Pipedreams rings in a new century with a retrospective of the old, paying tribute to important anniversaries and personalities of the year gone by, and reflecting on the new millennium. You’ll hear the new organ at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, soloists Martin Jean and Jelani Eddington, and the pioneering recitalist, teacher, and organbuilder Robert Noehren. You’ll sample archive concert tapes, and new compact disc releases, too, as host Michael Barone leafs through the pages of An Organist’s Millennial Yearbook.
Think of them as sweets for the ears. We unwrap a bundle of seasonal cheer and a coast-to-coast collection of talent on the next Pipedreams broadcast. Organists play in solo and duo at Saint John’s Cathedral, Milwaukee, Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia, and the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre, while choirs sing at Riverside Church, New York, Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, and All Saints Lutheran in Kansas City. In 13 different venues, our carols and fantasies all feature artists and instruments from around the United States. Wherever you are, we’ll all be right at home this week with An American Organist’s Christmas, hosted by Michael Barone.
The world is filled with joyful music at Christmas time, and nowhere is the music more exuberant than in the organ lofts of France. Beginning already in the 1600s, the tradition of holiday organ concerts grew to be so popular that in some places the French clergy outlawed them-their ‘dulci jubilo’ having swung a bit to far into the jubilo end of things. But why not? Even the angelic hosts would smile at the joyous works of Jean Guillou, Pierre Cochereau, Jean-Francois Dandrieu and the others, whose genius enlivens the vaults of Notre Dame Cathedral and other churches in Marseilles, Thiérache and Rouen and whose music brightens every corner during this remarkable season. Philippe Gueit, Andre Isoir, and Rene Oberson also play their part in this Pipedreams pageant.
Some of the tunes depict rustic shepherds. Some sing lullaby to a tiny baby, or celebrate the miracle that comes from heaven above. On the next Pipedreams broadcast we circle the globe in search of delightful musical ornaments for our holiday celebration and discover sweet sounding pipes and choirs that sing nearly as well as an angelic host. Whether it’s a French noel, a Benedictine monk’s special Christmas composition, some humorous variations on Good King Wenceslas, choristers in England and Sweden, or instruments from Spain and Switzerland, ours is a multicultural collection of seasonal sounds, and everyone is welcome. Host Michael Barone will be your guide.
with William Osborne, Susan Craig and friends, we discover some little known organ music by Ohio composers, plus other hidden treasures.
a quarterly review of recent organ recordings, drawing from the incredible variety of new and interesting materials which are available to music lovers these days.
passionate playing of powerful and poetic works by a composer famous for an almost daemonic virtuosity and his imaginative exploitation of the organ’s resources.
highlights from a convivial gathering of friends of the theatre organ in Cedar Rapids.
A visit with British organist David Briggs, who talks about his career and plays instruments in England and Minnesota.
reviewing recital performances of colorful new repertoire taped mostly in Atlanta during a national convention of theAmerican Guild of Organists.
intriguing highlights from imported recordings issued by the organ-focused German label Motette Verlag from Düsseldorf.
A tribute to the famous French organbuilder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll [1811—1899] whose vision created a new style of instrument and whose generosity encouraged artists who would maximize its potential.
an innovative collection of unusual music inspired by the African continent and the African experience, as created by composers both white and black, African and African-American.
powerful music for organ, winds, brasses and percussion, performed in concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, TX.
The late Paul Riedo plays the 84-rank C.B. Fisk pipe organ in concert with the Dallas Wind Symphony, recorded May 18, 1993, Frederick Fennell conducts. This same ensemble repertoire, plus other selections, was later recorded in sessions at the Meyerson for an exceptional compact disc release from Reference Recordings, RR-58CD. The solo selections come from a compact disc by David Higgs, Delos DE-3148CD.
Exploring culture in amidst the territory of an ancient merchant’s federation in Dutch, German, Belgian, and Polish cities of the Hanseatic League.
...striking and original works from three centuries featuring organ with orchestra.
The passionate and powerful Sixth Organ Symphony by Charles-Marie Widor in two versions, for organ solo and with orchestra. Widor’s arrangement of the outer movements of his popular Sixth Organ Symphony [solo] was his first major essay for organ and orchestra. He went on to create two additional, totally original organ and orchestra compositions later in life. It was prepared for a London concert in 1882, later played by Charles Courboin in Antwerp in 1900, and presented again by Courboin, with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Stokowski, at the Wanamaker Store in 1919. The Bowden/McKinley performance in Indiana was only the second American outing for this score since that Philadelphia premiere.
A treat for the whole family, this week’s broadcast features organ arrangements of famous classical works and original compositions used in Fantasia and other Walt Disney films.
