Hommage a Jean Langlais, Susan Ferre

  Production Notes

For this limited edition of the original recording dating from the Fall of 1969 at Ste. Clotilde in Paris, we have chosen to begin the CD version with the student's playing, ending with the Master's improvisations. During the recording, which took place one night between 7:30 and 9:30 PM, as time was quite limited, we recorded only one take of each piece. No edits were made. As we had no time at the organ to prepare for the evening, Langlais helped me by choosing all the stops, pushing pistons as I was playing, pounding on my shoulder with tempo "suggestions," and sometimes competing with me for the Swell pedal. These are the various clunks and extraneous sounds one hears clearly on the original tape, now deteriorating from the ravages of time. One can also hear the occasional car motor passing through the quiet neighborhood. Instead of trying to improve the recording, we have chosen to document exactly that which was reproduced from the 1969 Ampex recording. We hope that its value lies in its freshness as a document, in spite of its fragility and imperfections.

  Track List

1 Chant Héroïque*
2 Trio*
3 Poem of Peace*
4 Poem of Happiness*
5 Improvisation on the Kyrie, "Orbis Factor"**
6 Improvisation on "Salve Regina" (Mode V)**
7 Improvisation on two themes, one Catholic, one Protestant: "Veni Creator Spiritus" and "Ein' feste Burg"**
* Susan Ferré
**Jean Langlais