I don't quite know what to say. I've heard Cochereau, recordings of Dupre's improvisations, Roth himself, Bardon on baroque themes, Latry, Lefebvre, and Hakim but this is quite possibly the finest improvisation I've heard. Unbelievable stuff. Thanks Matteo for giving us the privilege of hearing this. And thanks to Sophie-Veronique too :-D
The exposition and development of her improvisation especially on this organ in France, is devastatingly beautiful, an exquisite delirium. This theme, so deeply haunting, conveys nothing less than the soul and timeless identity of France. She should be awarded the Legion of Honor.
I cannot but imagine how proud and happy Aristide Cavaillé-Coll would be if he could be present in 2018 to see, hear and KNOW first-hand how highly respected, beloved , well-cared-for and well-played the great majority of his instruments are, one-hundred nineteen years after he departed this Earth in 1899!
Hum, most of his instuments are barely working due to the lack of funding. Only the bigger one are well maintained. Plus the one that have been modified later (are they still called ACC ?). But yeah, he won't be forgotten, that's for sure.
In England we still have C-C's little gem at Farnborough Abbey. 2+P and a mere fourteen stops, but it sounds rather bigger than that. Glorious instrument!
@@paulcaswell2813 We also have the 3 manual CC at Parr Hall, but unfortunately it is unrestored. The Albert hall in Sheffield had a IV/70 CC, but it was sadly destroyed by a fire in 1937.
Isn't the one in Manchester Town Hall going to be restored with the rest of the Town Hall which is undergoing restoration which is expected to be finished in 2024?
One of the greatest organists around today. She improvised as grandly as most composers compose! Fabulous music off the cuff from the greatest we have today!
Its easy to forget Caville-Coll and how he was an incredible tonal genius . the sound his organs created, the sound he made, how he voiced his instruments, the tonal palet of each stop and how it blended in with the next and not just the next but the whole organ. he was a genius!
+Si Smith you're absolutely right, these organs are as exceptional with solist stops (flûtes, cornet, voix humaines etc.) than they are with very powerful, but still very precise, tuttis. It is also important to hear how the CCs are perfectly adapted with the different spaces they were built for.
She must be one the greatest organists ever, especially in improvisation. The other clip when she makes a postludium in St Sulpice is just amazing. She just “wish the carpet” of everything anyone would have dreamed of...
Musica cosi bella, esecuzione cosi importante e sensibilità cosi grandiosa non potevano rimanere solo li, effimeri, in quel momento. Grazie per averla resa immortale con questo video.
Le profond sentiment de Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin pour la mélodie et l'harmonie est toujours admirable. Cette musique ne vous laisse jamais partir !
That melody line literally moved me to tears. How she builds, takes us to the edge, goes back and further developed, then allows it to reappear in its full glory. Extraordinaire!
Since Notre-Dame's fire, the organist situation seems strange at Sulpice these days. Roth's recently retired, Sophie is now Titulaire, but alongside Mossakowski. Plus Louis Jullien in charge of the Choir Organ. But then we also have Latry and Castagnet from 'over the river'. It was strange to see Roth go, as normally S Sulpice's titulaires stay put 'til they drop...
as a complete newbie to organ music, yet a diverse music lover, this is simply astounding. Got to see Daniel Roth today in Providence RI....absolutely transcendent, visceral and magic!
Merci mille pour cette merveilleuse improvisation madame Véronique. Vous m'avez vraiment fait pleurer de l'émotion. Je vous ne connaissez pas avant, mais vous avez maintenant en moi un vrai fan.
Quelle belle musique, pleine de passion et pourtant sereine, j'en ai les yeux qui transpirent ! Merci de tout coeur, Mme Cauchefer ! Vous êtes un ange à la suite de Jean-Sébastien Bach et tant d'autres que Dieu a créé et utilise, au-travers de votre don et travail quotidien, pour amener de la beauté et de profondeur bienfaisante à notre monde ! Encore merci !
You're sitting in the nave before mass and, unless you've seen this, you can have little idea of the creative teamwork that makes this extraordinary music. Absolutely breathtaking.
Her improvisations are so like lovemaking at its tenderest, mostly vulnerable, most exposed, most abandoned, and most unlettered state. Brava, dear lady!
Wat een geweldige vakvrouw is het toch, Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin. En ze houdt de regie volkomen in eigen hand! Ik heb het geluk gehad haar in het echt te kunnen horen in Rotterdam (Grote of St. Laurenskerk) en Delft (Maria van Jessekerk). Onvergetelijk was het. Ik hoop dat ze spoedig weer naar Nederland komt. Welkom Sophie-Véronique!
beautiful. I so hope more would show what goes on at a console. i say that often to people who say.."it sounds like church music" which i hate more than anything. Just the way a pipe organ works should be facinating enough. so many don't understand a pipe organ, it's a shame. great video
I had a dream in which I had a practice to play this improvisation in Moscow Conservatory. Alas I can't even read musical notes... Mme Cauchefer-Choplin impresses me every time I see this video.
Mme. Choplin is a living master and the St. Sulpice organ is both a Masterpiece and Aristide's Magnum Opus - beauty that truly inspires and melts the heart. It has been written that the Cavaille-Coll instruments, inspired the great composers, (Franck, Guilmant, Gigout, Tournemire, Widor, Vierne, Dupre, Alain, Durulfe and Messiaen) to create, and that the French Organ School otherwise might not have been. And here is that miracle, present, once again, and before us to witness and behold today. My awareness is that improvisation on this inspired level is just that, the power of the Divine outpouring inspiration and grace through the improviser, as a vessel, to birth a gift to mankind of sacred and exquisite beauty. Soli Deo Gloria.
Very well said Michael! BTW, are you aware of the fact that you share your last name with one of America's preeminent organ firms? The Schantz Organ company of Orville OH. Same spelling too!
What jumps off the screen at me is the sheer passion of the playing. By the time we get to 10:40 she's clearly divinely inspired! Definitely a clip to treasure
+David Griffiths Absolutely. She is one of about six living Master on this planet. Her works and great techniqunical abilites shall inspire generations and generations to come. And she lives among us. CVD
Off hand, I can think of several others. St. Sulpice's own Daniel Roth, Notre Dame's Olivier Latry, Finnish Maestro Kalevi Kivinimmi and America's Peter Richard Conte!
Cinquante années d'écoute musicale m'amènent à constater que c'est elle, Sophie Véronique Choplin, qui est sans conteste la véritable "Grande Dame" de l'orgue, que ce soit en France ou sur le plan international! : Que ce soit dans ses improvisations ou ses interprètations, elle est extraordinairement inventive, sensible, poétique, émouvante, et aussi facétieuse, attachante et belle
Can’t decide if it is her exquisite playing on this unbelievable instrument that is so amazing or if she is may be the greatest organist I’ve ever heard and would play as superbly on any lesser instrument? I do believe she must be the greatest most creative organist alive today! !
Absolutely beautiful! MY favourite chords played so exquisitely, and on my birthday as well! Seems as though Tony Banks is a fan as well, as there are so many Genesis elements here, but maybe it's the other way round! What a gorgeous performance - I love the way she chats with the others and retains total control! Incredible skills and a lovely manner of playing such a huge piece with such intricacity! Fabulous - thank you for posting this, I want to borrow it for a special blog post and it will mean so much to friends! Required watching on a regular basis...
She connects with the organ like how a pianist would connect with their instrument. This exquisite result is therefore no surprise - play from your heart, they say... Absolutely lovely...
Merci beaucoup pour enregistrer ce chef-d'oeuvre: c'est tout à fait merveilleux, tellement parfait qu'il paraît une composition plus qu'une improvisation. (Je crois voir au côté de l'orgue, au fond de la console, Pierre Pincemaille!)
Já ouvi esta apresentação dezenas de vezes e não me canso de ouvi-la novamente. Sophie Vèronique é sensacional, fantástica, radical. Parabéns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
