La Nativité du Seigneur

Lyon, Eglise Saint-Francois de Sales - a legendary name and mythical place for lovers of French organ music! Mark Steinbach has now recorded Olivier Messiaen's first important organ cycle "La Nativité du Seigneur" (composed in 1935) for AEOLUS on Aristide Cavaillé-Coll's organ (1880), which has been completely unaltered!

In the summer of 2022, Mark Steinbach (Professor of Organ at Brown University, Providence, USA) travelled across France in search of "his" ideal organ for a recording of Messiaen's "Nativité du Seigneur". His idea behind it: when the 27-year-old Olivier Messiaen composed this cycle, he had just been appointed titular organist at the Eglise de la Trinité in Paris four years earlier and had an almost authentically preserved Aristide Cavaillé-Coll organ at his disposal. When the work was premiered on this instrument in 1936, typical Cavaillé-Coll sounds must therefore have filled the space. Recreating this sound atmosphere is also Mark Steinbach's motivation. In Lyon, he finally found the instrument that seemed most suitable for his new recording.

Incidentally, this is likely to be the last CD recording of this instrument for some time to come, as its fundamental restoration is due very soon.

We are presenting this recording as a Super Audio CD hybrid so that you can enjoy these sounds in 5.1 surround sound - on suitable equipment. Of course, any normal CD player will play the stereo version.

A real highlight and audiophile treat for the coming Christmas season!