Tournemire arr. Duruflé - Cinq Improvisations (with score)

The five improvisations of Charles Tournemire, transcribed and edited by Maurice Duruflé, as played by Philippe Lefebvre at Chartres cathedral.
0:00 - Petite Rapsodie Improvisée
3:52 - Cantilène Improvisée
8:49 - Improvisation sur le "Te Deum"
16:04 - Fantaisie-Improvisation sur "Ave Maris Stella"
25:53 - Choral-Improvisation sur le "Victimae Paschali"
Charles Tournemire (1870-1939) served as the organist at the basilique Sainte-Clotilde in Paris. His modern-day claim to fame is his cycle "L'Orgue Mystique", a collection of organ mass settings for every Sunday of the church calendar. However, he was also a celebrated improviser. In 1930-1931 he recorded five of his improvisations for the phonograph. 25 years later, his former student and assistant Maurice Duruflé, by then a highly successful organist and composer, painstakingly transcribed these improvisations; his intimate knowledge of both the organ and the organist allowed him a level of detail rarely seen or surpassed since.
The organ at Ste-Clotilde, built by the famed Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, was a very idiosyncratic instrument. Duruflé included a preface detailing these aspects such as the unique sounds of combining the Foundations 8', Voix Céléste, Vox Humana and Tremolo, seen in e.g. the "Ave Maris Stella". Duruflé's transcriptions are also not completely literal; there a points where even Duruflé couldn't discern the exact notes, and he even made some additions of his own (although only when it would be characteristic for Tournemire also). Nevertheless, both the improvisations and transcriptions are extremely virtuosic. There is always structure, however; it is remarkable how they sound like written-out pieces. By transcribing them, Duruflé produced an immortal monument to the heights of French improvisation.

[@stthomasmore4811]

The playing on this recording is absolutely stunning. I've always regretted that the sound engineers recorded it so dryly - without much sense of that magnificent room at all.

[@michaelmartens7728]

Outstanding performance! The lack of the reverberation is regrettable, but all the more advantageous for the transparency of these highly virtuosic pieces. Nevertheless there are better possibilities to mix in spacial sound.

[@georgemurphy2579]

That room - and I played this instrument - screams for more instrument. The only 32' stop is a foundation - not a reed.
Wonderful experience, nonetheless!

[@organo3112]

Great to see the score for this work. I think I will admire those who can play this music for now.

[@null8295]

perfect that is exactly what I was looking for

[@laurentkasala9784]

Dans les pièces calmes, on entend bien la traction électropneumatique de l'orgue Danion- Gonzales de la cathédrale de Chartres.

[@shin-i-chikozima]

I seem to be wandering around in a solitude to spread endlessly

[@mariuszkozie7143]

Great piece and performance! Thank you for uploading!

[@MathiasRehfeldt]

great! thank you for the upload!

[@johnstag1391]

Well enjoyed

[@scottw6704]

Frustrated not being able to find this particular performance/recording on iTunes anywhere! Boooo. Where did YOU find it? ***edit**** I finally found it, I think, on a CD (had to buy it off ebay, hopefully it's not scratched...)

[@scottw6704]

The pitch in this recording is off sometimes - more noticeable in certain places and not at all in others so I'm not really sure what's happening!...might that be the way this organ is pitched, or something that happened in the audio file processing here?

[@tom7601]

A lot of this was like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer because it feels so good when you stop.

[@georgemurphy2579]

Does it?
I would consider the pain to be on-going!