2000 Dobson organ at St. Joseph Abbey, St. Benedict, Louisiana

We rejoice in new sounds for the new year by sampling recent installations in live concert recordings. Joyce Jones plays the four-manual Letourneau organ at Saint Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas; David Schrader exploits the twenty-three voices in the Jaeckel organ at Saint Mary’s Episcopal in Park Ridge, Illinois; and Marcus Saint Julian sets the wild echoes flying with the 35-stop Dobson organ at Saint Joseph Abbey in Saint Benedict, Louisiana. They only happen once, so click and listen to these Inaugural Pleasures.

…an eclectic and engaging survey of evidence of the pipe organ’s potential for color and variety, from recent recordings.

…the King of Instruments speaks clearly, whether in consort with a single additional instrument, or roaring in chorus with a full symphony orchestra.

…across many generations, songs of faith have provided composers with familiar themes to embellish.