Search - Michael Chapius: Personal Notes 1 on DVD

A Must for lovers of organ music and music in general

Christian Gries | Greenfield, Indiana, USA | 12/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Michel Chapuis was born in 1930 in France, and studied organ with Marcel Dupre. At present he is titulaire of the organ in the Royal Chapel in the Palace of Versailles. This review covers the 3 DVD set of Michel Chapuis' Notes Personnelles. Volume One is played on 2 Clicqot organs ( the 1710 organ (rebuilt in 1995) in the Royal Chapel at Versailles Palace and the 1783 organ in Souvigny-Allier). Volume Two is titled "Improvisations in the Romantic Style" and is played on 2 Cavaille-Coll organs (the 1859 organ of Saint-Hippolyte in Poligny and the 1890 organ of Saint-Ouen in Rouen). Volume 3 is titled "Improvisations in the German Style" and is played on the 2004 Bernard Aubertin organ in Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile in Paris. In these discs Chapuis gives awesome demonstrations in the art of improvisation, accompanied by explanations (Personal Notes) about improvisation and the organs on which he plays. Some of the comments are given at the organ, with demonstrations. Some of the comments are given in an interview. The language is French, but an English sound track is an option on each disc. The disarming ease with which he shows his mastery of the organs and the various styles of music is a joy to watch and hear. You forget the technical prowess and revel in the music he produces seemingly without effort or thought. A musician of more ordinary gifts than those possessed by Chapuis will appreciate his explanation of "how to improvise a fugue," but his assumptions that it is based on-"you simply have to remember the notes of the subject, then invent a countersubject, transpose both, modulate from one key to another, invert the subject, etc." are assumptions that are simple only to the extraordinarily gifted. Technically, the discs are first rate both audibly and visually. There is a pleasant mix of Chapuis' hands, feet, face, the organs, and the cathedrals in which the organs are located. Disc 3 includes a short demonstration of organ pipe voicing. An informative booklet in French and English about Chapuis, the music, and the organs is included with each disc. If you are interested in organ music, or music in general, please acquire these Notes Personnelles by Michel Chapuis. They are a treasure."