The VERNET-MECKLER ORGAN DUET formed in 2006 when Olivier Vernet began exploring original four-hand repertoire for the organ, as well as four-hand organ transcriptions. The duet quickly coalesced and has since released many recordings to critical acclaim. The duet's recording of Mozart's complete organ works was awarded the Choc du Monde de la Musique, while the duet's recording of Mendelssohn's complete organ works received the Diapason d'Or, 4 étoiles (Monde de la Musique), 5/5 (HiFi-Video), CD of the Year (Audiophile Mélomane), and Essential Recording (Diapason, the Mendelssohn bicentenary issue). A live recital album in the Cathedral of Tulle received Excellent disque (Classica), 5/5 (Hifi-Video), and 4 étoiles (Monde de la Musique), while their Haydn recording received 4 étoiles (Monde de la Musique), and La Clef (ResMusica.com). The duet's recording of Gades's complete organ works received a 5 (Diapason), and Excellent Disque (Classica). Pasión, a recording of Hispanic dances by Ravel, Albeniz, De Falla, and Piazzolla, including original transcriptions by the composers was awarded CD of the Year, 2011 (Orgelnieuws). Additionally, the duet's recording of four-hand reductions from Rameau's Les Indes Galantes, along with a world premiere eight-hand transcription for combined organ and piano duet of the Brahms' piano concertos, received 6/6 (Piano News). Two recital recordings on the Cavaillé-Coll organ in Lunel received Excellent disque (Classica), and Disque presqu'idéal (Musikzen). The many recordings of the Vernet-Meckler Organ Duet have been broadcast throughout Europe and the United States on France Musique, Europe 1, France Inter, Radio Classique, RCF, RTBF, RAI, and American Public Media. In addition to its concert activity in such venues as Victoria Hall in Geneva, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Salle Philharmonique in Liège, Auditorium Maurice Ravel in Lyon, Philharmonie de Paris, the Vernet-Meckler Organ Duet also works to rediscover old and develop new organ four-hand repertoire. The duet collects scores, often old and unpublished, and has collaborated with several composers who have dedicated pieces especially for them.
Renowned as a brilliant representative of the French school of organ performance, OLIVIER VERNET enjoys an internationally acclaimed career with frequent concerts at the world's most prestigious music festivals. Vernet's meteoric rise began with numerous awards he received during his studies with Gaston Litaize, Marie-Claire Alain, and Michel Chapuis, culminating in the first prize award for organ at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. After unanimously winning First Prize with honours at the international competition arranged by the U.F.A.M. in Paris in 1984, Vernet followed with First Prize in 1991 at the International Organ Competition in Bordeaux. Vernet has also received awards from the foundations of Aram Khachaturain, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet pour la Vocation, Marcelle and Robert de Lacour, and the Yehudi Menuhin. To date, Olivier Vernet has recorded 110 CDs, which have received distinguished award including: the Diapason d'Or, the Choch du Répertoire, Joker from Crescendo, and Recommandé by Classica. Additionally, Vernet has won five of the most sought-after honors bestowed by the French musical press: Le Grand Prix de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque for his complete works of Buxtehude, the Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros, the Grand Prix de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts, the 2000 Diapason d'Or for his complete works of Bach, and the 2016 Choc Classica for his recording of the complete organ works of Bruhns, Hanff, and Kneller. Olivier Vernet is the titular organist of the Cathedral of Monaco, in which role he performed for the royal wedding in 2011, as well as the Artistic Director for the Monaco International Organ Festival and the Mougins Organ Festival. Olivier Vernet holds the title Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
CÉDRIC MECKLER holds a doctorate in Medicine (MD) and a doctorate in Neurosciences (PhD), and has served as a medical officer under the rank of colonel at the Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées. After completing his thesis in Medicine at Claude Bernard University in Lyon, investigating the mental disorders of Robert Schumann, Meckler defended another thesis in Neurosciences at the C.N.R.S. in Marseille, focused on cerebral activity related to the control of motor activities during musical performances. Researcher and Hypnotherapist in the Army until 2017, Meckler is now using his research and publications to author a new curriculum of reference methods devoted to piano technique in the light of current neuroscience (Orgues Nouvelles), while directing his practice of hypnosis towards cultivating artistic health, especially preparation for the stage performance. Early in life, Meckler developed a passion for piano four-hand repertoire, which he regularly played with great enthusiasm.
Events
Performance - “Rameau, Bach, Ravel”
October 19, 2019, 8:00 PM
Mariinsky theater in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Russia
Performance - “Rameau, Bach, Ravel”
October 29, 2019, 7:00 PM
Moscow International Arts Center
Moscow, Russia
Masterclass
April 18, 2020, time TBA
St. Philip Presbyterian
Houston, Texas
Benefiting the University of Houston Organ Studio
Postponed Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Concert Performance
April 19, 2020, 5:00 PM
St. Philip Presbyterian Church
Houston, TX
Postponed Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Masterclass
April 20, 2020, 10:00 AM
Shepherd School of Music
Houston, Texas
Benefiting the Rice University Organ Studio
Postponed Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Concert Performance
April 21, 2020, 7:30 PM
St. John Vianney Catholic Church
Houston, Texas
Postponed Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Concert Performance
April 24, 2020, 7:30 PM
St. Andrew's Lutheran Church
Mahtomedi, Minnesota
Postponed Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic