Prélude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain

For me this belongs to the most noble pieces ever composed for organ...

There are a few differences between the first and the second edition. The tempo indication for the fugue is slightly slower in the first edition with a long accelerando towards the end. In the second edition Duruflé removed the accelerando and slightly increased the tempo. In an interview for The American Organist he (or his wife?) stated he felt that this accelerando creates the impression of a nervous player and is not necessary as it is already present in the music itself. I tried to follow the 2nd edition - although I could not avoid a little accelerando at the end...

I was not happy with the Caen sampleset for this piece. The Cor de nuit of the positive is too weak and cannot replace an 8' bourdon. Rotterdam does a better job here although its sound is not very French...