A Divine Return (I) #2603
. . . resident musicians Kent Tritle and David Briggs celebrate the reawakening of the Aeolian-Skinner organ at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Hour 1
J. S. BACH: Toccata & Fugue in d, BWV 565. OLIVIER MESSIAEN: Apparition de l’eglise éternelle.
GEORGE CRUMB: Pastoral Drone. CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR: Allegro (i.), fr Symphony No. 6 in g, Op. 42, no. 2 --Kent Tritle (1954 Aeolian-Skinner/Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, NY) PD Archive (r. 2/4/2025)
SERGEI PROKOFIEV: Music for Children, Op. 65 (Promenade; Historiette; Tarantelle; Valse; La pluie et l’arc-en-ciel; Marche) –Raymond Nagam (St. John the Divine) Pro Organo 7265
MARCEL DUPRÉ: Final, fr Seven Pieces, Op. 27 –Michael Murray (St. John the Divine) Telarc 80169
Filler - BACH (see above)
Hour 2
SIGFRID KARG-ELERT: Nun danket alle Gott, Op. 65, no. 59. EDWARD ELGAR (trans. Harris): Nimrod, fr Enigma Variations, Op. 39, no. 9. DAVID BRIGGS: Mannahatta Diptyque. JOHANNES BRAHMS (trans. Briggs): Allegretto grazioso (iii.) & Allegro con spirito (iv.), fr Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73 –David Briggs (St. John the Divine) PD Archive (r. 2/18/2025)
On April 14, 2019, one day before the disastrous fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, a smaller fire in the crypt of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine caused considerable smoke damage to the famous Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. These performances, and those next week, celebrated the instrument’s return-from-repair.
David Briggs’ autobiography, Pipes and Passions: A Life Committed to the King of Instruments, is available on his website, as are his numerous recordings and original scores and transcriptions.
Filler - KARG-ELERT (see above)
PIPEDREAMS is supported in loving memory of Lucinda and Wesley Dudley by their family, with additional support from Walter McCarthy, Clara Ueland, and the Greystone Foundation, from Ed and Wanda Eichler, and from Foley-Baker, Inc. of Tollund, CT and Paul Fritts & Company, Organ Builders of Tacoma, WA, members of APOBA, the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America, a collaborative of designers, creators, and maintainers of pipe organs found in religious and educational institutions, concert halls, and residences throughout the United States and beyond. An APOBA resource guide and member prospectus is available at APOBA.COM.
