Music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the spotlight at the Cahors organ festival

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This year again, theAssociation of Friends of the Cahors Cathedral Organ has put together an enticing program for the annual organ festival.

The edition begins at Cahors with a concert offered to school children on Thursday October 10, 2024.

A concert for schoolchildren from Grand Cahors

The association, in conjunction with the Grand Cahors music advisor, ensures that every year, different children benefit from it, the volume being limited.

This year, the concert reserved for those over 8 years old is a representation of the “small and big story of Hansel and Gretel”. It is a musical show, which combines theater, organ, and electroacoustic music, presented by Vincent Dubus and Baptiste Genniaux.

On Friday October 11 at 8:30 p.m. the first concert open to everyone takes place. This is carte blanche to the very young organist Anna Orlova. A Muscovite by birth, she trained in Russia, Germany and also in Toulouse. A large part of its program will be devoted to JS Bach.

An enchanting voice

Two concerts are then scheduled for October 12. The morning concert, at 11 a.m., also called “market concert”, is free. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Three artists will speak, the cathedral’s titular organist, Albertus Dercksen, accompanied by Cécile Cardinot and Olivier Bensa, both artistic directors of the Puy-l’Évêque International Guitar Festival. This trio (vocals, lute and organ) inaugurates a day dedicated to medieval and renaissance music.

The festival’s favorite

Like them, the artists performing at 6 p.m. this same Saturday are multi-instrumentalists. They are Gaëlle Coulon and Mickaël Durand. This duo is “the favorite” of the association this year, insists Christiane Laurain, the treasurer of this association which has strived to promote the organ for 31 years.

Gaëlle Coulon and Mickaël Durand are leaders in their field. Gaëlle Coulon, is an organist (holder of the Iberian baroque organ of Saint-Pasquier in Nantes and choir organist at Nantes Cathedral), but she also plays the organetto (portable medieval instrument) which she accompanies with her voice , also being a singer. “She has a light and enchanting airy voice” exclaims Christiane Laurain who has already had the pleasure of hearing her. Michaël Durand, like Gaëlle Coulon, is a harpsichordist and organist (head of the organ of Nantes Cathedral), but he will also bring his viola da gamba and his percussion to this concert. The musicians, who will play with the space offered to them by the cathedral, will devote their program to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with a strong nod to the composer Hildegarde Von Bingen.

Tribute to Gabriel Fauré

Finally, Sunday October 13, the last day of the festival, a closing concert will be given at 4:30 p.m. The organizers are expecting a lot of people during this performance, a tribute to Gabriel Fauré on the occasion of the centenary of his death. On the program, three works by the composer, including the best known, the Requiem. For interpretation, the festival welcomes the choir “Voix d’Apamée” directed by Alex Rivals who come as Gabriel Fauré de Pamiers, as well as the soprano Clara Marion, the baritone Olivier Rastouil.

They will be accompanied by organist William Fielding.

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Price: Concert on October 11: 10 euros. Concerts on Saturday 12 at 6 p.m. and Sunday 13 at 4:30 p.m., 19 euros with the Grand Pass card, 20 euros without the card. All concerts are free for under 18s. More information on the association’s website: www.aaocc.fr

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