Outstanding Final at the Saint-Maurice International Organ Competition

Created in 2001, the International Organ Competition of Saint-Maurice held its 12th edition last week, closing the event with an extraordinary final round. The jury, composed of seven renowned musicians from the international music scene, was chaired by Swiss violinist Rachel Kolly. 12 candidates were invited to participate in 1st round (7 men and 5 women). Semi-finals featured 4 men and 2 women.

In addition to the competitions, a rich and varied cultural program punctuated the week: concerts, recitals, masterclasses, conferences, and guided tours offered the public a unique opportunity to discover the many facets of the world of the organ.

The distinctive feature of the competition was that it was completely anonymous. Neither the audience nor the jury knew the names, genders, nationalities, or biographies of the candidates. During the Final, the musicians had the opportunity to play on a 5-keyboard console placed in the transept crossing, facing the choir. The audience could therefore see the back of the musician and enjoy the joyful ballet of feet and legs running wildly across the pedals, giving the musician's body a disjointed although graceful appearance. The jury, however, had their backs turned to the musician, and therefore facing the organ pipes, could only listen to the sound coming from the pipes. It took the audience a little while to adjust to the enveloping music coming from the back of the basilica, but the subtleties and the powerful, nuanced sound of the instrument won over those present. The three Finalists presented the same program, with the exception of C. Franck's Chorals: a Toccata by Georges Athanasiadès, one of the Trois Chorals by César Franck, the final from the Evocation opus 37 by Marcel Dupré and the beautiful Les Angelus composed by Louis Vierne for soprano and organ. Soprano Magdalena Lukovic wonderfully performed the pieces accompanied by the three organists, who provided a variety of nuances.

After deliberation, the Jury announced the prizes: 1st Prize and audience Prize went to Samuel Guiddy (Sydney), 2nd Prize to Bertalan Ablongzy (Debrecen) and 3rd Prize to Thomas Ingui (New Haven, CT).