Castagnet: Magnificat

In April 2019, the Paris cathedral of Notre-Dame was devastated by fire. Thanks to quick thinking on the part of its clergy, much was moved to safety, including priceless works of art and holy relics. But there were overwhelming losses. The cathedral’s roof, comprised of hundreds of 13th-century oak beams, collapsed, its wooden spire was wholly consumed, and its interior scarred from the falling debris and millions of gallons of water that were required to quench the flames. While the gargantuan grand orgue (great organ) was partially shielded from the heat and smoke high up in the west-end gallery, the choir organ—situated just beyond the transept, and used for smaller services and evening vespers—suffered substantial and irreversible damage. “The choir organ was really damaged by the water,” Yves Castagnet, composer and Notre-Dame’s choir organist since 1988, tells Apple Music Classical, “but we will find its sounds again, because most of the metal pipes were saved.” Castagnet composed his Magnificat for choir and organ soon after the fire, a work that sets one of the most important texts in the Christian faith, words spoken by the Virgin Mary during her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. “We sing this text every single evening in the cathedral throughout the year,” says Castagnet. “These are the words of the Virgin Mary, and are sung in a cathedral which is dedicated to her. So, the Magnificat is very, very important, and I have been obsessed by it.” The hope was that the cathedral’s choir, the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris (under its conductor Henri Chalet), would one day perform it accompanied by Castagnet on the newly restored and revamped choir organ. The organ’s planned expanded stop-list and additional third manual will lend the instrument an almost entirely new color palette. “The old choir organ was more suited to old music, to French and German music,” he says, “but now, for the liturgy and for the whole musical life of the cathedral, the cathedral needs a choir organ that will be able to serve every style of music.” For now, however, Castagnet will have to wait for his dream to be fulfilled—works on the choir organ are delayed for a couple of years while other areas of the cathedral are prioritized. Which means that the premiere of his Magnificat, in September 2025, will be with the grand orgue. This, however, may be a blessing in itself. The grand orgue is one of the most beautifully voiced and colorful of any French organ, and Castagnet’s Magnificat is a work of great imagination and power. His piece bears all the hallmarks of a composer steeped in the liturgical music lexicon of late 19th- and 20th-century Paris, with its hints of Duruflé, Dupré, and Fauré. There are, however, says Castagnet, many other influences at play. “Of course, I’m French, so I’m very influenced by French composers, including also Jehan Alain, but also by one of my favorite composers for the choir, the English composer Benjamin Britten.” Another influence is J.S. Bach—Castagnet has modelled the format of his setting on Bach’s own Magnificat, dividing the text up into the same constituent parts. But he admits that his love of and respect for the German composer’s music made it difficult to get started on his own. “I have a real adoration for this work. I think it’s maybe one of Bach’s greatest masterpieces. For many years I said to myself, ‘No, no, you can’t make music on this text.’” But there is no doubt that Castagnet has produced a compelling score, and while we’re unable to hear the work in the setting for which it was intended, this recording surely comes close to that experience. Not far from Notre-Dame is the church of Sainte Clotilde, the Parisian church where both César Franck and Jean Langlais were once organists. It’s proven to be a worthy recording venue—the perfect “stand-in” for Notre-Dame. And in December 2024, Castagnet will once again be reunited with the holy space that has been his musical and spiritual home for so long. “We will need time to find our place in this new building,” he says of his return to Notre-Dame. “Of course, it’s not a new building, but for us it’s something so new. This cathedral has been sleeping for five years. And now it’s time for her to wake up.”