Thanks for sharing your impressive impromptu talent! This Vierne 1st symphony Final is a piece I never get tired of hearing! It is timeless, and yet so evocative of everything about the era we still live in. And of the courage and faith we can have in our destiny. Vierne called it "my Marseillaise".
The lack of reverb adds such a clarity to the sounds that I hear notes I never noticed before, but at the same time I miss the majestic reverb of a cathedral making the piece sound more dramatic :D
Yes, though I never heard the old organ, I had a very lengthy conversation with the lovely organist and director regarding the old instrument. Letorneau did some unsympathetic changes to it in the 90s to try to force the sound out of the attic chambers and it made the organ very harsh and unpleasant. They also added some experimental keyboards for the console that were not successful. After consultation with several organ builders, the A-S was deemed unsalvageable. It was totally replaced with a new Dobson organ.
