The inspiration for writing this review at this point in time is the NPR program Weekend America’s Soundtrack of Your Weekend feature. Doubt I’ll submit this as my tastes may be considered esoteric if not downright eccentric.
Henri Mulet was born in Paris in 1878 and by all accounts was a good student, a skilled organist, and professor of music. However in 1937 he burnt his manuscripts and left Paris for Provence where he served as organist at the cathedral in Draguignan living out the remaining thirty years of his life in seclusion among the monks at the abbey there until his death in 1967.
The above paragraph encompasses virtually all that is known of this composer. I discovered him through a Priory Records recording of his complete works for Organ recorded in 1988 in London by Paul Derrett, a CD I waited 2 years to obtain and prize greatly. These 100 minutes of organ music comprise the Byzantine Suite and eight other assorted works. They are arranged on these two CD’s so that the listener experiences over an hour of mystical contemplative music which finally explodes with the Carillon-Sortie and ends with a Toccata which features downward spiralling arpeggios over a melody played on Bombard Trumpets by the pedals.
I’ll admit that you have to love organ music to enjoy these CD’s but to me they are music for the soul. That final fiery Toccata never fails to lift my spirits no matter how down I feel.
Noticed in checking out this Double CD that it's old enough that it lacks a UPC.
