Organ with orchestration
920183
Most of Widors organ symphonies were for the unaccompanied instrument.  These two are scored for organ and full orchestra.  The Opus 42 symphony is actually a rewrite of sections from two other pieces, but the combination works well here.  Running 23 minutes, this piece is very upbeat, with triumphal, march-like themes, particularly in the first and third movements.  The Sinfonia Sacra, Opus 81, is not in the same league.  Running 29 minutes, this piece contains a good deal of counterpoint but minimal melody.  The five sections do not hold together well, so the piece does not feel like a coherent whole.
945452
This is a superb series on the organ.  It, in a very compact manner, demonstrates the history of the instrument from its Mediterrean origins (Ctesibius, 3rd. C. BC) through the organ's evolutionary path in Europe (where it flourished). Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and the Low Countries are represented as major centers of organbuilding. The organ is well represented with playing examples by the greatest organists and scholars of the era in which the series was made (1997). Suitable for all (3.5 hrs. total on 4 DVDs).
2069287
What is different with this book is the approach to instrumentation and orchestration. This is not a typical manual of instruments and their relationship with each other - which is what most of the books on orchestration focus on. Anyone who is interested in the technique of composition for large orchestra, how to take a simple melody with bass and extend it to large ensembles, this is the book, along with Joseph Wagner's "Orchestration - A Practical Handbook".
4217728
I have intimate knowledge of the Mother Church's immense and unique Aeolian Skinner as I spent many hours late at night in the Extension with the former organist of the Mother Church, Tom Richner, setting pistons and singing. I sang several times as soloist in services there in the late 70's and early 80's.  [...]

In the late 90's a major tonal alteration was undertaken by the Austin Organ Company under the direction of Lawrence Phelps who had been in charge of the original installation in 1952. 2,162 Aeolian-Skinner pipes, constituting 35 ranks -- ranks of principals, mixtures and chorus reeds that formed the very heart of the organ's tonal identity were removed and revoicing of mixtures and other ranks of pipes constituted this very controversial rework. Much has been said by many concerning this project's effect on the instrument. I won't rehash any of that here although I am subjectively very nostalgic for the peerless orchestral instument and example of the work of G. Donald Harrison that it was in the mid 80's.

However, this recording by the great British organist Dame Gillian Weir, the wife of the late Mr Phelps, illustrates two points that are objective fact. First, that Gillian Weir is one of the world's great organists. Her playing on this recording is at once organistic and yet displays also complete mastery of the the unique orchestral and dynamic capacities of this stunning instrument. Secondly, the instrument, although no longer the preeminent example of the great work of Aeolian Skinner under Harrison, nonetheless remains one of the greatest organs ever produced in America. Fans of truly great organ playng will love the amazing gifts that Dame Gillan offers up in this extaordinary performance. The Ruebke Sonata alone is more than worth the very reaonable price of this recording. The great majority of listeners will never have heard the organ before the 1999 alteration and will be blown away by this truly great instrument at the hands of this truly great artist!
331086
The music of pipe organ have always some beautiful and strange attraction . This is the III volume of John Zorn dedicated to this instrument. Is a recital recorded live at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in St. Paul Hall. I think is the better one, more innovative and also probably the organ is better. Have only three themes, The fall of Satan, Spectral Angels, The revelation of St. John. Is a solo organ improvisation concert by John Zorn. I like the music and also the modern sound of this special instrument. Sure the best of the solo organ albums from John Zorn
1458242
This cd "Symphonic Organ Music, vol. 1" from Hans-Ola Ericsson is the greatest Organ Symphony I've heard here. I've more than 700 cd's on Organ Music, and Vol. 1, and Vol. 2 of the title "Symphonic Organ Music" are the best. But you have to have a very powerful sound system to get it all, because it's extremely HEAVY. The Bass is oustanding on both cd's (vol. 1 and vol. 2). I warn you to keep an eye on your Receiver and on your Tower Speakers. Very bassy. And it's lovely in that way, because you have all the frequencies here, from the track 1 to 22. Wow. Very heavy, indeed. Just the way an Organ has to be played. Bravo, Hans-Ola Ericsson. Great job.
3199801
I think this is an excellent and very lovely disc.  It consists of transcriptions for viol consort of 27 of Bach's chorales and preludes, originally for organ.  Such transcriptions are very much in Bach's own idiom as an inveterate arranger and borrower of his own and others' music.  Not all such transcriptions work well, but these most certainly do.

Based on Lutheran hymn tunes, many very familiar, these are beautiful miniatures by a true master of the organ.  The viol consort turns out to be a wonderful vehicle for them and here they are made into rich, often quite sensuous pieces with a lovely and varied feel.  Quartetto Italiano play them beautifully and their sound is very well captured in the recording.  (Do try to listen on a good stereo or through decent headphones to enjoy the full sonority of the sound.)  Boy's voices feature on five of the pieces, reminding us that these are liturgical pieces, which I think is an excellent idea and also adds a little variety to the sound.

This is a rather out-of-the-way disc but if you do come across this page I would strongly urge you to give it a try.  It was a wonderful discovery for me and anyone who enjoys Bach will find it a rewarding delight.

(I would also warmly recommend The Purcell Quartet's disc of transcriptions of Bach's trio sonatas for organ:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bach-Trio-Sonatas-BWV525-530/dp/B00004TD4X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bach: Trio Sonatas BWV525-530</a>)
1830408
These are concertos.  Concertos are orchestral works in which a solo instrument is highlighted to demonstrate the virtuosity of the soloist, in this case, the solo oboist, and the creativity and difficulty of the music, at the capable hands of the composer, Bach.

In this recording the virtuosity of the solo oboist is only adequate.  The notes are played correctly, but the performance is not breathtaking.

The technical aspects of the recording are poor.  Many times the oboe parts, which must be heard above orchestral parts, are drowned out.

The best recording I have found so far, of the Bach Oboe Concertos, is on the Naxos label, Christian Hommel, oboe, with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl, conducting.  You will not be disappointed: inspiring conducting and performances with superb sound engineering technology.
1429422
I've always liked the simplest of these, "What a friend we have in Jesus", and the more complex and deep ones are new to me. But I like them. A landmark organ. Excellent recording, as usual with Naxos.
4838930
John Scott performs the complete set of Mendelssohn Organ compositions on these two CDs. The sound that has been captured is very faithful to the actual sound in St. Paul's Cathedral with its reverbrant space. You can clearly hear the 8-seconds of decay in these recordings. Mr. Scott uses the accoustics to his advantage with many brilliant performances, especially the Sonatas No. 1 and 4. The engineering captures the combined instrument and space faithfully and clearly. Compression, if used, is not apparent. The one issue I heard was occasionally some kind of very low-frequency clipping or extraneous noise from the microphones can be heard when the lowest large pedal stops are used. This is an essential for any serious organ music collector, especially for fans of Mendelssohn's organ music.
819128
Nowowiejski referred to by the organist Rudolf Innig as "the Chopin of the organ" is not well known outside of Poland today. This 3-CD set presents his  complete organ symphonies beautifully played on an appropriate organ, and recorded in a realistic ambiance. All works are very accessible Romantic pieces in the German organ tradition. The booklet (in three languages) is ideally informative about composer, organist, and organ. Each symphony is thoroughly discussed per movement including organ registrations for each. Enjoyable organ program, beautifully recorded sound, informative booklet, I am very happy with this CD set. Recommended,
543699
I always think of Messiaen as a composer whose pieces are threshholds into something beyond.  The organ is particulary adept at opening the door.  It's power and majesty and mystery as an instrument on its own does that, but Messiaen takes us to the edge of places no one else does.  I have heard some of these pieces before, but hearing the entire body all together is overwhelming.  It takes something which was already big and makes it bigger.  These performances are more than worth your time to listen.
1921383
This is another fine contribution to CPO's excellent series of the music of North German organ masters, here offering the complete extant organ works of Franz Tunder and the lesser-known Nicolaus Hasse.  Franz Tunder was Buxtehude's predecessor in Lbeck, and his organ music ranges from very fine to moderately interesting. My own favourites from this composer on the two discs are "Herr Gott, dich loben wir" (CDI, track 8), an impressive "Jesus Christus, unser Heiland" (I/10), the beautifully embellished and harmonically adventurous "Komm, heiliger Geist" (II/3), and the two very different settings of "Was kann uns kommen an fr Not" (II/5 and 7).

Best of all, in my view, is the superb, extended setting of "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (I/6). The only problem here is that the piece is almost certainly not by Tunder but by the far greater genius Heinrich Scheidemann - a question not mentioned in Flamme's booklet notes. Be that as it may, it's a splendid work and an asset to this set; the piece is also available as part of a superb Scheidemann recital by Leo van Doeselaar:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Organ-Works/dp/B007PMBI6Q/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Organ Works</a>.

The four works by Nicolaus Hasse which complete the second disc reveal a modest but appealing organ master. Of the two settings of the chorale "Jesus Christus, unser Heiland", the first is a majestic setting, the second with a lighter touch and beautifully decorated. Throughout the two discs, Friedhelm Flamme's playing is of the highest quality, his instrument being the beautiful Christian Vater organ in the St.-Petri-Kirche, Melle. It's a superb baroque instrument with a fine range of colours, and for organ enthusiasts it's well worth hearing in its own right.
4953626
I'm not sure what the previous reviewer was looking for, but this is one of my favorite organ cds in a fairly extensive collection.  It includes several virtuoso organ works among which are Dupre's "Prelude and Fugue in B Major," Seth Bingham's "Passacaglia," and Healey Willan's "Introduction, Pasacaglia, and Fugue."

The Willan alone would make this cd a worthwhile purchase. I think it's the best recorded performance of that monumental work I have ever heard.  The "funeral march" variation using the big reeds is hair raising, and Dettra's ritardando before the closing animato section is stunning.

Also included on the cd are transcriptions of pieces like Barber's "Adagio for Strings" that are well-known beyond the world of organists. If you are in search of Bach or other early music, you won't find it on this cd. However,one would be hard-pressed to find a better option for a collection of 20th century romantic organ music played on an instrument so well-suited for the style.
862178
Alain performs some of the best toccatas written for organ in her typical, near-perfect style.  This CD is far better in musical and recording quality than comparable compilations of popular organ music.  You will also enjoy  her CD, "Les Bis Pour Orgue" or "Organ Encores".
2709581
Jacobs has put effort into finding how the Passion may have been originally presented, and uses two choirs and organs to achieve a unique spatial effect. I enjoyed the excellent engineering of the recording.
3245940
Clever reductions from orchestra to duet. Intermediate level.