Mors et resurrectio (Trois paraphrases grégoriennes)

As we approach the most solemn week of the Christian liturgical year, this work, which deals with the concepts of death and eternal life, seems appropriate. (See more about the composition in the YouTube description).

I have wanted to record this work for years, but I couldn’t using the sounds of Cavaillé-Coll, because the instruments themselves, and the sample sets derived from them, have a limited keyboard range. Modern French composers like Dupré and Langlais grew up on the sounds of Cavaillé-Coll, but experienced instruments with a 61/32 keyboard/pedalboard range and wrote with those extra keys in mind. This work ends on a high B in the hands. Most Cavaillé-Coll organs also do not have an expressive Positif, which Langlais calls for in this work. With the extensions made with these possibilities in mind, I can now brings these sounds and these works together.

Should you be in the mood for other Langlais works for Holy Week using the sounds of Cavaillé-Coll, check out this playlist, which includes Les Rameaux (for Palm Sunday) and Incantation pour un jour Saint (appropriate for Easter Vigil).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJFCeSOjkNs&list=PL4VZu2BZMrlyy3jyLBxo_2HEXva8FyrVd