The Saint Anne Shrine Preservation Society, a lay association working to preserve and fully reopen the former Dominican shrine in Fall River, Massachusetts, took a step forward this week when they presented a organ recital on the Shrine’s Casavant, Opus 2793.
Matthew Dion, a organ student at Oberlin, has been working with organist and organ builder Bro. Roger Chingas, FSC, to tune and make some minor repairs to the organ, which had been largely idle and unmaintained since the upper church was closed in 2015. The instrument was dedicated in 1964 with a recital by Jean Langlais, and one of the works from that program was included in this week’s recital.
A few days ago Dion recorded these pieces, and they were streamed with live introductions on Tuesday. Times within the video are indicated, with links to the works.
6:32: L.N. Clérambault: Grand plein jeu from the Suite du 1. Ton
12:29: François Couperin: an excerpt from the Messe pour les Couvents
15:09: Louis Marchand: Grand Dialogue
26:32: Percy Fletcher: Fountain Reverie
31:07: J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in a minor
43:50: Jean Langlais: Trois méditations sur la Sainte Trinité: 1. Le Père
48:23: Jean Langlais: Pasticcio
54:40: Louis Vierne: Clair de lune from the 24 Pièces de Fantaisie
1:03:20: Jean Langlais: Te Deum from the Trois Paraphrases Grégoriennes
The full concert video is available here.
(Photo credit: by Kenneth C. Zirkel, via Wikimedia)
PS: I updated this post on July 31 to credit Brother Chingas, whose name I first omitted. Sorry for the lapse! Congratulations to him and Matthew Dion on the fine sound their work produced.