New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Following the devastating fire at Notre-Dame cathedral on Monday, Universal
Music France and its label Decca Records have united with la Fondation du patrimoine to create a new album which will support the rebuilding of the iconic French building.
Entitled simply Notre-Dame, the album is a collection of sacred music from the cathedral which celebrates its rich musical history. It will be available on all digital platforms tomorrow, Friday 19th April via Decca Records/Universal
Music Canada. All benefits and artists royalties will be donated to la Fondation du patrimoine to help fund its restoration.
Not only is the Notre-Dame a cultural, historical and religious landmark, it is also the inspiration for some of the world's greatest classical music. It gave rise to the "Notre Dame school" of composers (working at or near the cathedral around 1160-1250) and the sacred music they produced. Their lasting significance was to write down and develop western musical techniques which had previously only been improvised. 850 years later, Notre-Dame is still at the heart of musical culture.
Remarkably, the cathedral's spectacular symphonic organ, which dates back to 1868, is understood to have survived the fire - although it's not yet clear how much damage it suffered. The instrument, which is played on five keyboards and pedals and has nearly 8000 pipes, has played a central role in the popularity of French organ music over the past century. Several French composers have held the position of organist at Notre-Dame, and two of its most recent performers -
Pierre Cochereau and Olivier Latry - appear on the new album.
Many of the recordings featured in the new Notre-Dame collection were made at the cathedral and feature artists including Cecilia Bartoli, Jessye Norman, Roberto Alagna,
Christopher Hogwood, Herbert von Karajan and many more.
Olivier Nusse, President of Universal
Music France, says: "We have no words to describe this tragedy. As generations of artists, we all have a story with this heritage treasure that considerably contributed to the expanding influence of sacred music. We had to help the cathedral once again stand as a symbol of French culture across the world."
Célia Vérot, Managing
Director of la Fondation du patrimoine, adds: "Thanks to the support of Universal
Music France, la Fondation du patrimoine will be able to contribute to rescue Notre-Dame de Paris."
FURTHER VIDEO AND IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE:
https://umusic.box.com/s/xu89yfazwcthuvmpadyaqtj8f3wq0mbf
Notre-Dame - Track list:
Johann
Sebastian Bach, Charles Gounod: Ave Maria
D'après le Prélude N° 1 BWV 846, arrangement by Saylor
Jessye Norman, soprano - Fabrice Pierre, harp
Johann
Sebastian Bach: Toccata en ré mineur, BWV 565
Pierre Cochereau*
Pérotin: Beata viscera Mariae Virginis
Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo-soprano
Sistine Chapel Choir, Massimo Palombella
Léon Boëllmann: Suite gothique, op. 25: Prière à Notre Dame
Pierre Cochereau*
Franz Schubert: Ave Maria, D.839
Arrangement by Jeff Jarratt et
Robin Smith
Roberto Alagna, tenor
New London Children's Choir, The Choir Of St John's,
The London Oratory School Choir, Smithills School
Junior Choir
London Symphony Orchestra,
Robin Smith
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Adagio et Fugue en ut mineur, K.546
Transcription for organ by Jean Guillou
Olivier Latry*
Adagio
Fugue
Antonio Vivaldi : Stabat Mater, RV621: 1. Stabat mater
James Bowman, counter-tenor
The Academy of Ancient Music,
Christopher Hogwood
Johann
Sebastian Bach: Cantate « Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir», BWV 29: 1. Sinfonia
Transcription for organ by Marcel Dupré
Olivier Latry*
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Salve
Regina en ut mineur: 1. Salve Regina
Emma Kirkby, soprano
The Academy of Ancient Music,
Christopher Hogwood
Charles-Marie Widor: Symphonie pour orgue N° 5, op. 42 N° 1: V. Toccata
Pierre Cochereau*
Johann
Sebastian Bach: Magnificat en ré majeur, BWV 243: 1. Magnificat
Münchener Bach-Chor - Münchener Bach-Orchester, Karl Richter
Sergueï Rachmaninov: Prélude en ut dièse mineur, op.3 N° 2
Transcription for organ by Louis Vierne
Olivier Latry*
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Stabat Mater: 1. Stabat Mater
Barbara Bonney, soprano -
Andreas Scholl, counter-tenor
Les Talens Lyriques,
Christophe Rousset
Louis Vierne: Berceuse en la majeur, op. 31 N° 19
Pierre Cochereau*
Anton Bruckner: Ave Maria
Bavarian
Radio Chorus, Eugen Jochum
Giovanni Paisiello: Messe du
Sacre de Napoléon 1er à Notre-Dame de Paris: 1. Kyrie
Orchestration by Jean Thilde
Yves Bisson, basse -
Pierre Cochereau*
Association chorale Contrepoint, Jean-Gabriel Gaussens - chef des chœurs
Orchestre et chœurs sous la direction de Armand Birbaum
Camille Saint-Saëns: Symphonie N° 3 en ut mineur, op. 78 « Avec Orgue »:
2b. Maestoso - Più allegro - Molto allegro
Pierre Cochereau*, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
* Organists of the Notre-Dame de Paris
