Complete Organ Music

Maurice Duruflé (1902-86) is generally reckoned as one of the truly influential composers for the organ of the twentieth century, in spite of the fact that his output was very modest. (In this age of the CD this is something of an advantage in that his complete oeuvre for the organ fits on to a single, well-filled disc.) The great organist and composer Louis Vierne was Duruflé's teacher for some years and he considered Duruflé to be the best player of his generation. Duruflé's teachers also included Paul Dukas from whom he learnt the (colourful) art of orchestration. At the other end of the scale Duruflé also studied the Gregorian tradition in great detail. As a performer he had a notable career and premièred such major works as Vierne's Sixth Organ Symphony and Poulenc's Organ Concerto. Being such an expert performer himself, Duruflé had very precise ideas about how his works for the organ should sound. And he filled his scores with precise instructions about registers, dynamics and other aspects of performance. Sharing with Duruflé a love of French music combined with a deep reverence for Bach's organ music, Hans Fagius is an ideal interpreter. This release coincides with the centenary of Duruflé's birth.