Handel, Mendelssohn (and Mozart) @ Saint-Eustache – Sunday, 1 October

the view from my chair

With 8,000 pipes, the organ at Saint-Eustache, my little (ha ha) neighborhood church, is reputed to be the largest pipe organ in France. Free half-hour recitals are given there almost every Sunday afternoon, and today the organist was the 30-year-old Virgile Monin, a graduate of the Conservatoire de Nantes and winner of major organ prizes in France and Luxembourg.

Mr. Monin played Jean Guillou’s transcription for solo organ of the Allegro from Handel’s Concerto in G minor Op.4 No.1 and his own transcription of Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides Overture.  I particularly liked his Hebrides – those dark opening chords, the swells, the drama, the moments of calm, the beautiful melodies – I thought that they all fit very well for the organ and this very resonant space. And his playing was spectacular!

part of the crowd

The place was packed, and hopefully everyone contributed a few euros at the exit. According to the program, last year the parish of Saint-Eustache spent 53,000 euros on the organ’s maintenance in addition to its usual tuning!

Mozart’s mother Maria traveled with him to Paris on a concert trip in 1778, and they stayed in this neighborhood. Sadly, she died while they were here. Her funeral? It was at Saint-Eustache. So come for the music or come for the beauty or come for the spirit or come to catch some Mozart vibe, just come!