Gaston Litaize was one of the most important personalities of post-war Parisian music. He was blind from birth, a disciple of organists Marcel Dupré and Henri Büsser and a winner of the second Grand Prix de Rome for Musical Composition in 1938. Though despite having many recordings to his name, including several for Decca France and Pathé-Marconi, he has been totally forgotten.
So it’s a huge pleasure for us to rediscover his 1972 recording of Louis Vierne’s 24 Pièces de fantaisie. He had already championed the composer in 1970 on an LP that brought together the 6th Symphony and the Triptych, Op. 58 released on EMI. He sits at his beloved organ Saint-François-Xavier’s church in Paris, the organ he played for forty-five years.
Gaston Litaize’s recordings are very clear, acutely revealing Louis Vierne’s dense, dark, often tortuous contrapuntal style. And the dark atmosphere of Requiem æternam from the First Suite is nothing short of amazing. Let’s hope that Warner will continue to reissue the few rare LPs of a musician whose racy, implacable style continues to surprise today. © Pierre-Yves Lascar/Qobuz