Michael Murray's resplendent Encores à la française may seem like an ad hoc compilation of organ extravaganzas. However, the works selected for this program are connected in important ways to the long tradition of French organ playing, of which this performer is a direct heir. Traced back to Jaak Nikolaas Lemmens and passed from Charles-Marie Widor to Louis Vierne and then from Marcel Dupré to Murray, this musical legacy is marked by legato playing, absolute precision in execution, regulated tempi, and carefully chosen registrations. Dupré is represented here by his toccata-like Carillon, the delicate Musette, and most impressively by his intricate transcription of Bach's Sinfonia From Cantata No. 29. Eugène Gigout's merry Scherzo and César Franck's bold Pièce Héroïque represent a distinctly romantic style of organ playing, but one that strongly influenced Widor and Vierne in their powerful symphonic works. Widor's Toccata from his Symphony No. 5 and the Finale from Vierne's Symphony No. 1 demonstrate the rigorous techniques and timbral preferences of the Lemmens school at its apogee. Even Poulenc's Organ Concerto is linked to the tradition through Maurice Duruflé's advice on registration choices and orchestration. Murray extends his predecessors' heritage of excellence in the most direct way possible: through his excellent performances. ~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide
