David Hill - Jean Langlais: Missa Salve regina, Messe solennelle (2013)

×

David Hill - Jean Langlais: Missa Salve regina, Messe solennelle (2013)

Close

It is my opinion that Jean Langlais has written some of the noblest, richest and most awe-inspiring sacred music there has ever been. He wrote more organ music than J. S. Bach, and most of it is as suitable for liturgical performance as sung music. His style is a powerful mixture of chant-like motifs (including actual quotations from Gregorian chant), organum, and bold dissonances that give way to pure, radiant tonality. He draws on a wide range of expressions too, from radiant and blazing to quiet and ecstatic. He was truly a craftsman of the highest calibre, and a credit to the distinguished musical heritage of his native France.
Whilst this disc is sadly only 50 minutes long, it is probably the best introduction to Langlais that one could wish for. It presents some of his best-known choral and organ music in a deeply satisfying sequence. The "Missa Salve Regina," based on three strands of the plainchant melody of the same name, is scored for divided male chorus, an ancillary unison chorus (provided by the Cathedral Choristers), organ and brass octet. It is a breathtaking and glorious opening to the programme: the brass players of the English Chamber Orchestra give it their all in the fantastic Westminster acoustics, although they have a tendency to drown out the tenors and basses in the loudest passages. In the middle of this Mass, where a setting of the "Credo" might usually be found, the producers insert a short solo piece, "Rosa Mystica," which is founded on material from the "Mass" but with the harsher dissonances of the composer's later years in evidence. It is very effective.
This is followed by "La Nativite." Not to be confused with Messiaen's "Nativite de Seigneur," this is a short but beautiful organ work that is mostly quiet and provides a welcome break from the heavy combination of brass and organ. Andrew Lumsden plays it with sensitivity and understanding.
The second choral work on the disc is the "Messe Solonnelle" for SATB choir and organ. Langlais was a choir trainer for many years, and there are some quite demanding displays of vocal dexterity in this Mass, which are expertly overcome. Even more demanding however is the organ part- it certainly shows that Langlais was a master when it came to improvisation and indeed there are passages in this work (for instance the "Sanctus") that are notoriously tricky. James O'Donnell rises to the challenge superbly, achieving a fine blend of dignified loudness and ecstatic softness. He concludes the programme with the "Hymne des actions de Graces," one of the "Three Gregorian Paraphrases" in which Langlais was at his best both as composer and organist.
The Westminster Cathedral Choir had good and bad episodes on disc under the direction of David Hill. This is definitely one of the good ones. His controlled tempi and obvious understanding of the music makes for a spellbinding performance from the singers, and their famous forthright tone suits it perfectly. James O'Donnell (who was to succeed him as Master of Music) is a model accompanist throughout the disc; I simply must highlight his performance in the "Messe Solonnelle."
I haven't enjoyed a CD as much as this one in a long time. If you only ever buy one recording of Langlais' music, it should be this one. A crucial piece of advice, however: do not turn the volume high or you are guaranteed ringing ears for hours on end, particularly in the fierce moments with the brass!

×

David Hill - Jean Langlais: Missa Salve regina, Messe solennelle (2013)

Close