Organ Great

The new recording from Magdalena Kožená features deeply-felt interpretations of sacred songs from the Baroque to the 20th Century. In a rare recording collaboration, she is joined by virtuoso Christian Schmitt, in music for voice and organ from the sacred traditions of Germany, Austria, France and England, as well as her native Czechoslovakia. Of course, the album includes music by J.S. Bach – a composer with whom Magdalena Kožená has long been associated - with sacred aspects of German song represented by Hugo Wolf and Schubert.

Naji Hakim returns to disc on Signum with a new disc of his own unique compositions for solo organ, performed on the magnificent Stahlhuth-Jann Organ of St Martin’s Church, Dudelange, Grand Duché du Luxembourg.

Roger Sayer is at the forefront of British choral and organ music, recognised both as a prize-winning organist, and as an acclaimed Choral Director with some of the UK 's finest choirs. Sayer has even performed as the organ soloist in Hans Zimmer's Oscar-nominated score for the film Interstellar. Mozart called the organ the ""King of Instruments"", and this release certainly showcases its majestic qualities. Mendelssohn's Organ Sonata No.1 was inspired by Bach, and exudes an air of gravitas and profundity whilst enjoying the organ's variety of sonorities. Bach also influenced 20th-century composers Sigfrid Karg-Elert and Max Reger, both of whom followed in Bach's footsteps by moving to Leipzig. Karg-Elert's Symphonic Chorale is based on Jesu meine Freude by Johann Cruger, and on the notes BACH (B flat, A, C and B natural), while Reger's chorale-based Fantasia is a work of great virtuosity. The collection ends with a memorable sonata by Liszt-pupil Julius Reubke.

Following the recent, essential compendium of great organ music on 50CD (95310), Brilliant Classics turn to a valuable but lesser-known light in the early history of the organ, Giovanni Salvatore. Active in the middle of the 17th century, this Neapolitan musician was greatly esteemed during his lifetime. One contemporary commentator even placed him above Frescobaldi on the grounds that he could compose fine vocal works without confusing their style with organ music.

Maurice Duruflé – Sacred Choral & Organ Works Vol.2
DbPowerAmp secure mode FLAC (tracks+log, no cue) + MP3 (320 kbps CBR) | 271.49 Mb (FLAC) + 155.45 Mb (MP3) | 62:30 minutes | Full info & covers.
classical, choral, sacred |Naxos Records. Recorded at the Eglise Saint Antoine des Qinze-Vingts, Paris in June & October 1994. Cd published on August 22, 1995

In 1928, Maurice Duruflé entered Paul Dukas’ composition class at the Paris Conservatoire. He seems to have learned there the proud, ingrown habit of self-criticism, and that one’s music must be very good indeed to be made public. Dukas was notorious for destroying ambitious works — almost consigned to the flames, the superbly glowing La Péri survives to give a measure of the music that perished; this limited his catalog to a scant 12 published works, albeit they included an opera, a symphony, a piano sonata, and variation set, and the phenomenally popular L’Apprenti sorcier which are among the towering works of French music...

Early & Modern Music for Organ - Oleg Yanchenko (1988)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00009 | 1988 | 1 CD | EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | TT 53:14 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 196.65 MB + 3% Recovery
Classical / Instrumental / Organ

This CD presents a Soviet musician Oleg Yanchenko performing works both by the composers of the 16th — 17th centuries and modern organ music.

Amid the never ending list of available recordings of Bach's organ works, it's nice to see a new SACD being released that brings all of his brilliant Toccatas together on one disc. These works, which capture a snapshot of Bach letting his hair down, showcase the essence of the composer at his best. Highly spirited music, brimming with expressive freedom bordering on the ecstatic. Organist Christoph Schoener certainly perceives these elements within the music and delivers up-tempo, animated and exuberant readings of all the pieces that call for it. The highlight for me on this disc is the account of the Toccata in F, BWV 540. A brilliant work, even by Bach's standards, with outstanding harmonic development throughout, underpinned by solid and long-sustained pedal notes upon which Bach constructed cathedrals of sound.

Everybody has literal and figurative homes. There are the physical places where heads are laid at night and then there are the feelings, people, activities, or spaces that provide a feeling of the comfort of home. Gregory Lewis has found a musical home delving into the Hammond organ and the music of the great composer/pianist Thelonious Monk, a practice that has allowed him opportunities to play with extraordinary musicians and visit amazing places, and his new recording Organ Monk Going Home brings all of these aspects to bear.