優雅な時代を物語る、夢あふれる世界最大規模の壮麗なダンスオルガン。モルティエ社のオルガンをベースに、フランスのマルク・フルニエ氏が修復及び製作を加え、その華麗な姿と豊かな音楽を現代に蘇らせました。
このオルガンは高さが5m、横幅が13m、奥行が20mもあり、オルガン本体と両側の壁に取り付けられた43体のベルやシンバルなどの打楽器を持った43体の木彫りの人形たちも演奏に参加しています。また、管弦楽器の音色を醸し出す約800本のパイプに加え、スネアドラム、バスドラム、シンバル、ウッドブロック、トライアングル、ジングル、鉄琴といった打楽器も組み込まれており、数十名編成の楽団に匹敵する演奏を行います。
建物はフランスのリヨンにあるポール・ボキューズのレセプションホールをモチーフに作られました。同オルガンもそのホールのゴーダン社のオルガンを模して改造されました。(写真を見るとパイプ配列や人形の配置が非常に似ています。)
このオルガンは、Kring van Draaiorgelvrienden (オランダストリートオルガン愛好会)が刊行した"Mortier Story"に掲載されていないため、製造番号などの詳細は判明していません。"Mortier Story"には現存する全てのモルティエ社製オルガンの情報が掲載される予定でしたが、このオルガンについては正式な情報を一切得ることができなかったようです。おそらく内部を調査すれば、何らかの手掛かりを得ることができるでしょう。
フルニエ氏の改造によって本来のモルティエらしい優雅で温かみのある音色は失われてしまいましたが、フルニエ・オルガンとして迫力のある力強い演奏を披露してくれます。
The world's largest and most magnificent dance organ, full of dreams, telling the story of an era of elegance. Based on the Mortier organ, Marc Fournier of France has restored and manufactured the organ, bringing its magnificent form and rich music back to life in the modern age.
The organ is 5 meters high, 13 meters wide, and 20 meters deep, and is joined in performance by 43 carved wooden figures with percussion instruments such as bells and cymbals attached to the organ itself and to the walls on both sides. In addition to the approximately 800 pipes that create the tone of an orchestral instrument, percussion instruments such as snare drum, bass drum, cymbal, wood block, triangle, jingle, and glockenspiel are also incorporated, making the performance comparable to an orchestra of several dozen members.
The building was modeled after Paul Bocuse's reception hall in Lyon, France. The organ was also remodeled to resemble the Gaudin organ in that hall. (The photos show a very similar arrangement of pipes and puppets.)
The organ is not listed in the "Mortier Story" published by the Kring van Draaiorgelvrienden (Dutch Street Organ Enthusiasts' Association), so the serial number and other details are not known. The "Mortier Story" was supposed to contain information on all existing Mortier organs, but it seems that no official information was ever obtained on this organ. Perhaps an examination of the interior will provide some clues.
Based on the tone and facade, we can surmise that the base organ was a 92-key organ built in the 1920s; a photograph taken in his workshop in the 1980s shows no dolls attached, and the organ still has the appearance of a Mortier organ. By this time the bellows had already been removed and a blower was probably used.
Although Fournier's modifications have caused the loss of the elegant and warm tone that was originally typical of Mortier, the organ still plays powerfully and powerfully as a Fournier organ.
