Sunday at 7 p.m., Pierre Grandmaison will give an organ concert at the Notre-Dame basilica in Montreal, the proceeds of which will go to the restoration work of the place. This concert will also and above all mark his fifty years at the head of the Casavant organ, which has accompanied, over the years, around 400 celebrations, masses, weddings and funerals.
Pierre Grandmaison’s profession combines two qualities: mastery of the instrument and knowledge of what he calls “liturgical cycles”. “It doesn’t take a doctorate in theology, but I try to follow what is said in the Sunday readings. It works in cycles: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time. I scrutinize what is going to be said to know what is going to be played. At the offertory, I like to play a Bach piece corresponding to the spirit of the readings. I also improvise; it depends on my inspiration. »
Pierre Grandmaison does not record in a large work what he played at Easter 1978 or Christmas 1983. “I go there based on the emotion and inspiration of the moment,” he comments.
Tradition and renewal
If there was a book, it would be big and valuable. “I play the organ for masses, weddings, funerals, special occasions, such as the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1984, and large funerals, such as Jean Drapeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau. » At the end of the week, he provides services from 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Pierre Grandmaison’s repertoire is made up of reunions: “At Easter, I will tend to play the Toccata and fugue in D minor by Bach because it is a piece which expresses the aesthetics of the celebration celebrated, just like, for example, the finale of the 1D Symphony by Louis Vierne, very joyful, very “resurrection”. When a piece is beautiful, it is always pleasant to hear it and to hear it again,” says the Montreal native, who, after training in piano at the Vincent-d’Indy school, turned to the organ while studying with Eugène Lapierre and Françoise Aubut. He obtained his position at the basilica in 1973, three years after obtaining his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Montreal.
The organist renews himself periodically: “I remember, in 1990, there was the centenary of the death of César Franck. So I played the complete work of his which I also recorded for Atma. » Visitors to Notre-Dame heard a lot of César Franck at the start of that decade. “There was also a Vierne and Widor cycle. When there are birthdays like this, I favor a certain repertoire, extracts from Organ symphoniesor, for Vierne, Fantasy pieces, which are very beautiful. »
Pierre Grandmaison, who insists on the balance between healthy curiosity about liturgical things and instrumental expertise, regularly works on an organ at his home: “I do not admit to doing things by halves; we must honor the job we have. Sometimes, too, I go to work at Notre-Dame. We must work in a dimension of efficiency. »
Pierre Grandmaison is very satisfied with the condition of his organ: “It is Casavant’s first major instrument, built in 1890. The Casavant brothers went to Europe and met Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. And there are several tips and around fifty games on 92 which are from Cavaillé-Coll. So the instrument of 7000 pipes, which is in good health, is part of the great French symphonic aesthetic of the 19th century.e century. »
Pierre Grandmaison was invited three times to play pre-concerts at the Pierre-Béique organ of the Maison symphonique. “I loved playing this instrument, because there is a real pleasure in playing an instrument that is beautiful. The harmony of an organ is very important, because it is the truth of the sound. At the Notre-Damede Basilica in Montreal, the organ is harmonized according to the acoustic reality of the basilica, its grandeur and its reverberation capacity. In a concert hall, the approach to harmonization is not the same, because the instrument must dialogue with the orchestra. So there needs to be a balance and I know that during construction, the orchestra came to do sound checks. It is a superb, very pleasant instrument. »
In addition to the concert on Sunday at 7 p.m. (tickets on sale on Ticketpro), it will also be possible to hear Pierre Grandmaison on Wednesday October 11 and Friday October 13 at 1:30 p.m. play for 50 minutes. Entrance to these weekday services is by purchasing a tourist visit.