Jehan Alain: Litanies

[jazzkeyboardman]

Yes, WAY...TOO... FAST. This is a fervent prayer by the composer to Almighty God, asking why his sister Marie-Odile had to die in a mountaineering accident. Taken more slowly, it is MUCH more effective. Although this is a technically awesome performance......

[downtown1961]

Technically wonderful, but WAY too fast.

[BOEINGPILOT777]

for me too fast!



[hikitsurisan]

Agreed with all those who find it a fast blur.  For example: if hadn't known the music I would never have known that the main tune starts with two repeated notes. It just loses its rhythmic bite.

[bobnrainy]

Fats just does not equate to virtuosity. The piece gets murdered all the time with no consideration of reverberation time.

[voixhumaine]

Poooh ! So fast, and botched !! Poor babies..

What is the problem with all these organists who absolutely want to claim technical performance on top of everyting?? Plus a kind of "novel" phrasing that is nowhere on the sheet? I thought that time belonged to the 70's and was over..

Sorry, I don't , and can't like it, compared to other interpretation - Marie-Claire's being probably still the best, see around: watch?v=rZ69_cgFwLk&feature=ch­annel_video_title

[Violanta100]

Hans interpretasjoner gjør meg misunnelig! Fantastisk utøver!

[bierz10]

once more interpretation "Litanies" as any toccata....

[SmallTanga]

Au secours !!!! Comme l'expliquait MC Alain, son frère a introduit dans cette œuvre le rythme du train. Ce merveilleux compositeur n'a hélas pas connu le TGV. Pourquoi dès lors vouloir l'y embarquer.

Cet interprête veut juste montrer sa virtuosié. Allez mon grand tu peux encore aller plus vite ! C'est affreux, mais si cela t'excites ...

[DeDeutschmann]

well played, but J-B. Robin played it better in St. Eustache! With more emotions!

[Corbetgal]

Organist's technique excellent, but is this really the effect (i.e. confused sound) that Alain intended... I think possibly not. There's far too much echo and it's simply played too fast for the individual lines to be heard clearly, which is an important (I would say vital) part of this piece. No, no, no - too fast and far too showy! I'm impressed by the technique, not by the interpretation, sorry!

[hamilton797]

Even quicker played than Robin! In Record breaking time. I prefer this piece not so agitated. Thanks anyway.

[organ444]

Is it just me or is the pedal board covered in dust?

Fanastic Piece, though. I actually have the dvd of this piece at home.

[all1rog]

I agree that this is a well conceived performance: certainly not "too fast and flippant", as suggested by one person, here.

[MrSparkione]

@all1rog

Straight out of the 'Because I Can' school...FAR too fast, too many ritenuti to regroup after each phrase. The piece requires a controlled relentlessness which this performance totally fails to achieve. Madame Alain might approve, but I don't believe he brother would...

[Diapasonic]

For those who would criticize M. Delacour's performance, remember that he was a pupil of Marie-Claire Alain, who is the great interpreter of her brother's compositions.

[peteacher52]

@Diapasonic Exactly!! As if M Delacour would not have discussed J Alain's work with M-C Alain in fine detail. Wouldn't music be utterly boring if every musician played each piece "correctly", that is, the same way!

[msdl63]

che Delacour abbia una tecnica pregevolissima non lo si scopre qui, .. ne ha data ampia dimostrazione.

Però qui corre veramente troppo,... credo che questo pezzo non possa essere suonato in maniera diversa da come fa Marie Claire Alain, una delle poche persone al mondo che le ha sentite suonare direttamente dal fratello, e che certamente ne possiede l'intimo segreto.

Consiglierei a Delacour di dedicarsi ad un repertorio diverso, dove può dare il meglio di sè.

[xavitenor]

Impressionant!

[altpapapi]

A precision performance of this work. Delacour's technique is flawless, his interpretation is expertly conceived and his socks are blue, not purple. This instrument reverberates the room with superb 2.33 second beats, creating the harmonics the composer intended at the tempo M. Philippe Delacour has chosen. Listen to the MUSIC people!

[tribuswinkel]

he doesnt plays evering at the point where the accords are

[Kristoph1991]

nobody does...... lol

[willowthebored]

@Kristoph1991

Now there's a truth if ever one was posted. XD

[Lieblichgedackt]

Beurk...

[nannerbenahs]

Much too fast and flippant and thereby somehow showing a lack of sympathy (and maybe even) 'disdain' for the the 'soul'of this wonderful piece. Not impressed at all! Technique is not everything!

[wellenzittich]

omg... what did they say...

Play it without mistakes like him!!!

He's a great player, i love is music!!!

[Simonwoodham874]

if you arent covered with sweat after you finish this piece you didnt play it right but If it is played At the Right speed u could understand it more and make it sweet but this Guy is playing it so fast u cant even tell one from the other Really so not sweet ..at all

[Schalmey8]

i like this piece fast, but i think this is too fast. especially the room is wrong to play it this way

[virginiaorganbuilder]

Alain himself said that if you aren't covered with sweat after you finish this piece, you didn't play it right. It's a tough call when the composer himself says this, but I prefer a little more music and a little less sweat (it's the gesture that counts, not the number of notes per minute).

[TheCatedral]

Nous oublions souvent l'intention du compositeur, et pensons ce qu'il a pensé. Jehan Alain voulait que cette oeuvre fut une suplique, une invocation, une obsession, capable de monter jusqu'à Dieu. Nous sommes en effet devant une oeuvre où l'exactitude cède le pas à la lecture chrétienne.

Il ne s'agit pas de jouer n'importe comment... et je ne crois sincèrement pas que Monsieur Delacour interprète cette oeuvre de n'importe quelle manière.. M. C. Alain a été son professeur!

[OrganMaster310]

i actually like the speed. I think im going to play it like that my self

[sjoerdva]

Do we have a train to catch ?

[kubusj91]

I think yes... He plays that piece too fast. It doesn't make sens...

[tjugofyra]

You do know that he is french right? :P

[organist12345]

He plays all pieces unnessacarilly( i think i spelt that wrong!) fast!

I wonder how he plays Widor's Toccata, lol.

[tjugofyra]

Fast, but not very fast:P

[organist12345]

You think so?

[tjugofyra]

Haha, yes and I know it to!

I have a recording of Delacour playing the Toccata on the organ of Notre Dame de Metz where he is the titulary!

[cliveso]

Cut that. If you do read about Jehan Alain, you might realise that Alain might have had lots of space shuttles to catch.

This is not the point though.

If Delacour liked it that way (and I do as well), it is his (and my) personal preference. We are not talking about right or wrong here. Delacour played it according to his taste, not public opinion, true to his heart. It is very arrogant of you to reject his playing WITH SARCASM. It is "you don't like his tempo", not "he plays too quickly".

[cbender111]

I agree with your last sentence, but in one point you are wrong. It has nothing to do with personal taste when I say: at least the last bars he definetly plays much too fast, he plays these bars even faster then rest, but Alain writes to slow down the tempo here. So this a proof for me, that his tempo has nothing to do with musical interpretation, but showing how fast he can play...

[cliveso]

One has to realise that composers love to change their mind all the time. Good composers are creative by their nature. On a good day, they play it fast; on a bad day, they play it slow. What appears to me is it is not necessary to follow the score exactly - just do what you like and what is tasteful. I feel sorry for musicians who feel compelled to play with the best "authenticity" possible. Even worse if they don't truly like it.

[cbender111]

You say it is not necessary to follow the score exactly. Sorry I totally dont think so. If a composer would not want to follow his instructions he wouldnt write them. And if a musician doesnt want to follow the instructions he should not say "i play the piece..." he should say "i play a cover, a new-interpretation of that piece, a variation or an improvisation. And if he doesnt like whats written in the notes, he shouldnt play it, he should go write a new (a better??) piece.

[cliveso]

"If a composer would not want to follow his instructions he wouldnt write them."

So in effect you are saying even the composer himself is OBLIGATED to play exactly what he wrote, even tempo/registration markings? Or otherwise he has to declare that it is a "variation" of the piece?

Who on earth set these rules?

The beauty of human performers is they do things differently from each other. They put in new ideas and inspiration.

[Capricornboy]

Yeah, way to fast typical german interpretation of french organmusic, they also rape messiaen's music like this!

[mjeff321]

I just don't get why people try and play stuff so damn fast at the keyboard. It gets so unpleasant... the music just isn't allow to talk to the listener.

[codeman2008]

You gotta love Delacour! And his Purple Socks too!

[tjugofyra]

And his grey jacket that he always wear

[codeman2008]

Most Definetly!

[posaune16]

The socks just look blue to me.

[tjugofyra]

Indeed, they are very blue!

[accousticdecay]

Marvelous accoustics and comlete mastery of a fine instrument make this a fabulous performance! Bravo! I, of course, play that song half-fast.

[PiedPuyper]

Faster please, IF YOU CAN STAND IT!