1982 Marrin organ at the Cathedral of Saint Mary, Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Tune in as we take our recording equipment around the region, capturing the excitement of LIVE performances. The first of two parts, we find artists meeting the challenge of the concert experience with incomparable panache.

On this week’s show, we’re visited by the prize-winning British organist, David Goode. This talented performer has toured the world and now lives in Los Angeles where he’s organist at First Congregational Church.

A visit with British organist David Briggs, heard in performances recorded in England, California, and Minnesota.

A cross-section of instruments and performers in Minnesota, drawn from our considerable archive of live-concert recordings.

…through works of the Couperin Family, we provide a fog-reducing introduction to music in French Classic style. Truly fit for a king. Their family dynasty served the Royal French Court, and French music, for nearly 200 years. The Couperins were masters of the keyboard and organists at the Church of Saint Gervais in Paris from 1653 to 1830. On our next Pipedreams broadcast, we’ll explore their works: the majestic and austere verses and fantasies by Uncle Louis, the charming miniatures of the grandson Arman-Louis and his son Gervais-Francois, and the monumental and poetic Masses by François Couperin who was called “The Great” for good reason. It’s a study of the evolution of style, and an introduction to the flavorful recipes of Classic French organ registration. This week, we’ll also hear program host Michael Barone demonstrate a few “French Classic” registrations with some illustrative performances. For anyone who has ever wanted to hear him play, here’s your chance! The colors are rich, the rhythms saucy, the flavors as beguiling as a good French wine. We’ll savor the art of the Baroque Organ in Paris, through music from four generations of the famous Couperin family: Louis, Armand, Gervaise, and Francois. From “C” to Shining “C”, an introduction to elegance, this week on Pipedreams.

…an organ in a church makes a statement about values temporal and spiritual. A new instrument is always the center of interest, often the center of controversy. Young Minnesota organ-builder Kevin Marrin designed something quite special for St. Mary's Cathedral in St. Cloud.

Eight different soloists provide a composite look Symphony Number 8, the largest and least-known of Charles-Marie Widor’s ten famous organ symphonies.

Whether built for a mansion or a rural parish church, these century-old instruments have stories to tell.