Revisiting Marcel Dupré

Marcel Dupré is considered one of the foremost organists of the 20th century. On the occasion of Mercury Living Presence's re-release of Dupre's recordings in a 10-CD set, Michael Barone shares a selection of these historic performances. Pipedreams airs Sunday at 11 pm.

Dupre recorded a total of eight albums for the Mercury Living Presence label. The first, in 1957, was at Ford Auditorium in Detroit. Two additional LPs of solo selections by Widor, Franck and Dupré at St. Thomas Church in New York City, and five more with solo works by Bach, Franck, Dupré and Messiaen at the Church of Saint Sulpice in Paris followed. This 10-CD reissue set (available both in CD format or as digital download) was made possible by the Association des Amis de l’Art de Marcel Dupré.

Barone is joined by association's director, Bruno Chaumet; project consultant Adam Freeman; and engineer Thomas Fine, whose father and mother were an engineer and producer, respectively, on the original recordings. A more detailed story of the legendary Mercury Living Presence recording process (and the remarkable Mercury catalog of historic performances) is available in Stereophile Magazine.

Program Playlist (all performances by Marcel Dupré):

Dupré: Carillon, Op. 27, No. 4

Dupré : Prelude and Fugue in G, Op. 7, No. 3

J.S. Bach: Schübler Chorale, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645

Cesar Franck: Fantasie in A, from Trois Pieces

Dupré: Prelude and Fugue in C, Op. 36, No. 3