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W<\/span><\/strong>hen a commission arrived from his publisher, Durand, to write a Requiem, composer Maurice Durufl\u00e9, organist of Paris\u2019s Saint-Etienne-du-Mont church, did not have far to look for inspiration.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n Already on his desk were a set of sketches for a suite of organ works based on Gregorian plainchant \u2013 so,\u00a0shelving that project, he instead used the chants as the foundation for his new mass which, accordingly, quotes the Mass of the Dead extensively throughout. <\/span><\/p>\n Like his fellow Frenchman Faur\u00e9 over 50 years earlier, Durufl\u00e9 intended the mood of his Requiem to be largely contemplative, though there are moments of fire and brimstone too, not least when it is performed in the original version for choir and full symphony orchestra. Premiered in 1947, that version was followed soon after by a reduced score for choir and organ \u2013 plus cello accompaniment in the passionate \u2018Pie Jesu\u2019 for mezzo-soprano soloist \u2013\u00a0and, in 1961, by a further edition for choir, organ and chamber-sized orchestra.<\/span><\/p>\n Ann Murray, Thomas Allen, Corydon Singers, Thomas Trotter (organ); <\/span>ECO (1985) <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Hyperion CDA66191\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The Corydon Singers opt here for the 1961 version of the Requiem, described by Andrew McGregor in the disc\u2019s excellent sleevenotes as \u2018in many ways an ideal version, preserving as it does the intimacy of the organ-only score and also the expressive and dramatic possibilities of the full orchestral score.\u2019 In theory, yes, but only in the right hands \u2013 the unusual combination of choir, organ, strings, harp, trumpets and timpani can lead to an uneven-sounding performance if not handled with care. No such worries with conductor Matthew Best (pictured), who gauges to perfection when to unleash the full forces at his disposal, but largely employs them with the utmost discretion as he seeks to maintain an overall atmosphere of measured, heavenly calm. His pacing is immaculate, in particular in the Sanctus, where the lower strings and harp tread with a purposeful march as, joined by trumpet fanfares, we are ushered upwards towards a thrilling, exuberant \u2018Hosanna\u2019 climax. <\/span><\/p>\n The standard of singing is excellent throughout, and topped off by two star-name soloists, Thomas Allen and Ann Murray, whose Pie Jesu never crosses the line that runs between \u2018passionate\u2019 and \u2018operatically melodramatic\u2019 \u2013\u00a0others could take note here. The fine acoustic of St Jude-on-the-Hill in Hampstead is captured in superb recorded sound.<\/span><\/p>\n Paula Hoffman, Peter Mattei, St Jacob\u2019s Chamber Choir; Mattias Wager (organ) (1983) <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n BIS BISCD602\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Perfectionist that he was, Durufl\u00e9 would surely have approved of this recording of the version for choir and organ, as it is immaculate. Every phrase has been lavished with love and attention by the Stockholm-based St Jacob\u2019s Choir and their conductor Gary Graden, whose impeccable balance between voices, and between choir and organ, ensures that not one moment of Durufl\u00e9\u2019s sumptuous harmonic writing goes to waste \u2013 whether in the thundering chords of the Domine Jesu Christe or the most delicate pianissimo<\/i> of the In Paradisum, their consistency of tone never lapses. For a masterclass in flawlessness, look no further. But is it a little lacking in character? Possibly.<\/span><\/p>\nThe best recordings of Maurice Durufl\u00e9\u2019s Requiem<\/em><\/h2>\n
Matthew Best (conductor)<\/span><\/h3>\n
G<\/span>ary Graden (conductor)<\/span><\/h3>\n