Maurice Duruflé: “Requiem”.
Op. 9 - IV. Sanctus.
Available on YouTube
Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986).
Requiem Op. 9 (1947, Organ solo version 1961).
IV. Sanctus.
Wiener Singakademie.
Pier Damiano Peretti, Organ.
Heinz Ferlesch, Conductor.
Courtesy of www.konzerthaus.at
Cover: St. Etienne Du Mont, Paris (circa 1880).
Thank you, Zephyrinus; this correspondent did not know there was an organ solo version to the beautifully tranquil Durufle Requiem.
ReplyDeleteAccording to performance notes by kingedwardsmusic.com, “‘Duruflé stated the requiem “reflects, in the immutable form of the Christian prayer, the agony of man faced
with the mystery of his ultimate end.” Duruflé was significantly influenced by the revival of Gregorian chant at the monastery of Solesmes; [and combined this influence, he] also aimed to convey the conflicting and complex emotions that humans face when approaching death rather than the conventional “detachment from earthly worries.”’
Composed during the darkest days of WW2 but not published until 1947, Durufle was deeply affected by the loss of life during the war, the bitter Nazi occupation, and also the death of his close friend and fellow composer, Jehan Alain, killed in the early days of the war as he conducted dangerous motorcycle scouting patrols on the advancing German forces. All these emotions he worked into this transcending piece.
At any rate, the Requiem is a beautifully profound work born of intensely hard times, but communicating a quiet confidence in the mercy and peace of God’s eternal love. -Note by Dante P
A most interesting and apposite Comment from our Liturgical Organ Correspondent, Dante P, for which, as always, we are truly grateful.
DeleteDuruflé’s obviously highly-charged and intensely-moving Requiem contains much input from his previous exposure to emotional cataclysms in his life. As Dante P correctly highlights, what was produced was a beutifully profound work born of intensely hard times.
We are most grateful for this contribution.