On a bright Friday morning this Half, seven of us – five young organists and two teachers – gathered by the Burning Bush to begin our concert trip to Paris. After a quick walk to the train station, doing our best to match Mr O’Donovan’s pace, we made it to London St. Pancras to take the Eurostar.
Before long, we had arrived and were greeted with the towering view of the Notre-Dame as we emerged from the Parisian Metro. We had time for a quick practice session on the magnificent organ at the church of Saint-Séverin, before we headed to a local bistro for a deliciously filling steak dinner.
Our first day in Paris concluded with an evening session at church of St Étienne du Mont, on the organ designed and played by 20th century organist and composer, Maurice Duruflé. During the session, we were joined by our fifth organist who, having come prepared, had just finished his GCSE French exam on the same morning.
The highlight of the evening was most certainly the fifteen-minute improvisatory organ symphony by the resident organist of the church, leaving us all in awe as we made our way to our hotel for the night.
Saturday began with an early 7am start which, due to the English time difference, meant a rather slow get-up for most of us. However, our tiredness quickly disappeared at the sight of croissants, crêpes and hot chocolate for breakfast.
After a quick check-out and trip by Metro, two of us were back on the organ at Saint-Séverin, busy practising for our afternoon concert, whilst the rest went off to visit other local churches and their organs, including Saint Sulpice and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris’s oldest church. We then had a few hours of free time for exploring, so we chose to visit the newly renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral, before heading out for a much-needed pizza lunch.
The afternoon started with another practice session for three of us, as the others strolled along the river Seine and took in the views of the Louvre museum. After a quick run-through of the program, it was time for the concert itself with plenty of Parisian locals, tourists, and some of our parents, gathered ready for our music.
The concert showcased a wide range of organ repertoire, with a total of ten pieces ranging from Bach to Dupré. Our performances were rewarded with cake and drinks as we chatted with members of our appreciative audience before we had to race off to catch the Eurostar back to London.
Although brief, the trip provided an unforgettable insight into the rich tradition of French organ music. Paris, we hope to return soon!
