Jehan Alain

A fiercely independent composer, Henri Dutilleux wrote music that is refined, colourful and scrupulously crafted. Symphony No. 1, his first purely orchestral score, established his international reputation. Structurally unconventional – it opens, unusually, with a passacaglia – it illustrates his principle of ‘progressive growth’ through its sustained lyricism and towering, chorale-like statements. Métaboles was inspired by the virtuosity of the woodwind section of George Szell’s Cleveland Orchestra. Distinctive instrumentation for each movement allows for deep expression, jazzy rhythms and moments of irony. The enigmatic diptych Les Citations quotes from fellow composers Benjamin Britten and Jehan Alain.

Known as the ‘First Lady of the organ’, Marie-Claire Alain was a strikingly mature, creative and intuitive artist. Spanning four centuries of music, from Baroque masterpieces by the likes of Couperin and Grigny, through cornerstones of the French organ repertoire by Widor, Vierne and Messiaen, to two discs of works by her brother Jehan, this collection is testament to her vast and impressively wide-ranging recording legacy.

Une synthèse sur l'histoire de la piraterie et de la flibusterie, depuis l'Antiquité jusqu'au XIXe siècle, et de la Méditerranée à l'océan Pacifique en passant par les Caraïbes et les mers du Nord. Au gré des incursions terrestres, des razzias et des attaques de navires, l'auteur retrace notamment les rapports entre ces activités maritimes dangereuses et les pouvoirs politiques. …

Thomas Trotter performs the complete organ works of Maurice Duruflé on the world-famous organ in the Chapel of King’s College Cambridge. Thomas is a prize-winning concert organist and one of the UK’s most admired performing musicians, reflected in Her Majesty The Queen awarding him The Queen’s Medal for Music on St Cecilia’s Day 2020.

Jean-Pierre Rampal is often considered the greatest flutist of the modern era. In addition to his exceptional talent, he raised the flute to unprecedented solo status, popularizing the flute literature, the flute recital and flute recordings. The rediscovery of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic repertoire for the flute is one of his outstanding achievements, as well as his numerous collaborations with composers; over 100 works have been written for and premiered by him. He recorded for Erato from the mid-1950s, with many discs receiving awards internationally.

This set contains the essential Duruflé, the complete works written for liturgical use, for choir and organ. Maurice Duruflé (1902 - 1986) left a small but highly refined oeuvre, in which the influence of his Catholic faith is omnipresent: a mystical, incense?scented atmosphere of a stained?glass illuminated chapel…