La Nativité (Poème évangélique n°2)

La Nativité is in a book of three "Poèmes évangéliques", composed in 1932. So it's a relatively early Langlais' work .

It's an evocation in four short pictures (whose titles are printed in the score) :

- 00:00 : la créche (the manger) : a quiet flow of eights on the salicional; the song is at the pedal, coupled to the the clarinette ;

- 01:08 : les anges : the angels flying over the manger, more animated on flute 8' and octavin 2'

- 02:16 : les bergers (the shepherds) : with a song from Britanny quoted on the hautbois

- 03:15 : la Sainte Famille : back to the stillness after the angels' and shepherds' visits. the pedal theme of the first part is superposed to the shepherds' theme on the voix céleste.

It's a poetic piece, calm but varied which -imho - evokes perfectly the Christmas' atmosphere.

The last part has a very thick writing, still complicated by big stretches. So, I couldn't play it without using some cheating, which I expect inconspicuous.