Cité de la Musique-

Philharmonie de Paris

221, Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris

La grande salle de la Philharmonie

Amphithéâtre de la Cité de la musique >

E1 The goal was to create a contemporary instrument that would serve universal organ music. Rieger Orgelbau in Austria was commissioned to build this instrument. It was agreed in advance that the harmony would be achieved by the French organ builder Michel Garnier, a member of Rieger's team since 2000, thus giving the whole a French character. The keyboard of the Grand Orgue has a "classical" core composed of a choir of Principal stops, starting at the 16′ and progressing to the Plein jeu and the Cymbal. A similar, but narrower-sized, configuration is found on the Positive. Around the classical nuclei of the Great Organ and the Positive, a rich selection of additional registers has been placed. The Récit has an even wider range of 8' stops. The fourth keyboard includes both the Expressive Solo, the Chamades, and the Resonance Division, which has been conceptualized as a floating complement to the Grand Orgue and Pedale divisions and has the necessary mutations to play classical French literature. The pedal is very full, starting with three stops of 32′ and eight of 16′ to give that rich base that only an organ can add to great orchestral works. A mechanical console is accessible from the back of the organ, and is located on a small gallery projecting into the auditorium as one of the acoustic "clouds" of the hall. A second mobile console is available on stage. Its characteristics include, apart from the automatic recall of the data saved by the organist – combinations, sequencer, archive – the possibility for the instrumentalist to adjust the console ergonomically as he wishes: lateral position, depth and distance of the pedalboard, height of the keyboard block. Following the architect's wishes, the organ façade gives a minimalist appearance when the general expression box is closed. Only a group of Montre 16′ pipes, located around the mechanical console, reveals the presence of an organ. However, when the general expression box is opened, the inside of the organ is spectacularly visible. Its impact can be increased by illuminating the interior with a variety of colors that visually reflect the atmosphere of the work being performed. Vidéo Au cœur de l'orgue de la Philharmonie de Paris

L’orgue de l’amphithéâtre de la Cité de la musique

Video Olivier Latry Photos of the organ: Rieger Orgelbau

The Philharmonie de Paris is an exceptional architectural hub bringing together the Philharmonie 1, the new building designed by Jean Nouvel that houses the Great Hall opened in January 2015, and the Philharmonie 2, the former Cité de la musique designed by Christian de Portzamparc in 1995. Neither a "shoebox" hall (like the Musikverein in Vienna), nor a "vineyard" room (like the Berlin Philharmonic), the Great Pierre Boulez Hall of the Philharmonie invents a new model, that of an enveloping and modular room. An architectural, scenographic and acoustic innovation. Architect Jean Nouvel and the hall's chief acoustician, Sir Harold Marshall, designed the hall in collaborative sessions combining architecture, acoustics and scenography. Despite its capacity of 2,400 seats, the hall establishes a real intimacy. A very real sensation, since the distance between the conductor and the last spectator is only 32 meters (against 48 meters at the Salle Pleyel). Jean Nouvel describes the scenography as follows: "The evocative room of immaterial layers of music and light suspends listeners-spectators in space on long balconies ... This suspension creates the impression of being surrounded, immersed in music and light. » Jean Nouvel, assisted by Métra et associés (associated with the concert hall), developed with Marshall Day Acoustics and Ducks Scéno a bold system of cantilevered balconies and floating clouds combining envelopment, intimacy and spatiality. The stage offers the possibility of hosting any type of orchestral formation, even the most imposing. Source