One of the world’s best known texts provides us with glimpses into the composer’s craft and the organbuilder’s art, plus a meditative tribute to dads everywhere.
Music of the reluctant French virtuoso and pioneering genius, Charles-Valentin Alkan [1813-1888], composed originally for pedal piano, plays brilliantly on the pipe organ. Considered by many to be the virtuosic equal of Franz Liszt, and also both friend and neighbor to Frederic Chopin, Alkan was a curious, reclusive figure on the mid-century Parisian scene. His numerous works, virtually all for piano, abound with digital challenges and provocative creative twists. Alkan wrote both a four-movement symphony and a massive three-movement concerto, both for solo piano without orchestra. Later, another friend, Cesar Franck, dedicated his own pioneering solo organ symphony…the Grande Piece Symphonique…to Alkan. Franck also published organ editions of the pieces to be heard in the course of this program, which Alkan created for that ‘dead-end’ Romantic-era instrument, the pedal piano, a standard piano with an additional organ-like clavier for the feet. Alkan was particularly fascinated by this device, and even left money in his will to fund a pedal piano course at the Paris Conservatory. Our broadcast includes a complete performance of Alkan’s Thirteen Prayers, Opus 64, and selections from Eleven Grande Preludes, Opus 66 and the Little Preludes in the Eight Plainchant Modes [1859].
Recital performances by faculty, students and alumni on another exceptional instrument at Caruth Auditorium of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
Varied splendid and vibrant settings of the perennially affirming hymn of praise, faith and celebration, a sonic spectacular!
Reviewing expected pleasures and uncovering unexpected treasures amidst the important works of Felix Mendelssohn.
A sampler of musics by composers from Nebraska, Iowa, Florida, Boston, Chicago and New York City.
Tune in and discover a few revelatory attitudes and probing interpretations that set this noteable French virtuoso apart from the norm.
A wide-ranging sampler of recent organ music releases on compact disc.
For concert performances on new, historic and unusual instruments.
Performances by and conversations with American organist Susan Carol Woodson, a Memphis native who lives in Belgium.
Both early and late in life, the special power of organ music spoke profoundly through the art of Johannes Brahms [1833-1897]. This centenary tribute includes it all.
In his teens, while studying with Robert and Clara Schumann, Brahms thought of becoming a professional organist, but gave up the notion as being fiscally impractical. His four early works show that he well understood the instrument’s potential. His very last compositions, the Chorale-preludes, were dedicated to the memory of his lifelong friend, Clara Schumann.
This program provides a sampler overview of available Brahms recordings, many of which individually emcompass Brahms’ complete works.
Four centuries of music for a festival of rebirth and renewal, the triumph of life over death.
Sorrowful and reassuring meditations for a time of stress and uncertainty.
Whether with arrangements, transcriptions, technological enhancements or interpretive diversity, we seem incapable of keeping our hands off.
What a challenge it must have been, growing up in the household of the world’s foremost organist, and knowing Dad expected you to follow in his footsteps. On our next Pipedreams broadcast, we’ll listen to the music of four of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most gifted offspring, each of them rising to the challenge with capability and individuality. From Wilhelm Friedemann’s quirky fugues to Carl Phillip Emmanuel’s Sonatas, the chamber music of Johann Christoph Friedrich, and the concertos of trail-blazer Johann Christian, you’ll be amazed at the craftsmanship so skillfully displayed by this most unique family. Like father like son? Well, almost, as you’ll discover when we compare the various musics of the four most talented Bach children with the example of their father. He set an incredible standard, which each boy worked hard to achieve in music Baroque and Beyond. It’s Sebastian and Sons, this week on Pipedreams.
Women performers and composers make vital contributions to the tradition of the organ.
A winter collection of recent organ recordings in review.
From the subtle magic of a single flute stop to the glorious roar of an entire instrument in song, this week’s program explores just a few of the auditory adventures available to organists. Baroque chorale variations and Psalm fantasies, trumpet tunes, symphonic poems, a virtuoso etude for pedals alone, and a racy romp for two performers at one console are just a few of the possibilities exhibited by our talented friends. Gustav Leonhardt, Virgil Fox and several others each provide unique responses to musical challenges as we continue our never ending search for Sonic Solutions.
