London Concert Choir begins its 64th Season with works by two French organist-composers and contemporaries, Jean Langlais and Maurice Duruflé. Their lives spanned most of the 20th century, but they were steeped in the romantic organ tradition of the previous century. Both were inspired by plainsong and incorporated it into their works.
Langlais’s Messe solennelle dates from 1951 and is unquestionably his finest piece of church music. The organ part was written for two instruments: the larger organ features angular melodies and chromatic harmonies in a dramatic dialogue with the choir, and the smaller generally doubles the vocal lines. However, the work may be played on one organ, as in this performance.
One of the most influential of French composers, Gabriel Fauré linked the end of romanticism with the beginnings of the modern era. The three pieces for cello date from early in his composing career.
Duruflé, a pupil of Fauré, completed his Requiem in 1947. It was originally commissioned as an organ suite, but on the death of his father Duruflé chose to complete it as a Requiem Mass, based entirely on the Gregorian themes of the Mass for the Dead. He wrote that the Requiem “is not an ethereal work, but tends to translate human feelings before their terrifying, inexplicable or consoling destiny. It represents the idea of peace, of faith, and of hope”.
Appearing with Mark Forkgen at all the major London concert venues, the London Concert Choir is notable for its unusually varied repertoire and the commitment and musicality of its performances.