Giorgio Benati - Langlais: Organ Music, Vol. 2 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

'I am an EU singer', Hermann Prey always said about himself. However, by that he did not mean so much his citizenship of a European Union country as the fact that he felt at home in the fields of 'E' and 'U', i.e. in 'serious' and entertainment music alike. For Prey, this distinction never existed, but only the issue of the quality of music, and he found this not only in opera and Lied, but also in operetta, the musical and the well-made hit. For forty-six years Prey convinced audiences; this five-disc collection reveals his fascinatingly wide-ranging repertoire and interpretative skill.

Blind from the age of two, a prodigiously gifted student, Jean Langlais (1907-91) produced an immense quantity of music. His organ works alone exceed in number those of of JS Bach. Many have hardly ever been performed. Perhaps not more than half a dozen works are regularly played or recorded today, which is what makes this new complete survey of his organ music - the first ever attempted on record - both unique and invaluable, as the authoritative document of a high point in the distinguished lineage of the French organ heritage. That long line of illustrious French organist/composers and improvisers is exemplified by César Franck and Charles Tournemire, Langlais's predecessors as titulaire of the magnificent Cavaillé-Coll organ at Saint-Clotilde in Paris. All three shared a desire for the poetic evocation of a deeper religious feeling; indeed this depth of religious expression, together with a certain improvisational quality, is an important characteristic of each one, along with the use of Gregorian, folkloric or secular themes. Langlais goes even further than his predecessors and contemporaries in embracing all kinds of musical genre, from the organ mass to the full-scale organ symphony, taking in suites, preludes and fugues, noels, paraphrases, examination pieces, fantasies and religious programme music. This sheer variety of form alone makes him stand out among his French 20th-century composers for the organ. Indeed his compositions from all periods are full of different elements, showing many contrasts of form, harmonic vocabulary, texture, rhythmic character and technical difficulty, from the relatively simple to complex virtuosity. Throughout his life, Langlais wrote in many different ways and, true to his ideal, still retained the ability to surprise. The first volume of this projected complete survey ranges from his early set of 24 pieces written in the late

Jean Langlais was born on February 15, 1907, in La Fontenelle, Brittany, France. He became blind from the age of two. Sent to the Paris National Institute for the Blind Youth in 1918, he studied piano, violin, harmony and organ with great blind teachers (among others Albert Mahaut and Andre Marchal). Later on, he entered the Paris National Conservatory of Music in the Marcel Dupre's organ class, obtaining a First Prize in 1930. In 1931, after studying improvisation with Charles Tournemire, he received the InchGrand Prix d'Execution et Improvisation des Amis de l'OrgueInch. He completed his studies obtaining a Composition Prize in Paul Dukas' class at the Paris Conservatory in 1934.In 1945, he became the successor to Cesar Franck and Charles Tournemire at the prestigious organ tribune of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris. He gave countless concerts worldwide, and was a prolific composer. He died on May 8th, 1991 in Paris.Langlais' distinctive style combined traditional harmonies with contemporary techniques. His compositions often feature intricate organ textures and colourful harmonies, influenced by his background as a church musician. Langlais was also known for his use of modes and complex rhythms, which added to the unique character of his music. His works often have a strong emotional intensity and sense of drama, with frequent shifts in mood and dynamics.This is the third volume of the complete organ works includes sonatas, suites, Noels, the Symphony InchAlla WebernInch, and many miscellaneous shorter works.Played by 3 excellent Italian organists Giorgio Benati, Fausto Caporali and Alessandro Perin. The extensive booklet includes information on the organs used on this album.