchand and Rameau were inspired by stage music to invite organ music into their suites of dances, making the instrument sound admirable. Based on themes from the Passion and Easter, via Rameau's operas, Emmanuel Arakélian delivers some of the most luminous pages of the great French century.

Friday: "Jean-Philippe Rameau: Organist

By Benjamin ALARD

Organist at the Grand Orgue de l'Église de Saint Louis-en-l'Île - PARIS

Benjamin Alard will introduce us to Rameau the organist through the transcriptions he has made. Yes, Rameau was an organist, but he left us no pages for this instrument, which we can only regret. The style of the Pièces de clavecin en Concert lets us imagine how Rameau could improvise in 'dialogue' with the organ, conversing, playing in concert but also alone, which the organ makes possible with its different levels and colours imitating voices and instruments.

Saturday: "Echo dances and variations in the Germany of yesterday and the France of today".

By Pierre SAINT-SULPICE

Organist at the churches of St Pierre and St Vincent - MÂCON (71)

Pierre Saint-Sulpice takes us through the intricacies of dance and its variations. Music has long been functional, serving either the sacred or the secular, and often both. This is particularly true of dance and popular melodies. But simple repetition has its limits, and the variation of a theme, first improvised and then written down, soon became the basis for the musical development to which the echo contributed.

Sunday: "Peace!

By Gérard GOUDET

Organist at Chalon Cathedral and co-organist at Tournus Abbey

Our world is a world of noise: the clash of weapons and the cries of their victims, and the rumour that rises up as if from a monstrous playground, made up of hateful words, bitter disputes and Byzantine quarrels. The only answer to this din is music, a language that knows no frontiers and has been said to soften the blow. What Gérard Goudet proposes in his programme is a word of peace, or at least a symbol of it: he offers calm, meditation and that cheerfulness, that touch of lightness that has been so lacking, through works by : Pachelbel, Schumann (Clara and Robert), Clérambault, Bach/Vivaldi, Bédard, Padre da Bergamo.

At the end of the concert, we'll be offering you the CD 'Paix', which Gérard Goudet has just recorded in aid of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the abbey buildings.

Participation free of charge. Retransmission on screen.