All Episodes

…youthful students from the Curtis Institute of Music perform at Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia, while their teacher, Alan Morrison, premieres a new work back home at Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall.

…we celebrate composer Ned Rorem with performances of his music in anticipation of his 85th birthday. On this week’s show, we visit with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ned Rorem and celebrate the remarkable and envigorating repertoire that he has composed for organists and choirs. Is it strange that an agnostic son of Quaker parents should write so compellingly for the church or is everything under the sun just a concert celebrating creativity? Insights from the artist with his art, it’s Rorem on Rorem.

…in celebration of the International Year of the Organ, excerpts (Part 1) from an event recorded during the American Guild of Organist’s National Convention in Minnesota.

…a selective survey of some recently issued recordings devoted to organ music from the period 1600-1750, everything from Boyvin to Casini plus Bach, Handel and Buxtehude, too!

…the ‘king of instruments’ in western culture has earned a place of honor in eastern venues, too, particularly in Japan and, most recently, China!

…a close-up visit with one of the most enterprising talents on the world music scene, with excerpts from recent concert performances and his newly-released Telarc Records compact disc, Revolutionary.

…excerpts from a weekend of special Pipedreams Live! events with Michael Barone in his ‘home town’ territory, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region of northeastern Pennsylvania. In appreciation of the several musicians who influenced him during his early years in Kingston, Pennsylvania, Michael Barone dedicates this program to the spirits of Stella Pickett, Marion Wallace, and Howard Hallock, and to the continuing presence of Dorothy Turner and Robert Wech…with thanks!

…since its inauguration in 1911, what is now known as the Wanamaker Organ has prevailed as an internationally renowned fixture in downtown Philadelphia.  We explore its resources with artist-in-residence Peter Conte and curator Curt Mangel.

…a five-century survey of music played on modern instruments in historic churches in Cologne, Barcelona, Madrid and Brussels.

…the pipes, they are a-calling, in music somber, serene and sometimes silly, the ‘organ suite’ for church and concert use.

…an international sampler of instruments and players, all in recent recordings, commit to individual revelations of the spirit of the greatest of all composers for the organ, J.S. Bach.

…passionate performances by one of the world’s most celebrated organ virtuosos, the late, great Virgil Fox, with commentary by his friend and colleague Richard Torrence.

…whether in simple variations on a sacred hymn tune or complex counterpoint around a new-made melody, composers always respond to the lyric muse. This week we’ll listen to musical creations based on both familiar and newly formed tunes. One of the most common forms of composition for the King of Instruments, composers have frequently demonstrated their craftsmanship with these lyric morsels.

…whether in Renaissance style or rhumba, when the pipe organ’s in the mood there’s no better partner. This week’s program is a display of the kinetic energy that surrounds the King of Instruments.

…fountains, flowing rivers, and frothy waves, in a bathtub or lapping upon a south sea island, are but a few of the inspirations behind this collection of ‘water music.’

…concert performances of music by J.S. Bach presented by American organists on American instruments.

…an all-American program that explores the sonic and virtuosic freedoms and possibilities of pipe organs and those who play them.

…a collection of ‘organ pops’, including a centenary tribute to American composer Leroy Anderson [born 6/29/1908].