The death has just been announced of Marie-Claire Alain at the age of 86. She came from a distinguished musical family, whose friends, associates and teachers included just about everyone of musical importance in France at the time. Her brother, composer and organist Jehan Alain, died fighting in WW2 at the age of 29. From what is coming out on Twitter, she will be highly missed as a teacher, and remembered as an exceptional recording artist.
Here she is playing the Dubois Toccata on the Cavaille-Coll at St Sulpice.
And here playing Franck Chorale No3 in A minor on the Cavaille-Coll of the Eglise de St Francois de Sales, Lyon. Who says the organ isn’t an expressive instrument? (Thank you Tina Reynolds @TinaWRey for tweeting that link)
Alain recorded the complete works of JS Bach no fewer than three times – here she is talking to The Organ magazine about it.
