Liszt: Prelude & Fugue on B-A-C-H, S260

Norma, the Dunedin Town Hall Organ, is a large and impressive instrument. It is a rare example of a symphonic organ in which conventional organ sounds are combined with orchestral tone colours and unique percussion effects.

Naïve’s prestigious ‘Cité de la Musique’ series presents a new recording of pieces originally written for - and here played on - a rarely performed instrument of the past, the pedal piano. This intriguing CD includes two monumental works by Franz Liszt, Evocation à la Chapelle Sixtine and the Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H, as well as music by Boëly, Schumann’s Four Sketches opus 58, two preludes by Alkan, and Brahms’ Prelude and Fugue in G minor Woo 10.

The Cité de la Musique in Paris is a major centre covering all musical genres and repertoires. Along with two concert halls, it includes a museum of early instruments. Naïve and the Cité de la Musique have launched a series in which great performers record on legendary instruments. This new volume is dedicated to an instrument scarcely played, the pedal piano, which belongs to a line of instruments which, like the organ, are equipped with a pedal keyboard. In the middle of the 19th century several major composers wrote pieces for pedal piano, including those featured on this CD.

Olivier Latry is regarded as one of the leading organists of his generation, both in France and on the international scene. After a period as organist of Meaux Cathedral from 1981 to 1985, he was only twenty-three when selected by competitive examination to become principal organist at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Classmate of Pierre Cochereau at the Paris Conservatoire where they each obtained their premier accolades on the organ in 1948, Pierre Labric could have looked forward to a brilliant soloist’s career had it not been for his incurable modesty! These recordings made in 1973 & 1974 are released for the first time on CD and clearly demonstrate the pure artistry of Pierre Labric.