Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier was one of the last organists with a direct connection to a long lineage of composers of french symphonic organ music intimately connected to the masterful instruments by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, starting with César Franck and ending with her husband Maurice Duruflé, himself a pupil of Charles Tournemire who succeeded César Franck as Organiste Titulaire of Cavaillé-Coll´s masterpiece at Sainte-Clotilde in Paris
I'm not sure what year this was, but I did attend her concert at the Crystal Cathedral, and it was moving. She played her husband's "Prélude et fugue sur le nom d’Alain", and at the conclusion, she stepped off the console platform out of the spotlight. Then she took the score, and went into the spotlight, holding up the score to thunderous applause.
Beauty beyond words. Playing a beautiful pipe organ will be one of my greatest heart’s desires to do, after I have met my Savior face to face. I would to play the organ for Him, lost in worship for His Honor and Glory! How powerful that would be!❤❤❤
I regret she didn't perform one of Maurice's masterpieces, so superior to Handel's. I'll never forget the shock to find out Duruflé only composed 14 opus numbers and the first one was unpublished and lost!!! but superb quality exceeding the lack of quantity. op. 01 Triptyque Fantaisie sur des thèmes grégoriens (1927 1943, unpublished, lost) op. 02 Scherzo 1926 op. 03 Prélude récitatif et variations pour flûte viola et piano 1928 op. 04 Prélude organo solo vari sur le Veni Creator 1930 op. 05 Suite pour orgue 1932 op. 06 Trois danses pour orchestre 1932 op. 07 Prelude & Fugue on ALAIN 1942 (Duruflé crafted ADAAF as fugue subject) op. 08 Andante & scherzo pour orchestre 1940 op. 09 Requiem pour choeur et orgue 1947 op. 10 Quatre (4) Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens 1960 a. Ubi caritas et amor b. Tota pulchra es c. Tu es Petrus d. Tantum ergo op. 11 Messe Cum Jubilo 1966 op. 12 Fugue sur le thème du Carillon des Heures de la Cathedrale de Soissons 1962 op. 13 Prélude sur l'Introït de l'Épiphanie 1961 op. 14 Notre Pére (originally unison men with organ 1977, later transcribed for SATB 1978)
@@blueeyedbehr Hommage à Jean Gallon, Jean Gallon being one of Maurice Duruflé´s cherisched teachers: an amazingly simple theme, however modelled to a piece of eternal beauty in the hands of his pupil ... It was published by Durand & fils though, as far as I know, anyway it has been recorded by several organists and it shows what musical beauty can be created from one simple theme without even a single modulation, pure mastery
It is not fair to say that his music is Superior to an immortal composer like Handel. It may be your preference, but again, purely subjective. The Durufles were ardent performers of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic literature with great esteem and success! It's not fair to turn opinions into facts.
Un instant de grâce. J'ai une admiration énorme pour Maurice et Marie Madeleine Duruflé. J'ai découvert la grâce de Dieu en les écoutant. Merci pour ces moments inoubliables. Cordialement. Olivier F
It's nice to hear her play the Handel. But I would have liked to hear some of the more recent French composers--her husband, Tournemire, Langlais, Messiaen, et. al. Of course TV audiences won't like that. Anyway, I'll stop complaining. It was great that Chrystal Cathedral hosted this legend.
J’ai énormément d’admiration pour Maurice Duruflé et Marie-Madeleine Duruflé ! Ils ont lancé beaucoup de jeunes organistes! L’époque Dupré, Duruflé etc. restera toujours l’époque grandiose de l’orgue français !
C’était la “Crystal Cathedral,” et ne pas la “Christal...” C’est appélation signifie que le bâtiment est contruit entièrement en verre. L’église existe encore, mais maintenant c’est une cathédrale catholique.
I was building and maintaining pipe organs for a firm in San Antonio, TX. She came to play one of our instruments we serviced -- the Cathedral in Corpus Christi, TX. What an evening that was. Of course we spent the two days prior to that tuning all 92 ranks of that organ. The co-organist/choirmasters at the cathedral invited myself and my employer to join a group for supper the evening before the recital. She knew some English, but was more comfortable speaking through an interpreter that was brought in for the occasion. She kept us quite entertained.
Having held keys for tuners I sympathize for what a challenge that is for so large an organ! Did you use an electronic tuner or did you have to do it the old hard way of setting up a tuning rank with a tuning fork and harmonics from that like we sometimes did. Ugh! Great job regardless!
@@cromorno8749why should that be impossible? On most well-maintained large organs this would be perfectly possible. It does slightly depend on what a working day entails in terms of hours though.