Whilst in Luxembourg for our Alkan recording project with Dr Joseph Nolan, we were lucky enough to get a day off to explore the organs around Luxembourg City.
As Eglise Saint-Martin was naturally busy on the Sunday we took the opportunity to visit nearby Luxembourg for lunch and do a little tourist activity. All public transport in Luxembourg is free so we caught a train from Dudelange and with just a single change were in the city centre 40 minutes later.
Finding lunch and a surprise organ encounter
Priorities were to find somewhere nice for lunch and get inside to avoid a bitterly cold day. After a coffee and croissant close to central station we took a tram into the city with a plan to visit the Ducal Palace which Google assured was open.
Walking from the tram toward the palace took us through a mainly pedestrianised part of the city with a great choice of places to eat. Choice of where was left to Joseph who is an avid supporter of TripAdvisor suggestions.
Close to the Ducal Palace I just had to stop and explore a small ‘bon tempi’ organ sat on the pavement outside a café. It looked like a Viscount and indeed it was, dating I expect from the mid 1970’s. This was a huge business in that era. I gather Italy were despatching almost a container a week of this style of instrument into the UK market.
While no ‘self-respecting church organist’ would want to play this type of instrument with its colourful stop array and section of ‘rhythm boxes’ it was the success of this market that paved the way for Viscount to develop classical instruments.
I could not resist a sit down and as soon as I did the café owner appeared with an extension lead. He powered up the instrument and I was soon playing way. Another demonstration that electric organs can go on for many, many, many years!
A visit to Eglise Saint-Michel
The Ducal Palace was closed and as it was cold on the street, down the hill the door of Eglise Saint-Michel beckoned and we found ourselves in the warm in the English Speaking Catholic Church of Luxembourg.
It’s hard to get close to a church and not walk in to examine what type of instrument lies inside. This seems to be a charming small period instrument but sat high on a gallery hard to determine exactly what resources it offers. And no one was around to ask.
Exploring Luxembourg Cathedral
After lunch we found ourselves very close to the Cathedral Notre-Dame and so another small organ detour was inevitable.
Luxembourg Cathedral hosts two splendid instruments. An ancient baroque instrument on the west gallery with splendid en chamade reeds projecting out of the case. Some days later in Dudelange we found the organ tuner was at work and he confirmed the Luxembourg instrument was tuned to Kelner temperament while the newly restored east end instrument was at equal temperament. Clearly no plans for double organ events there then!
The east end instrument is split across 3 cases with a detached mobile consol on the south side floor below main double width case. The pipe displays are devoid of almost any decoration and rely solely on their crisp contemporary appearance for impact. I think it works rather well. Built originally in 1938 by Georges Haupt it was restored in 2021/22 by the Reiger Organ Company
I have not found any recordings online of the new instrument but, I found this Organ Recital – Notre Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg on YouTube, played on the west end organ. It’s not a wonderful recording, but you immediately get a sense of the power and scale this organ delivers with just limited notes at play in the piece by de Grigny.
Back to Dudelange for our Alkan recording project
Retracing our route by tram and train we found ourselves back in Dudelange by about 6.00 pm when we could resume some registration work ahead of the first recording session the next day.
To read all about the Alkan recording project read the recent Diary of a Page Turner entry Eglise St Martin Dudelange Luxembourg.
I have had a passion for church organs since the tender age of 12. I own and run Viscount Organs with a close attention to the detail that musicians appreciate; and a clear understanding of the benefits of digital technology and keeping to the traditional and emotional elements of organ playing.
Leave a Reply