Maurice Durufle (1902 - 1986)

Complete Organ Music



Performers:
Henry Fairs - organ



Recorded in:
Notre-Dame d'Auteuil, Paris, France





Even though Maurice Durufle's output was small for a composer of his stature and influence, it was due to his extreme perfectionism that he merely produced eight original works for organ. Not counting his virtuosic transcriptions of improvisations by his teachers, Louis Vierne and Charles Tournemire, all of Durufle's organ music easily fits on one CD, as this 2007 Naxos release demonstrates. Best known of all his compositions is the "Prelude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain, Op. 7," which Durufle wrote in 1942 in memory of his friend and fellow composer, Jehan Alain, who was killed early in World War II and whose celebrated "Litanies" are quoted in this piece. Less famous but of equal importance and depth, and quite similar in style and feeling, the "Prelude, Adagio et Choral varie sur le theme du Veni Creator, Op. 4," and the "Suite, Op. 5," are the other major organ works in Durufle's catalog, supplemented by several short miniatures which are charming but of less significance. Of these, the poignant "Meditations, Op. posth.", was composed in 1964 but only published in 2002, and has been recorded just twice previously; organist Henry Fairs' recording, along with Friedhelm Flamme's album on CPO, is one of only two truly complete recordings of Durufle's organ oeuvre. Fairs, a British recitalist familiar with organs across Europe, plays the Cavaille-Coll grand organ at the Church of Notre Dame d'Auteuil in Paris, which offers a similar registration to instruments the composer played, and provides the wide range of sonorities necessary in this masterfully crafted music. Naxos provides clear and vibrant sound at floor level, and aside from the organ's own action, there are few distracting noises in this resonant church setting.



Maurice Durufle was a highly self-critical composer whose musical language can be viewed as a synthesis of the impressionist tradition of Debussy and Ravel and the modal, Gregorian-inspired style of Faure. Although his best-known work is the Requiem, his distinctive and powerful organ music continues the French tradition of organ-playing and composition. The Prelude sur l’Introit de l’Epiphanie demonstrates Durufle’s mastery in capturing the shape and colour of plainsong. With its perfect architectural balance and proportions, the Prelude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain written in memory of Durufle’s colleague Jehan Alain, killed in action in 1940, has become one of Durufle’s most popular organ works.






Tracklist:

01. Fugue sur le theme du Carillon des Heures de la Cathedrale de Soissons, Op. 12

Prelude, adagio et choral varie sur le Veni Creator, Op. 4
02. Prelude
03. Adagio
04. Choral varie

05. Prelude sur l'introit de l'Epiphanie, Op. 13
06. Scherzo, Op. 2

Prelude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain, Op. 7
07. Prelude
08. Fugue

09. Meditation, Op. posth.
10. Chant Donne - Hommage a Jean Gallon

Suite, Op. 5
11. I. Prelude
12. II. Sicilienne
13. III. Toccata



MORE INFO:
naxos.com
allmusic.com
barnesandnoble.com
cduniverse.com
arkivmusic.com