POULENC: Les Biches; Organ Concerto; Gloria; Litanies de la Vierge de Rocamador - Georges Pretre, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Maurice Durufle, organ

“The racy style of the orchestral playing is instantly infectious in the opening rondeau with catchy trumpet solo”...“Like so many of his religious works, it finds the composer at his best: behind its joyous, lucid facade lies a deep sincerity, which in the Domine Deus attains real beauty. Rosanna Carteri floats her octave rises exquisitely and is most touching in her litany of “Qui tollis peccata mundi”
“it is certainly the best of his concertos ... and despite the marking of Allegro giocoso for the first main section and an exuberant finale, there are undertones of serious drama-and the last pages are prayerful. Both soloist, and orchestra, are alert, vital and rhythmic, and, despite the difficulties of balancing an orchestra against a modern organ, are brilliantly engineered” --Gramophone

[1-5] Suite: Les Biches (1922-3) [19:23]
1. Rondeau 3:43
2. Adagietto 3:39
3. Rag-Mazurka 5:39
4. Andantino 3:04
5. Final 3:16

[6] Litanies à la Vierge Noire de Rocamadour (1936) 9:17

[7-13] Concerto in G minor for organ, strings & timpani (1938) [22:20]
7. Andante 3:14
8. Allegro giocoso 2:03
9. Andante moderato 6:39
10. Tempo allegro. Molto agitato 2:45
11. Tres calme. Lent 2:36
12. Tempo de l'Allegro intial 1:48
13. Tempo Introduction. Largo 3:12

[14-19] Gloria (1959) [26:28]
14. Gloria 3:10
15. Laudamus Te 3:06
16. Domine Deus 4:31
17. Domine Filii unigenite 1:27
18. Domine Deus Agnus Dei 7:24
19. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patri 6:48