Pedal Organ

The six Trio Sonatas for organ seem to belong to the earlier years of Bach's period in Leipzig, dated conjecturally to 1727, apparently devised for the use of the composer's eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann, who became one of the most distinguished organists of his generation in Germany. The sonatas demand clarity of performance and distinct enunciation of the two melodic lines and bass pedal part.

The Romantic Piano Concerto series reaches 62 and makes an interesting (although temporary) departure: these four works are for pedal piano (a piano which includes a separate keyboard for the feet, to be played rather in the manner of an organ). Gounod was inspired by the talent of the young and apparently very attractive Lucie Palicot (born circa 1860) whom he heard performing Alkan’s music for pedal piano in 1882. Gounod is far better known for his operatic and liturgical compositions: these works show a different side to this nineteenth-century luminary….

Seven different organs from the Swiss firm of Metzler carry the weight of the project, which is where Herrick's consistency begins. Other complete Bach collections use many and varied makes and locations in the hope of keeping our interest alive. Herrick's journey brings us a sound that has enough variety to show the Metzler's ability to bear a responsible approach to Bach despite their modern construction.

Marcel Dupré - Ben van Oosten - Organ Works Vol. 10
Organ of Birmingham Town Hall
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 239 MB | Full Artwork: 166 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Gold" # 316 1292-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2008
Genre: Classical | Style: 20th Century, Organ

…In many ways Dupré may be viewed as a 'Paganini' of the organ - being a virtuoso of the highest order, he contributed extensively to the development of technique (both in his organ music and in his pedagogical works) although, like Paganini, his music is relatively unknown to musicians other than those who play the instrument for which the music was written. A fair and objective critique of his music should take into account the fact that, occasionally, the emphasis on virtuosity and technique can be detrimental to the musical content and substance. However, his more successful works combine this virtuosity with a high degree of musical integrity, qualities found in works such as the Symphonie-Passion, the Chemin de la Croix, the Preludes and Fugues, the Esquisses and Évocation, and the Cortège et Litanie…

Marcel Dupré - Ben van Oosten - Organ Works Vol. 10
Organ of Birmingham Town Hall
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 239 MB | Full Artwork: 116 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Gold" # 316 1292-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2008
Genre: Classical | Style: Style: 20th Century, Organ

"…In many ways Dupré may be viewed as a 'Paganini' of the organ - being a virtuoso of the highest order, he contributed extensively to the development of technique (both in his organ music and in his pedagogical works) although, like Paganini, his music is relatively unknown to musicians other than those who play the instrument for which the music was written. A fair and objective critique of his music should take into account the fact that, occasionally, the emphasis on virtuosity and technique can be detrimental to the musical content and substance. However, his more successful works combine this virtuosity with a high degree of musical integrity, qualities found in works such as the Symphonie-Passion, the Chemin de la Croix, the Preludes and Fugues, the Esquisses and Évocation, and the Cortège et Litanie…" ~wikipedia

Bach's organ music towers above so much else in the Western canon, that it needs no comment. But as one who enjoys going deeply into a composer for sever days, I found this set superb. I've listened to the entire set from start to finish several times; there's simply nothing else I've ever heard that compares. I'm not an organist, so I can't speak to the technical details of the performance - but Marie-Claire Alain, to my ear, delivers the perfect match of restraint, virtuosity, and grandeur for this work.

Brilliant Classics has already published all 88 of Domenico Cimarosa’s keyboard sonatas in their commonly encountered appearance as harpsichord pieces (BC95027), as well as an album of 30 sonatas in arrangements for guitar (BC94172). He may still be better known as a composer of comic opera, for masterpiece such as Il matrimonio segreto, but this new album of the sonatas in versions for organ celebrates the variety and adaptability of Cimarosa’s idiom and demonstrates why he was so lionized in his own time.

Marcel Dupré - Ben van Oosten - Organ Works Vol. 6
Casavant-Organ, Église Saint-Jean-Bapstiste, Montréal
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 195 MB | Full Artwork: 109 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Gold" 316 1288-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2004
Genre: Classical | Style: 20th Century, Organ

…In many ways Dupré may be viewed as a 'Paganini' of the organ - being a virtuoso of the highest order, he contributed extensively to the development of technique (both in his organ music and in his pedagogical works) although, like Paganini, his music is relatively unknown to musicians other than those who play the instrument for which the music was written. A fair and objective critique of his music should take into account the fact that, occasionally, the emphasis on virtuosity and technique can be detrimental to the musical content and substance. However, his more successful works combine this virtuosity with a high degree of musical integrity, qualities found in works such as the Symphonie-Passion, the Chemin de la Croix, the Preludes and Fugues, the Esquisses and Évocation, and the Cortège et Litanie…

While there are many excellent things in Pieter Dirksen's performance of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, listeners need to accept one characteristic that is apparent from the beginning of this recording: Dirksen takes the Goldbergs at a steady and deliberate pace. This is not to say he doesn't play some of the variations at a moderately fast tempo, but it's difficult to call his playing quick, and it is never virtuosic or showy. A Bach scholar with deep insights, he takes his time to address every possibility for ornamentation, observe every repeat, give every phrase its full length, and make the music reveal as much as possible.