Maurice Duruflé performing his own Suite for Organ (Opus 5) [of course, No Toccata]

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Күн бұрын

Here is a rare recording of Maurice Duruflé performing his own work, Suite for Organ. This is the Prelude and the Sicilienne; Duruflé despised the third movement, the Toccata, and refused to play it.
The Prelude was recorded, interestingly enough, at Soissons, while the Sicilienne was recorded at St. Etienne du Mont.
This recording, captured in 1963, originated from an MHS Vinyl record, circa 1969. It has long since been lost, but was purchased in fair used condition from the Tower Records annex in New York City. I processed the audio to remove noise, clicks, and pops. This should be considered fair use, as I do not own the copyright or any other claim on this work. It has been posted for academic and historical comparison.

Пікірлер: 48

@patrickroose799 2 жыл бұрын

My own organ-teacher, Mr Kamiel D'Hooghe (director conservatory Brussels), who died in dec 2022, told me the following story about that. Once he was in a jury, together with Maurice Duruflé, and they listened a Reger-interpretation. Duruflé's comment was "To much notes". Then an other work, and the comment was the same. And then, a canditate played Duruflé's Toccata. And Duruflé said (smiling) again "Trop de notes".

@youtube_user 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing this anecdote. Since my childhood, anecdotes about composers have helped me understand their music.

@pennica.illegale 2 жыл бұрын

Duruflé may not have written many pieces, but the ones he did write are absolute perfection

@matthiasandreashauser6321 Жыл бұрын

Duruflé was writing music throughout his entire life, but he was very demanding, also towards himself. So he allowed only 14 of his compositions to be published.

@Gg-jq7ht 10 ай бұрын

@@matthiasandreashauser6321 Just like his teacher Paul Dukas.

@Helga2408 2 жыл бұрын

What an honour to hear Duruflé playing his own Suite! Thanks for posting!

@Highinsight7 Жыл бұрын

amen!

@gemmacoebergh8062 3 жыл бұрын

Very moving to hear Duruflé play his Prélude, one of the most beautiful organ works ever written!

@Highinsight7 Жыл бұрын

yup... he was a master... FIRST class composer... no one like it today... even close... ( and I do like Hakim...)

@Gg-jq7ht 9 ай бұрын

The Sicilienne is a perfect foil to it, too.

@Reid-yy5nw 3 жыл бұрын

Certainly GLAD Durufle did not throw his TOCCATA in the trash can. It's a gem, and played by top organists all over the world!

@Doug19752533 2 жыл бұрын

I knew someone who had been a former student of Mrs Durufle, and he said whenever she wanted to get under his skin for fun she would start to play the Toccata. He would start making waving motions like he was trying to blow away a bad smell saying "oh! no!" he also said it would be particularly fun after his accident and he couldnt so easily get away. But Durufle knew it was all in fun and love, even though he did not like the Toccata. "I feel it has bad themes" he said of it.

@Gg-jq7ht 9 ай бұрын

I still prefer the first ending of the Toccata to the last one, and still play it.

@xReMmiXX 5 ай бұрын

@@Gg-jq7ht first ending ? can you tell me more ?

@keithbickle6467 Жыл бұрын

The reason Durufle appears not to have written that many pieces is because he had an agreement with Jean Alan and one other whose name I cannot recall for the moment that they would only publish what they considered to be their best work. So we have a collection of the best but it is quite possible that there could be some gems hidden away in a drawer somewhere. However we shall never know. I for one am so grateful for what we do have.

@Doug19752533 8 ай бұрын

that wouldnt surprise me. i had also heard an interview on a Durufle album where he said one of the reasons he published so little was it had to do with his being a professor of harmony, and that had a crippling effect on his writing, and that it caused him to become very self critical. his exact quote "it makes the composer dry up"

@michaelheintz8853 2 жыл бұрын

I love the 5/4 meter in the prelude and the toccata was the most difficult piece I ever played.

@youtube_user 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for re-mastering and posting this recording. You really make youtube become a better place! Extremely educational. Thank you! I have known Duruflé by name since my youth. Only this year I began practicing his works. Different from most music I have seen or heard so far. He has become my favorite compositor. I play him almost every night before going home from organ practice.

@JapanPop 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful to hear from you. I, too have loved Duruflé since my youth, and attempt to play bits of his masterworks time to time. Alas, my skills pale in comparison. Glad to hear you play him as often as you do. Keep bringing his beauty into the world! I shall try to post Scherzo Op. 4 soon.

@youtube_user 2 жыл бұрын

@@JapanPop Looking forward to it!

@Doug19752533 3 жыл бұрын

i had read that the Prelude from the Suite Op. was Durufle's personal favorite of all his works (even the Requiem)

@Reid-yy5nw 3 жыл бұрын

When asked what piece of music would be my choice if left on this Earth with only 1, besides the Bach B MINOR MASS, I couldn't make a go of it without the Durufle REQUIEM either. It would take 2.

@gabrielroure7763 Жыл бұрын

Très ému par cet enregistrement, merci infiniment pour le partage. Parmi les plus belles page de la musique d'orgue française. Cette musique vaut bien celle de Ravel sur le plan du charme et du raffinement harmonique et mélodique.

@robertowarren7007 8 ай бұрын

Wow the bass on this is awesome 😊

@EarlMillerMusic 2 жыл бұрын

This is a masterpiece. Just beautiful 🎶🎼❤️

@SeattleBoatdog 3 жыл бұрын

Very interesting . . Thank you for sharing this . . This is a valuable recording, with a LOT of interesting nuance to the performance.

@Highinsight7 Жыл бұрын

his play is soo emotional and connected... from the FIRST note... and extremely masculine...

@theophaniacecil9809 2 ай бұрын

How can playing a musical instrument be ‘masculine’? That’s a very sexist view.

@tigershortfoot6196 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this Christopher.

@user-dl6ry1pq7m 2 жыл бұрын

Огромное спасибо! Эта запись поистине бесценна!

@rrkdudas6848 3 жыл бұрын

Dude I thought for a moment he did the toccata

@md95065 3 жыл бұрын

Me too! I saw the title of the video and thought "Could this actually be a recording of him playing the Toccata?" - oh well, it is still a very interesting recording.

@Hauptwerkorgan 3 жыл бұрын

He didn't play the Toccata because he was not satisfied with it. I read somewhere that he played it once and after that no more....

@JapanPop 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, in a way, we inherited his master’s self-critical spirit; I have read that much of what he wrote stays unpublished at his wish; his daughter had to preserve what she could from the dust bin! What I wouldn’t give to see those manuscripts…

@dwkay103 2 жыл бұрын

Where was this recorded? Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, Paris where he was titular organist?

@JapanPop 2 жыл бұрын

The Sicilliene was at Saint Etienne; the Prelude at Soissons.

@ORGANARCH55 2 жыл бұрын

I agree . great performance . But Christopher, why would you go to the trouble of transferring this rarity and posting it with no detail on which organ was used . You know perfectly well that all organists would be wanting to know . Why the big secret society?? If MHS released it on an LP , they certainly would have given recording details. Two writers below have asked the same question . Why do you ignore them ? You have unfinished business. Please do what people ask. We are waiting ..............

@JapanPop 8 ай бұрын

My apologies. I put the details in the description. The Prelude was recorded at Soissons, while the Sicilienne was recorded at St. Etienne du Mont, 1963.