Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Complete Organ Music
Roberto Marini (organ)
rec. 2024, Church of St Martin, Dudelange, Luxembourg
Brilliant Classics 97665 [83]
Whenever I encounter a release which purports to offer a composer’s complete works, I make a point of checking whether that claim holds up. In the case of this disc, the answer is: yes – and no – it depends. All Duruflé’s published organ music is indeed present, following the sequence established in Durand’s Oeuvres pour orgue, which effectively defines the core repertoire. Italian organist Roberto Marini has added three pieces now widely accepted as part of the canon. But several early student efforts which remain unpublished are missing. Those are notably Duruflé’s transcriptions of other composers’ works and, more significantly, the Trois Improvisations, which he later reconstructed from recordings he made at Notre-Dame.
An effective way to begin exploration of Maurice Duruflé’s opus is with the Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain. He dedicated it to Jehan Alain, fellow organist and composer who had been killed near Saumur in the Loire Valley. Alain is often regarded as the single greatest loss to French music sustained in the Second World War. Any performance must point up the dichotomy between the sadness and reflection of the impressionistic Prelude and the gradual build up to a fine peroration in the Fugue. Roberto Marini’s account fits the bill with its equilibrium of triumph and meditation.
The Scherzo, a student exercise dedicated to Charles Tournemire, is anything but academic. Since then, it has taken its rightful place as “a prime example of the 20th century organ repertoire”. It explores Duruflé’s harmonic imagination and technical skill. A miniature rondo, it opens with quiet string stops before launching into intricate, filigree figures. Chorale-based episodes offer contrast, while shifting moods and modulations sustain interest. Its mystical atmosphere and structural clarity make it one of the most captivating numbers on the disc. The magic is certainly present in this recording.
The Prélude, Adagio et Choral varié sur le thème du “Veni Creator”, dedicated to Louis Vierne, won first prize from Les Amis de l’Orgue in 1930. Drawing on the Gregorian theme for Pentecost, it characterises the musical language that defined Duruflé’s style. The liner notes say that this theme is explored “in all its expressive potential and reworked in a synthesis of traditions and modernity”. The Prélude introduces chant fragments in shimmering textures; the Adagio offers a concentrated, meditative chromatic unfolding; and the Choral varié presents the full theme followed by four increasingly intricate variations, culminating in a glowing coda.
The Suite pour orgue concludes with one of Duruflé’s most often performed pieces. the final Toccata. It is technically demanding, and surges with rhythmic energy and contrapuntal brilliance. The opening Prelude is at first brooding and funereal, before a “melancholic recitative” is explored and the opening material returns. The impressionistic Sicilienne is tender by comparison. Any performance of this Suite must fuse Gregorian modality with Impressionism and sheer virtuosity. Roberto Marini finds this balance in his fascinating account.
The Chant donné is a short tribute, just over two minutes, which Duruflé offered to his former teacher Jean Gallon on his retirement. It was part of a Festschrift (Soixante-quatre Leçons d’harmonie offertes en hommage à Jean Gallon par ses élèves) devised by sixty-four of his former pupils. (A Chant donné is an exercise in which a tune is to be harmonized.)
The Fugue sur le thème du Carillon des heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons may not be the most significant piece on this disc, but there is a satisfying transformation of a pealing bell motif from the eponymous church into a radiant, rhythmically intricate organ fugue.
The Prélude sur l’Introït de l’Épiphanie, commissioned by Norbert Dufourcq for his volume Preludes à l’introït, timelessly honours the Gregorian tradition.
The Méditation pour orgue, published posthumously, shares a spiritual kinship with the Agnus Dei from the 1966 Messe cum jubilo. This likely began life as an improvisation. It unfolds through two principal themes: a chant-like opening motif and a more introspective passage voiced on the flute stops. Gradually, the music slows, dissolving into a series of lingering suspensions.
The Stahlhuth/Jann organ at the Church of St Martin of Dudelange, Luxembourg, is a majestic Romantic instrument shaped by the traditions of Germany, France and England. It was commissioned in 1912 and rebuilt/restored in 2002. Its remarkable versatility now includes four manuals, seventy-eight speaking stops, two swell divisions, en chamade (a set of powerful reed pipes mounted horizontally), two 32-foot pedal stops and a rich palette of solo voices.
Roberto Marini studied under Fernando Germani and Lionel Rogg, and gained top prizes at the Geneva Conservatory. He is especially celebrated for his performances of Max Reger’s music. He has recorded the composer’s complete organ works in a monumental 17-CD set for Brilliant Classics. Marini’s discography also includes the complete organ works of Schumann and Brahms, as well as recordings of Liszt, Reubke and Flor Peeters. He has performed at major international festivals, and his broadcasts have been given on Vatican Radio and other media outlets. A professor at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome and at the Pescara Conservatory, Marini also serves as artistic director of several organ festivals, and he is the titular organist of Teramo Cathedral.
The soloist’s liner notes give all the information required for enjoyment of this music. There are illustrations of the organ and recitalist, and the all-important organ specification.
The recording offers a rewarding exploration of Maurice Duruflé’s published organ works, enriched by sensitive and commanding performances and a great recording. Roberto Marini’s interpretations, supported by the imposing Stahlhuth/Jann organ, illustrate the technical brilliance and the spiritual depth of this repertoire. For seasoned admirers and curious newcomers alike, it is a compelling and dignified tribute to one of the greatest French organ composers.
John France
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Contents
Scherzo, op.2 (1926)
Prélude, Adagio et Choral varié sur le thème du “Veni Creator,” op.4 (1930)
Suite pour orgue, op.5: I. Prélude; II. Sicilienne; III Toccata (1933)
Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain, op.7 (1942)
Chant donné (Hommage à Jean Gallon) (1953)
Fugue sur le thème du Carillon des heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons, op.12 (1962)
Prélude sur l’Introït de l’Épiphanie, op.13 (1961)
Méditation pour orgue, opus posthume (1964)
