• Gert Ronner plays Fiat Lux ("Let there be light") by Théodore Dubois on the 1884 Cavaillé-Coll organ of Saint-Antoine des Quinze Vingts in Paris, France.

• Théodore Dubois (1837-1924) was born in Rosnay, Marne and studied first in Reims and subsequently at the Paris conservatory under Ambroise Thomas. He became choirmaster at the Madeleine, later Sainte-Clotilde before returning to Madeleine to succeed Camille Saint-Saëns as the titular organist. It was in this church that his most famous work Les Sept Paroles du Christ was premiered in 1867 and was staged every year since, up until the 1960's. Dubois hoped to build a career in Opera, but his works broke no new ground. The same goes for his many organ works, of which only his Toccata is a well-known recital piece. Fiat Lux was published in 1896, and although it is a brilliant and original piece, the musical language is by no means modern, compared to for example Widor's ninth organ symphony ("Gotique") published the year before, in which far more advanced writing is displayed. Surprisingly, Dubois was appointed director of the Paris conservatory where he had been teaching since the 1870's. His name is remembered for his extensive writings on counterpoint, fugue and harmony which is still being used today. His musical output deserves more attention as well, as this Fiat Lux proves.

• The Cavaillé-Coll organ (1884) at Saint-Antoine-des-Quinze-Vingts has quite a curious history. It was ordered by Baron de l'Espée, a very wealthy entrepeneur, for his mansion at the Avenue Foch, near the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The Baron liked to play Wagner transcriptions on his organ late at night, which of course, his neighbours couldn't appreciate. A court order was needed to stop the Baron and eventually he sold his organ to the Merklin firm, competitor (!) of Cavaillé-Coll, who installed it in the newly built Saint-Antoine church near Gare de Lyon (in Paris) in 1906. The instrument remains largely unaltered and is a beautiful example of Cavaillé Coll's organ building craftsmanship.

• Specification of the organ:
Grand Orgue: Bourdon 16', Montre 8', Bourdon 8', Flûte Harmonique 8', Salicional 8', Prestant 4', Flûte Octaviante 4', Doublette 2', Fourniture III-V rangs, Bombarde 16', Trompette 8', Clairon 4' | Positif Expressif: Quintaton 16', Bourdon 8', Violoncelle 8', Unda Maris 8', Flûte Traversière 8', Viole de Gambe 8', Cor de Nuit 4', Nasard 2 2/3', Octavin 2', Tierce 1 3/5', Piccolo 1', Cor Anglais 8', Trompette 8', Clairon 4' | Récit Expressif: Cor de Nuit 8', Flûte Harmonique 8', Gambe 8', Voix Céleste 8', Dulciane 4', Fourniture 3 rangs, Basson 16', Trompette 8', Basson-Hautbois 8', Clarinette 8', Voix Humaine 8', Trémolo | Pédale: Bourdon 32', Flûte 16', Soubasse 16', Flûte 8', Bourdon 8', Violoncelle 8', Flûte 4', Bombarde 16', Trompette 8', Clairon 4' | 4 manual couplers, 3 pedal couplers.

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