This exquisite disc contains two of the finest works for Chorus penned during the 20th century. Maurice Duruflé's (January 11, 1902-June 16, 1986) Requiem and 'Messe "Cum Jubilo" ' are high masterpieces of majestic beauty, and the Requiem is on par with the much better known Requiem of Gabriel Faure. The "Messe" (Mass) is my favorite work by Duruflé, and while I have many recordings of it, 20 years later this is still the finest that I have ever heard. Both works here are performed with organ and orchestra although the Requiem and the Opus 11 Mass can be performed with only organ accompaniment; I love both, however it's the blissful orchestral versions that I adore the most. This particular recording is a lofty number on my "desert-island discs"; it is simply perfection, with all the players involved evoking musical 'heaven' impeccably-and, to top it off, the sound engineering (this was released during 1995) is first-rate, my ears are as always convinced that this could have come out this year.
It is safe to say that anyone and everyone who has fallen in love with Duruflé's music has at some point (in my case, multiple times!!) exclaimed "Oh how I wish he had written more!". Indeed, is there any other major composer that readily comes to mind who has published only thirteen (!) works? Needless to say it is because the quality of each and every one of these pieces is so high that his place in musical history is assured. One the finest moments for me is the opening, 'Kyrie' of the Messe "Cum Jubilo", it's just one of the most gorgeous things I have ever heard. But then, every moment is gorgeous in both works, and I discover new things (and thus more chills) with every listen-especially during the Requiem, mostly because it's a longer, more expansive work.
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| Maurice and Marie-Madeleine |
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The only back cover image I could find is this "bmg" version (remember the bmg club?) of the disc-I haven't owned a scanner for years now, and often had little reason to scan album art back then! |
I am going to refrain from writing anything else for now...these works are so special to me that I know I would end up writing pages worth of information, which I simply don't have time for right now! I will come back to this post however-especially if people are interested in hearing about Duruflé's life and detailed info on these two works..
Enjoy everyone
Maurice_Durufle_Requiem_Mass,_Cum_Jubilo-Tzadik.zip
http://www73.zippyshare.com/v/BzBTTpok/file.html
