Maurice Duruflé Essentials

Almost every bar of Duruflé’s music is infused with the exotic impressionist harmonies that dominated French music in the early 20th century, and his deep love of and respect for Gregorian chant adds a mystical, almost timeless quality to many of his works. This is reflected in particular in the Requiem, a gentle, pastoral setting of ethereal beauty, with brief yet highly effective moments of explosive drama. And the short choral motet “Ubi Caritas” is an exquisite oasis of calm, an almost “straight” accompanied treatment of the original medieval chant. His organ works—unique, perfumed, and often highly virtuosic—drew on the rich palette of sounds of the modified Cavaillé-Coll organ at the church of St Etienne du Mont where Duruflé himself was organist for almost 50 years. Hear the Prélude et fugue sur le nom d’Alain, a tender memorial to Duruflé’s fellow composer and close friend, Jehan Alain, for a sense of the composer’s magical harmonic instincts. And the “Toccata” from the Suite, Op. 5 is a sonic whirlwind of almost biblical proportions.