Durufle wrote slowly and carefully and did not leave very much music. This disc contains ALL of his organ music. One wishes he had written (or preserved) more. The two big pieces here are the early Suite, Op. 5, and the 'Prelude, Adagio et Choral varie sur la theme du "Veni Creator", ' Op. 4. The Toccata in the former, reminding one of Gigout's famous Toccata, and the Choral varie in the latter are particularly memorable, and expertly played by organist Friedhelm Flamme. There are a number of much smaller pieces, most memorable of which are the 'Chant donnee - Hommage a Jean Gallon,' exquisite for its short 1 1/2 minutes, and the previously mentioned Prelude and Fugue on the name of [Jehan] Alain. Characteristic of Durufle writing is the extremely subtle mix of colors; he was very careful to prescribe registrations and there are certainly some organs that cannot supply the color required. The organ here, a new Muehleisen (of Strasbourg) Organ installed in 2000 at the Stiftkirche in Bad Gandersheim, Lower Saxony, is perfectly suited, it sounds to me, for the delicacy of Durufle's music.

I wish I could describe the effect Durufle's style has on me; it is both exquisitely wrought and delicate, and at the same time highly emotional (in that oh-so-French way); it has much the same effect on me that the Ravel of, say, 'L'Enfant et les sortileges' or the Satie of 'Socrate' does. I've been playing this disc in my car and at home for a couple days and can't seem to get enough of it. I have been playing the audio CD layer of this hybrid SACD disc and the sound is exemplary; I can only imagine how it would be in SACD sound.

Strongly recommended.

TT=66:48

Scott Morrison


Maurice Durufle. Complete organ works   December 29, 2006
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Maurice Durufle (1902-1986) who is well known for his Requiem, has a very attractive repertoire for organ. Beside that his works are quite briefs, musical expression is always pleasant to hear.

Two highlights on this CD : the Suite opus 5 (track 1-3) especially in the Toccata, and the Prelude and Fugue on Alain opus 7 (track 12-13). Both better known as concert pieces, for their brightness in style and execution. A very interesting piece, Chant donne - Hommage a Jean Gallon (track 4) is an interesting short and not so well known piece that worth the listening.

Soft registration and expressive play by Friedhelm Flamme make theis CD a sort of tribute to the excellence of composition by Durufle.

Very accurate recording, choice of repertoire and meticulous execution make togother a summit in recorded organ music.