Sam Sleath - Notre Dame de Vimoutiers Built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (HAUPTWERK)

P2P | 15 October 2024 | 22.45 GB
The Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Church of Notre-Dame in Vimoutiers, Normandy, France, was built in 1899. It is, along with the organ of the Moscow Conservatory, the last organ built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll during his lifetime. It was inaugurated by Alexandre Guilmant and has also been played by other famous organists, notably Louis Vierne and Pierre Cochereau.

The city was bombed during World War II. Fortunately, the organ survived, but the stained glass windows had to be replaced. Over the years, the organ has undergone several modifications, including the addition of registers to manuals 2 and 3, but in 2019 it was carefully restored to its original condition by organ builders Pesce and Robert.
The instrument has a small but powerful arrangement of 30 registers.

The organ has a split case through which the rose window can be seen. Manuals 1 and 2 are on the left when looking at the instrument from the church hall, and 3 and most of the pedal pipes are on the right.

The main manual is equipped with a Barker lever, which makes it easier to play on a heavy tractor.