History through album-art.

    The world today pays little attention to the album covers of their favourite music. In fact, most people do not even listen to music as albums anymore. This is the age of the ‘single’ and streaming ensures that nobody really needs to care about the rest of the album. This is in shocking contrast to what was the norm before. There was a time when album-art would become famous to the point of being cultural icons. I am sure that most people who have spent even a little time listening to or looking for music online would have seen the covers of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon or The Beatles’ Abbey Road.

Abbey Road (1969)

    In the world of classical music, this has been normal. Most albums features the artists on the cover and with some exceptions like the sometimes abstract beauties of the London Symphony Orchestra:

    Or the artworks in Deutsche Grammophon, who have done artwork so well that they are celebrated in Google’s Arts and Culture, recognising their value as art: https://g.co/arts/AhcD4VmwQPb6TuV26. However, sometimes, unassuming album-art can tell a story. Take this album by Olivier Latry for instance:

    This album does not show the organ it was recorded on or the composer it is showing the most of. It is a contemporary work of album art. However, this cover cannot be found on streaming sites anymore. The story there is fascinating. This album, made by the titular organist at Notre Dame, Olivier Latry, is the last to have been made on the church's grand 1868 Cavaillé-Coll organ before disaster struck the Paris cathedral. The album was released without the knowledge of how it would be made historic. Thus came the need to celebrate it more. Now, as an instrument that has survived such a fire, the pipe organ takes precedence. Which is why, on every streaming platform, you will find the name and cover of this album changed to this:

    It is the same album, but now it has been visually reframed to honour the instrument more. At this moment and with this album, it is not J. S. Bach or Olivier Latry who are the centre of attention, but the instrument. The organ that survived a trial by fire.