Pipe Organ Chartres Cathedral Duruflé (3)

[Jame243]

Magnifique!!!!!!!

[Alleghenymike]

Well, finally someone who pays attention to the orchestration (registration) and gets somewhat closer to how I think the lighter sections need to be handled. I like this recording. If something is too big all the time then it just numbs you. Id love to hear the Latry recording.

[Pedalpoint1]

I think Latry plays it better! Does anybody have a recording of Latry playing this it at Notre Dame? I think there is an album containing it. I have the one of him playing it at St Etienne du Mont.

[FromHolbergsTime]

A remarkable recording of a most compelling composition in an extraordinarily beautiful cathedral. This three movement Suite was composed in 1933 and dedicated to Durufle's teacher Paul Dukas. The virtuoso Toccata in B minor reveals the brilliant mind and character of Durufle. I have this work on the CPO label played by Friedhelm Flamme on the Muhleisen Organ at Bad Gandersheim Church. Durufle was a student of Vierne and Tournemire. His Requiem is one of the loveliest compositions ever!

[candelaman1]

This is absolutely THE most masterful performance of this piece I have ever heard. I can't stop listening to it. Wow -- Lefebvre never ceases to amaze me.

[victorlenageur]

vive la françe

[jasonc001]

Are the three movements of the Suite Op. 5 thematically related? I've never experienced the complete piece performed live. Maybe a better question is, is there an overarching theme that brings the three movements together? I don't think I hear one.

[ds1868]

Nicely played, but I don't like the D-G organ at all. Totally gutless, with little excitement at all - it sounds more like an electronic Anglo-American pastiche to me. Such a shame.

[a55b47]

You got a problem with Anglo-Americans? ;-)

Just kidding. It doesn't sound as French as one would expect, does it? I haven't heard enough D-G's to know whether this is standard voicing for their instruments, or whether this is an aberration.

[pommersche]

Very good!

[latribe]

Thanks so much for posting this - this piece is growing and growing on me after I heard Hugh Potton play it (there's an extract of it on YouTube).

Philippe Lefebvre's performance is brilliant on this wonderful organ - any idea what happened to the really ancient instrument?

[a55b47]

The really old instrument was apparently in such a terrible state of repair that most of it was discarded. I think a few ranks were saved -- but not many.

I first heard this piece over 40 years ago -- Noel Rawsthorne @ Liverpool Cathedral. I thought, "My God, that's difficult !!." In the interim, I've come to realize that it's not only difficult, it's a work of sheer genius. Duruflé didn't produce much music, but every piece was an exquisitely polished gem.

[latribe]

Yes I agree with you - sheer genius - and the young crop of current organists who are playing it is so breathtaking. As well as Hugh it's wonderful to see clips from Raul Ramirez, Roberto Bertero, Kiyo Watanabe and Anna Myeong, who I notice plays from music.

It's difficult to see how many of the others perform the double feat of playing this piece and playing it from memory, Virgil Fox style.

Thanks again for posting this wonderful old recording.

[pianoandpipes]

Isn't funny that Durufle hated this piece of music??

He didn't even let his wife record it on her recording of the works...

He later revised the ending (he was always revising everything) and liked it a little better, but he was never very fond of it...

I just find that absolutely interesting...

[a55b47]

Maybe he didn't like it because it was to hard for him to play ;-). I've heard sort of the same story about Balakirev & his piano piece, "Islamey."

[pianoandpipes]

Indeed - toward the end of his life though he was not in good health. They were both in a horrible automobile accident and he suffered great injury. They served together at the same church and she had to take over his duties, and was he would become very frustrated when she would leave.

It is so sad, they were both such amazing people, but in the end had so many hardships..

[nataniel1215]

I've heard prof. Latry speaking of this peace and the fact that Durufle forbade his wife to perform it. Latry said that Maurice put the darkest part of his soul into this piece and that was the reason of such attitude to his own Toccata. Maybe a catchy story, maybe somewhat true, who nows... It's really diabolic music.

[mak1685]

True virtuoso!

[jasonc001]

A FANTASTIC piece of music, just perfect. And a beautiful, otherworldly -- oh well, magnificent performance. The suspense was great.

[a55b47]

Sorry for the somewhat constricted sound.I can take 1 of 2 options: either compress the hell out of it to get it uploaded in a reasonable amount of time,or leave it alone & allow my(supposedly high-speed)internet connection to spin its wheels for 45 minutes uploading an un-compressed version-which leads invariably to a cut-out in mid-process. I've obviously chosen the 1st option. Extremely frustrating. But hey, it's a lot better than the options we had before YouTube !!

[2468HOTROD]

I, for one, love what you are doing with this wonderful videos. Thank you. You are spreading pipeorgan fever all over the world for the first time to lots of people. Bravo!

[a55b47]

Thanks for the encouragement. I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve ;-) I firmly believe that the digital phenomenon plus the internet phenomenon is the greatest thing to happen to the pipe organ world since electrical blowers. I can remember not too many years ago struggling mightily to find LP's of pipe organ music, & there was virtually NOTHING. Except Virgil & Biggs, of course, & an occasional recording by Richard Elsasser (remember him?).

[Reesman95]

Do you by chance have the C.D. of Widor playing at Saint Sulpice because I would be overjoyed if you did and posted the C.D.

[a55b47]

Actually, I don't know if it ever made it to CD here in the U.S. I got my recording off an old LP that came out about 25 years ago that I bought (I think) in London -- just before the advent of CD''s.

[ufni3p]

The Widor-recording is available on cd,it's part off a 5-cd box edited by EMI claasic's "Orgues et organistes français du XXé siècle" Very interesting,also recordings of Vierne,Dupré,Duruflé...