Frescobaldi: Acceni

On this CD:

1. Tocatta per organo: Capriccio sopra Vestiva i Colli
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

2. Pasacaglia
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

3. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

4. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

5. Fantaisie del Seig.r Hierosme Frescobaldi
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

6. Canzona(s)
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

7. Toccata II
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

8. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

9. Partite sopra on aria Romana detta la Manista
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

10. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

11. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

12. Partite sopra l'Aria di Fiorenza
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

13. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

14. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

15. Canzone sopra Ruggier
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

16. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

17. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

18. Capriccio(s) del Seignor Girolamo Frescobaldi
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

19. Toccatas
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

20. Recercari (10) for cello & continuo, Book 1
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

21. Tocatta per organo con pedali; Canzona dopo la toccata
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

22. Capriccio fatto sopra il Cucchù
Composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi
Performed by Jean-Marc Aymes

Tracks:

Piano Etudes (Book One): I. De'sordre - Molto vivace, vigoroso, molto ritmico
Piano Etudes (Book One): II. Cordes a' vide - Andantino con moto, molto tenero
Piano Etudes (Book One): II. Touches bloque'es - Presto possibile, sempre molto ritmico
Piano Etudes (Book One): IV. Fanfares - Vivacissimo molto ritmico, con allegria e slancio
Piano Etudes (Book One): V. Arc-en-ciel - Andante molto rubato, con eleganza, with swing
Piano Etudes (Book One): VI. Automne a' Varsovie - Presto cantabile, molto ritmico e flessibile
Piano Etudes (Book Two): VII. Galamb borong - Vivacissimo luminoso, legato possibile
Piano Etudes (Book Two): VIII. Fe'm - Vivace risoluto, con vigore
Piano Etudes (Book Two): IX. Vertige - Prestissimo sempre molto legato, sehr gleichmassig
Piano Etudes (Book Two): X. Der Zauberlehrling - Prestissimo, staccatissimo, leggierissimo
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XI. En suspens - Andante con moto, (avec l`e'le'gance du swing)
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XII. Entrelacs - Vivacissimo molto ritmico, sempre legato, con delicatezza
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XIII. L'escalier du diable - Presto legato ma leggiero
Piano Etudes (Book Two): XIV. Coloana infinita' - Presto possibile, tempestoso con fuoco
Musica ricercata: I. Sosenuto - Misurato - Prestissimo
Musica ricercata: II. Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale
Musica ricercata: III. Allegro con spirito
Musica ricercata: IV. Tempo de Valse (poco vivace - a' l'orgue de Barbarie)
Musica ricercata: V. Rubato. Lamentoso
Musica ricercata: VI. Allegro molto capriccioso
Musica ricercata: VII. Cantabile, molto legato
Musica ricercata: VIII. Vivace. Energico
Musica ricercata: IX. Adagio. Mesto - Allegro maestoso
Musica ricercata: X. Vivace. Capriccioso
Musica ricercata: XI. Andante misurato e tranquillo
Piano Etudes (From Book Three): XV. White on White

Customer Reviews:

A nice mico-view of Ligeti's work.......2007-03-11

In the notes that accompany this CD, Ligeti explains that his piano compositions are the way he made up for his inadequacies as a player. It's hard to argue that he didn't reach his goal. These superbly-performed pieces provide a clear view of many aspects of Ligeti's work--his humor, his lyricism, his ear, and sometimes his little obsessions.

The most obvious technical requirement of this music is touch. In some of the etudes, complex voicings are required at very low dynamic levels. In others, the ability to bring out multiple voices is paramount. Aimard is perfect. His technique is so assured that we can easily get to the music and not be sidetracked by prowess.

Those who know Ligeti's music know how protean he could be. Like a good athlete, he was willing to take on enormous risks. Sometimes the result felt intellectualized and tiresome. But more often than not, the music soared. This is certainly true of the Etudes on this disk. They are studies in the truest sense of the word--one may focus on a particular set of intervals, another on a texture, yet another on a rhythm. Each one is fascinating and the collection holds together nicely. There are even hints of Nancarrow!

Ligeti himself felt ambiguously about the "Musica Ricercata", and it isn't hard to see why. The first piece is based on only two pitches (with octaves); the second on three and so on. It sort of proves a point, but what point? By the time you get to the fourth piece, it starts to get good, but the listener has to regain some flagging energy. The third piece is actually the basis of the opening of "6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet".

So while I have little quibbles, I still recommend this disk strongly. It's great music, beautifully played.

Very Nice Piano Studies. Not the best Ligeti.......2006-09-02

Volume 3 of the Gyorgy Ligeti Edition on Sony has gotten a boatload of very positive reviews, above, from people who probably know a lot more about music, especially piano music, than I do, but I maintain, from my position as a rank amateur who just happens to like listening to a wide range of classical music, that this disc is neither the very best piano music nor the most interesting Ligeti.

Don't get me wrong. I think almost all of the studies on these tracks are good, maybe even almost as good as Chopin and Liszt, but I don't think so. We don't hum Ligeti etudes the way some people hum Chopin etudes or dances for piano. And, a few of the passages sound like the scene from 'Ghostbusters' where Bill Murray tickles the very high keys on Sigourny Weaver's piano as they enter her apartment to track down some particularly awesome apparitions of Zuel (sic) and Gozer (sic sic).

If you are looking to touch only the high points of Ligeti's music and don't have the compulsioin to own everything, you can pass on these and not be missing too much of the good stuff. Check out his choral and a capella works for the really hot stuff.

Perfect Ligeti........2005-10-19

The own György Ligeti was asked about who was the pianist more complete in his piano works; he talked about Pierre-Laurent Aimard, whose a close relation with the XXth Century music is very well known (Boulez, Messiaen, Berg, Schönberg, Carter...) all around the world. He talked too about Volker Banfield, who has recorded some of the Etudes for Wergo, but not so good as Aimard recordings, in my opinion.

What we find in this CD, 3rd of an outstanding series, is the technical perfection made piano playing, in the hands of Aimard, who plays absolutely all the notes full of perfection, sense and correction, from the dynamic to the tempo, from the correct attack to the prodigious use of the pedal. If you are used to a romantic piano you can feel this versions a little cold or dry, but this is because Aimard goes directly to the heart of the XXth Century style of piano playing, in the line that comes from Schönberg-Berg-Webern and that goes in a different way of playing than the century before, so you can be lost in some sense about the way he understand the use of the piano, the playing, the technique, the echoes, the silences...

You'll find in this CD the Musica Ricercata, a work from Ligeti's first period, very easy to understand for those who are not used to listen this kind of "modern" music. It has many folk motives, used in a way very close to Bartók's style. One of this pieces (Musica ricercata: II. Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale) was taken by Stanley Kubrick for his last film Eyes Wide Shut, with an outstanding presence in the film associated to the worries and pressure over the main character; Ligeti says about this piece that it was a knife against the stalinist regime because of this style of music, sinister, innovative and forgiven in the communist Europe. The film's version is slower than this by Aimard, more "cinematographic" but slower than the score asks. Aimard's version in this piece and in the full pieces are outstanding.

The rest of the CD it's based on the Etudes, books I & II, both of them complete. Those are pieces much more modern than the Musica Ricercata, some of them, in the words of Ligeti with some links and inspiration on Nancarrow's works. We are listening in this case some of the most complex works for piano written in the XXth Century, and many of them authentic jewels of the genre. The Aimard versions for Sony are the better I know from the French pianist, who have recorded some of them in other CDs, like his great recording from de Carnagie Hall (Warner), but not so good like this outstanding CD.

So, if you are looking for perfection in Ligeti's piano music performances don't doubt about this CD; if you want to discover the piano of the XXth Century this could be a great door to go into, because of the music, because of the performing and because of a perfect recording and booklet.

good cd.......2005-08-23

This is a great cd if you are interested in piano music. I personally enjoyed "Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale", which was most famously used in the Kubrick film, Eyes Wide Shut. The rest of the cd is very enjoyable as well.

Ligeti on cd, hooray.......2005-08-01

We all owe Stanley Kubrick a big debt of gratitude for exposing us to Ligeti who, with Cage and Stockhausen among others, influenced the evolution of popular music while maintaining a continuum to our classical past.

The recording quality in this series is outstanding, and it is a delight to see the breadth of this series. Having many works of Ligeti from the Wergo vinyl catalog of the 70's, I selected the piano works for the fun of discovery.

Those of you who enjoy this piano stuff should try to find Nina Deutsch's recording of Charles Ives: Solo Piano Music.

Average customer rating:

Antiphonal Masterpiece
All-star brass
Instant playing
A VERY special album
I think Gabrieli would like this album

The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Gabrieli: The Canzonas and Sonatas from Sacrae Symphoniae 1597

ASIN: B0000029PE
Release Date: 1996-10-01

Tracks:

Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Duodecimi Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon A 12
Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonata Octavi Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 27
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quarti Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon A 12
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 28
Giovanni Gabrieli: Sonate Pian'e Forte
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Primi Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni No. 1
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Noni Toni
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 2
Giovanni Gabrieli: Primo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Secondo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Terzo E Quarto Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 1 La Spiritata
Giovanni Gabrieli: Ottavo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Nono Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Decimo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 3 Intonazioni D'organo
Giovanni Gabrieli: Undicesimo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Duodecimo Tono
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonare No. 4
Giovanni Gabrieli: Fantasia In The Sixth Tone
Giovanni Gabrieli: Tocata In D Minor
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Prima In G Major
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Seconda In C Major
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Terza In A Minor
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quarta In G Minor
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Quinta In G Minor
Giovanni Gabrieli: Toccata In G Major

Amazon.com

Venice was a good place to be in the 17th century if you liked to hang out in church--not that you had much choice in those days. Gabrieli's reputation rests on his "polychoral" compositions: works for several choirs, a choir being any size group of voices or instruments. For example, a sacred composition for three choirs might have two brass groups and one chorus, or two choruses and one brass ensemble. The idea was to keep things flexible to allow for changing local conditions. The result, in any case, was a magnificent "question and answer" style of writing, in which great blocks of harmony challenged each other from opposite sides of San Marco Cathedral. If this sort of thing intrigues you, then you owe it to yourself to hear this terrific collection. It's a cosmic experience. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Antiphonal Masterpiece.......2007-05-16

This recording unifies arguably the 3 best brass sections from American Brass orchestras in a performance of the antiphonal music of Giovanni Gabrieli. The Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cleveland brass sections are used here and they work together as groups as well as they ever did with their corresponding orchestras. This was recorded without conductor, rehearsal, or even a tuning note, however, this is irrelevant when looking at the result. Given performers of the caliber of Adolph "Bud" Herseth, Arnold Jacobs, and Gilbert Johnson it is little wonder that this fine quality could be achieved with minimum preparation. I have looked at a number of other examples of this music including recordings by the Empire Brass and the Canadian Brass (and friends) and neither comes close to the emotion and beauty of this performance.

The different groups played directed off the vocal and instrumental parts written by Gabrieli making any adjustment for transposition in their head on sight, thus allowing them all to be as much focused on the music as possible as they were not looking at 3rd generation arrangements which always tend to leave out markings. These possibly were the best brass performers in America at the time and their interpretations are unified through exceptional listening across the ensemble for intonation, style, and tempo. A slightly non-justifiable reason that I hold for this album's excellence is the raw energy and beauty of this unprepared collaboration. In the time of Gabrieli, rehearsals were rare, and musicians would, on a daily basis, sit down and perform music that they hadn't studied, and while these are not the original instruments for which Gabrieli wrote, the quick pacing of this production (one weekend) to me lends more on the positive side for the enjoyment of the listener.

In short, this is a remarkable collaboration of some of the best performers on fantastic Renaissance literature and worthy of owning merely for that fact, and when combined with live and engaging performances where the music is played expertly from one section to the next off of each individual, this album becomes a gem for anyone with an interest in the brass ensemble sound.

All-star brass.......2007-01-17

If you like antiphonal music or even just music, it doesn't get any better! With the best brass players in the world playing Gabrieli, you couldn't want more musically!

Instant playing.......2006-07-11

I very like the diversity of instruments used in this recording, and it is shure something special to have all the first brass of so many US orchestras together. But they play on first sight, without preparation, and this results in lack of precision, it is just not the right kind of music to do "ad-hoc". They would do very well with Jazz, but not with Gabrieli. Nevertheless the performance is by far better then the one of Empire Brass. Overall I would recommend the complete Gabrieli Works on Naxos played by London Brass. They lack diversity of instruments because they play on Trumpets and Trombones only, but there is the precision adn musicality.

A VERY special album.......2005-08-03

If you've been into brass for 40 years, you probably already know that this is a very unusual gathering of the top of the top!
My only complaint is with the web site sound samples being MONO !
This album is in STEREO and really portrays the placement of the 3 major antiphonal quintets! You won't be disapointed.

I think Gabrieli would like this album.......2005-04-28

The purists have a good point - this recording is not historically accurate. In Gabrieli's time most written music was for sacred events. I'm sure the church officials would have objected to the volume level and intensity of this recording. Composers in the Renaissance and Baroque periods were pretty much slaves to their employers. I think that if Gabrieli had present day instruments and full performance control he would have performed his works differently.
If you love quality brass music read the five star reviews and buy this album!

Average customer rating:

Lamentazioni per la Settimana Santa

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000MG1YCU
Release Date: 2007-05-08

Tracks:

Incipit Lamentatio Ieremiae Prophetae
Vau. Et Egressus Est A Filia Sion
Toccata Quarta
Jod. Manum Suam
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De Lamentatione Leremiae Prophetae
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De Lamentatione Leremiae Prophetae
Toccata Arpeggiate
Aleph. Quomodo Obscratum Ets Aurum
Incipit Oratio Leremiae Prophetae

Average customer rating:

Report from the far reaches of the musical envelope.
Not great music, but fun
share Ligeti's fascination with mechanical things.
Better than it had any right to be
listen to with open ears

Ligeti: Mechanical Music
Gyorgy Ligeti , Pierre Charial , Jürgen Hocker , and Françoise Terrioux
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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György Ligeti Edition 6: Keyboard Works (Piano, Harpsichord, Organ) - Irina Kataeva / Pierre-Laurent Aimard / Elisabeth Chojnacka / Zsigmond Szathmáry
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ASIN: B0000029P2
Release Date: 1997-05-20

Tracks:

Adaptations For Barrel Organ: Continuum
Adaptations For Barrel Organ: Hungarian Rock
Adaptations For Barrel Organ: Capriccio No. 1
Adaptations For Barrel Organ: Invention
Adaptations For Barrel Organ: Copriccio No. 2
Poeme Symphonique for 100 Metronomes
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: I. Sostenuuto - Misurato - Prestissimo
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: II. Mesto, rigido e cerimoniale
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: III. Allegro con spirito
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: IV. Temp de Valse (poco vivace - (a l'orgue de barbarie))
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: V. Rubato. Lementoso
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: VI. Allegro molto capriccioso
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: VII. Cantabile, molto legato
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: VIII. Vivace. Energico
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: IX. (Bela Bartok in memoriam) Adagio. Mesto - Allegro maestoso
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: X. Vivace. Capriccioso
Adaptation For Barrel Organ: IX. (Omaggio a Girolamo Frescobaldi) Andante misurato e tranquillo
Adaptations For Player Piano: X. Der Zauberlehrling
Adaptations For Player Piano: IX. Vertige
Adaptations For Player Piano: XI. En suspens
Adaptations For Player Piano: XIII, L'escalier du diable
Adaptations For Player Piano: XIVa. Coloana fara sfarsit
Adaptations For Player Piano: VII. Galamb borong - Adapted For 2 Player Pianos
Adaptations For Player Piano: Continuum - Adapted For 2 Player pianos

Amazon.com essential recording

Although Gyorgy Ligeti is best known for his eerie, tonally ambiguous choral and orchestral writing (immortalized in 2001: A Space Odyssey), this collection of works for musical automata--player piano, barrel organ, and metronomes--includes some of his most astonishing music. The player piano pieces are an exhilarating, intensely physical roller-coaster ride through superhuman tempi and dynamic extremes--an intriguing marriage of artifice and human invention. While clearly indebted to the influence of Nancarrow, Ligeti's player piano works are more approachable than Nancarrow's rigorous etudes, revealing the sense of humor that distinguishes Ligeti from his more ponderous contemporaries. Likewise, the controversial prank piece Metronomes foreshadows the phasing experiments of Reich with its intricate cross-rhythms created by metronomes marking time simultaneously at different speeds. Perhaps most fascinating of all are Ligeti's compositions for computer-modified barrel organ--a hand-cranked, calliope-like instrument popular with itinerant musicians in the 1700s. --Dennis Rea

Customer Reviews:

Report from the far reaches of the musical envelope........2006-08-29

This recording of Gyorgy Ligeti's 'Mechanical Music' gets five stars from me only because I happen to like this sort of thing, and 'good' music of this type which pushes the envelope in one direction or another is hard to come by. My immediate reaction to it is the amount of similarity I hear in some of the works to those of Frank Zappa's more serious instrumentals, especially to his 'signature' tune, 'Peaches En Regalia'. If I didn't know Sir Frank was heavily influenced by Edgar Varese, I would have started looking for Hungarian skeletens in the Zappa closet.

I will say that if you are not a nut on having the 'complete' set of things, this CD is less interesting than Ligeti's vocal works, but just a bit more interesting than his conventional instrumental works.

Not great music, but fun.......2006-02-16

Of Marcel Duchamp's powerful "Nude Descending a Staircase," an unfriendly (but perceptive) critic said a better title would have been "Explosion in a Shingle Factory." I'd suggest that Ligeti's Poeme Symphonique for 200 Metronomes might more descriptively be titled "Tone Poem: Waiting Out a Twenty-Minute Hailstorm in a Tin Shack."

That said, the album is fun. Some of the barrel organ works have a whimsicality that's appropriate for this instrument (which sometimes produces a sound that I can only describe as watery). It's interesting to hear Ligeti's already-strange Musica Ricercata pieces scored for barrel organ. No one of these pieces, however, carries a lot of emotional power.

share Ligeti's fascination with mechanical things........2004-01-30

First off, I should inform you that Sony's Ligeti Edition series is being deleted so if you're interested in this stuff, you should pick up the ones you want as soon as you can. Ligeti Edition 5 is a good one. No, it's AWESOME. If you have any interest in "mechanical music," this should be essential.

Poeme Symphonique for 100 Metronomes was the main thing I wanted to hear on this collection. The piece starts with 100 metronomes ticking in a dense, ordered mass of monotone ticks. As the piece progresses, as some of the metronomes finish winding down, distinct rhythmic arrangements begin to emerge, swaying and wavy and disorienting. (You can also play a good trick on someone: play this piece in their car and they'll think the vehicle is about to explode or something.) Finally, one metronome is left ticking alone, then silence. The concept seemed utterly fascinating so I knew it was something I had to check out. Fortunately, it is more than just an idea that sounds good on paper - it is a very enthralling piece of music. In the liner notes, Ligeti discusses the thermodynamic category of maximal entropy, which factored into his considerations in composing this piece. That's interesting, because in his work on "dissipative structures," Nobel laureate Ilya Prigogine theorized that a given system might reach a "bifurcation point," at which its simpler processes can no longer provide for order. At this point, Prigogine tells us, the system can either go into a total, entropic collapse, or evolve into a higher form of order. The second law of thermodynamics (on which our understanding of entropy is based) may not be as relevant as Prigogine's insights. Rather than coming to maximal entropy upon the finale of the single metronome, we can think of it as a new beginning. It's kind of inspirational in its own weird little way. To get the most out of it, play it on your finest stereo equipment at massive volumes and drown in the sound (gotta emulate the live performance anyway you can).

Another highlight of this collection as Ligeti's piano Etudes adapted for player piano. In standard form, the Etudes demand reams of virtuosity. Here, they are rearranged for player piano where there are no limits imposed by the performer - even the godlike Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Fredrik Ullen are still MEN, and thus have man's limitations. Needless to say, these adaptations are stunning and astonishingly fast, from the head-spinning runs of L'escalier du diable to the astonishing gamelan texture of Galamb borong (for two player pianos). Also of interest is Continuum, adapted for two player pianos. It takes the blurry prestissimo to unreal speeds (it cannot actually be played fast enough on standard piano - the original was written for harpsichord).

The barrel organ pieces are very amusing adaptations of early Ligeti with shadows of Bartok, and they are full of the original pieces' rhythmic ingenuity and vigor, but with flawless mechanical precision and tone control. I think a big reason for my enjoying them is their quirky sound. As for Musica ricercata, personally I'd rather listen to Aimard's piano version (on Ligeti Edition 3), but the barrel organ adaptation is a pretty interesting spin on the piece, with an arrangement that gives it a very different flavor. The barrel organ also makes them sound kinda proggy, hehe.

Get it. Remember, this stuff's going out of print, and Ligeti is so good you don't want to miss your opportunity to have his music!

Better than it had any right to be.......2003-11-26

I stalled for a long time on buying this disc because the general premise didn't seem attractive. 40 minutes of arrangements for barrel organ (mainly of early Ligeti), 15 of arrangements for player piano and a 20-minute piece for 100 metronomes just didn't seem much like fun. In part I was right, but there are also some surprising successes in store for the listener.

Continuum and Hungarian Rock are both harpsichord pieces: one a frenetic pattern-illusion toccata, the other a piece of faux-naif postmodern pastiche. Both come off very well in barrel organ transcription--it's so much easier to hear details that tend to get lost in live performance. Three early piano pieces follow in barrel organ transcriptions: the Capriccio #1 and Invention are not greatly interesting, but Pierre Charial's barrel organ version of the second Capriccio finds depths--and premonitions of later Ligeti--in it that have so far been missed by live interpreters.

The Poeme Symphonique might well be Ligeti's most controversial piece, and it's a comparatively rare venture into Dadaism. Essentially, all the performance involves is queuing up 100 metronomes at different speeds and waiting for them to run down. It's actually more musically interesting than one would expect--patterns emerge from a blur before the rhythms become more and more regular at the end--but it's unlikely to be a piece the listener is likely to return to. (In truth, it works much better live, treated as an installation.)

The barrel organ transcription of Musica ricercata for piano doesn't add very much to the original. One or two pieces--particularly the seventh--do benefit from having new light drawn on them, but in general I'd rather hear a pianist play it (particularly Aimard in his excellent performances on volume 3 of this edition).

The disc ends with player piano transcriptions. Der Zauberlehring, Vertige, En suspens and L'escalier du diable all appear much faster here than on recordings with human pianists. L'escalier, in particular, gives a tremendous sheer visceral thrill, though I miss the expressiveness of a live pianist. Coloana fara sfarasit is actually intended for a player piano, as Ligeti found it was too hard for a real pianist to play. It's a splendidly exhilarating ride, and I hope one day a super-virtuoso will be found who can play it on the piano. The two transcriptions for two antiphonally divided player pianos are not so interesting: Galamb borong gains little from the arrangement, while the version of Continuum that closes the disc isn't nearly as fun as the one that opens it.

I enjoyed this disc, though it's not one I return to very often. If you like the concept, I would recommend this recording--though buy it sooner rather than later as Sony's website no longer lists this disc as in print.

listen to with open ears.......2003-06-04

This cd is very interesting to listen to. Wow the barrel organ is a little different but it adds another view to Ligeti's music. Now for Poeme Symphonique for 100 metronomes, i didn't know how i would go with this piece. First time was like wow different but the second time started to hear something very personal.Music is what you make it

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What an Experience of Baroque Music
Wonderful Baroque Cello Offering

The Baroque Album

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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From This Moment On

ASIN: B0000A5BWV
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato
II. Andante Grazioso
III. Rondo Allegro
I. Prelude. Gravement
II. Sicilienne. Tendrement
III. La Tromba. Gaiement
IV. Plainte. Douloureusement
V. Air De Diable. Vivement
Grave - Allegro Giusto
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Non Tanto

Customer Reviews:

What an Experience of Baroque Music .......2005-02-12

A couple of years ago I first saw Wang playing cello in Isaac Stern's 1979 award winning documentary "From Mao to Mozart". He was 9 years old then and he had already impressed my by his passion to music. Ever since then, I have been looking for his CD and hoping to hear his new performances as a young musician. Now, this Baroque album has really demonstrated Wang's maturity. He still plays with passion, but more in a sense of caring as soloist.

The combination of Boccherini and Couperin make this CD a real Baroque experience. I also like Monn's Concerto for cello, strings and harpsichord. Wang plays especially well in the second movement.

Wonderful Baroque Cello Offering.......2003-09-12

First seeing Wang with the Detroit Symphony, I was captivated with his passion for the music and his cello. Learning of his discovery by Stern in China and the subsequent viewing of the video, I wanted more of this young virtuoso.

This work combines two musical areas I particularly love: baroque cello.

What fine compositions by composers introduced to me here: Boccherini, Couperin, Frescobadi and Monn. Much is transposed from works for other instruments, but here ring true and delightful by excellent playing of Wang, admirably backed by the Camerata Salzburg.

Especially stimulating is the Rondo by the Boccherini Concerto in B Flat.

Tracks:

Indulo - March - Allegro
Polyphonic Etude - Allegro comodo
Three Wedding Dances: The Cart Is At The Gate - Allegro
Three Wedding Dances: Quickly Come Here Pretty - Andantino
Three Wedding Dances: Circling Dance - Allegro
Sonatina: Allegro
Sonatina: Andante
Sonatina: Vivace
Allegro
Capriccio No. 1 - Allegretto capriccioso
Invention - Risoluto
Capriccio No. 2 - Allegro robusto
Monument
Selbstportrait mit Reich und Riley (und Chopin ist auch dabei)
In zart fliessender Bewegung
Passacaglia ungherese - Andante
Hungarian Rock - Vivacissimo molto ritmico
Continuum - Prestissimo
Ricercare - Omaggio a Girolamo Frescobaldi
Two Studies For Organ: Harmonies - Rubato, sempre legatissimo
Two Studies For Organ: Coulee - Prestissimo, sempre legato
Volumina

Customer Reviews:

More 'sci-fi' inspired music.......2006-08-31

This 6th installment of the Gyorgy Ligeti Edition contains one (Harmonies) of Ligeti's three pieces used by Stanley Kubrick in the '2001' soundtrack. For that reason alone, this CD is a bit more interesting than some of the others in this series. To me, as a representative of the average listener who happens to like a very broad range of musical styles, this CD is more interesting than Ligeti's string compositions, but not as interesting as his choral works.

Part of the attraction may be the mystery of exactly what instrument is it which is performing some of these pieces. This mystery is simply not there when the pieces are done by violins and their relatives.

While the mystery instumentation is nothing more than an organ, the performers make this hoary monster do a lot more than I am used to hearing in my local church.

The whole series is a wealth of 'new' or 'alternate' music, but this disk is just a bit more rewarding than some of the others.

Piano pieces are lesser works, but the rest is fantastic.......2004-03-22

Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 6 "Keyboard Works", a installment of Sony's attempt to present Ligeti's collected works, includes the composer's pieces for harpsichord and organ, as well as a number of piano works which were not previously included in Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 3 "Piano Works". As on that third volume, the piano works are performed by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, whom Ligeti considers the ideal pianist for his works, and this time accompanied by Irina Kataeva. Elisabeth Chojnacka performs on harpsicord, and Zsigmond Szathmary on organ.

Some of "Five Pieces for Piano Four-Hands" are among the earliest of Ligeti's works, written when the composer was a mere 20 years old. All these early piano pieces are rather immature, a simple exploration of an instrument Ligeti encountered later in life than usual. Some, like "Three Wedding Dances" show much progress, but are rooted in peasant folk rhythms and bear little resemblance to the Ligeti of later years. I am a great fan of Ligeti, but frankly these first piano works are dull. One notable exception is the sequence "Capriccio No.1-Invention-Capriccio No. 2" which, although written in 1947, is reminiscent of Ligeti's superb "Musica Ricercata" series for piano featured on volume 3.

"Three Pieces for Two Pianos" dates from twenty-five years later, when Ligeti had already made his micropolyphonic breakthrough (and was in some cases beginning to abandon it). The halting, jerking "Monument" is, I think, the first appearance on this disc of the Ligeti we all know and love. "Selbstportrait mit Reich und Riley (und Chopin ist auch dabei)" is a tribute to the two American minimalist composers and includes a brief allusion to Chopin's music, which Ligeti considers protominimalist. It is indicated to be played "Presto: so schnell und so gleichmaessig wie moeglich", and Aimard and Kataeva really handle the unforgivingly flowing nature of the piece.

The three harpsichord pieces are quite interesting because they are generally unknown. The highlight is "Hungarian Rock" (1978), a frenetic piece which sounds like video-game music gone horribly wrong. Chojnacka really shines here and on the following "Continuum" (1968), which in its eerie micropolyphony stands with the best of his works of the 1960's.

Ligeti's organ pieces are subtle and I'm not sure I "get" them yet. "Ricercare" (1951) is Ligeti's first exploration of the instrument. "Harmonies" (1967) is rather reminiscent of the Ligeti's "Atmospheres" in its waves of sound and concentration on pure timbre, and the following "Coulee" continues this in a considerably higher range.

The organ pieces, and the disc, end with "Volumina" (1961/62), one of Ligeti's earliest hits in the West. This is one of Ligeti's finest works, and the sound quality of this performance is much better than the 1968 recording recently reissued by Deutsche Grammaphon. (This is in itself surprising, as DG's reissues usually sound better than more recent recordings.) It might even be a better performance, as I find it difficult to judge the earlier recording because of its inaudibility.

The booklet contains, as usual, notes written by Ligeti himself and, as always, they are full of enlightening anecdotes and humorous remarks. Here you can read about how the first rehearsal "Volumina" burnt out the organ of Gothenburg's cathedral, and how--in a parenthetical remark that could be dead serious or a joke--Ligeti "will be overcome by revenge fantasies" forever eagainst the repressive regimes of Hungary.

While I think Ligeti is the greatest living composer, and the two series collecting his works are certainly worth getting, the unexciting piano pieces make this a lesser installment in Gyorgy Ligeti Edition. This should wait until one already has, for example, the first volume "String Quartets" or the second "A Capella Choral Works."

Some gems in this uneven keyboard music collection.......2003-11-26

Volume 6 of Sony's Ligeti Edition is largely devoted to piano pieces not included in Volume 3 (Etudes, Musica ricercata), along with his harpsichord and organ pieces. This means that it doesn't have as consistently high a standard of music, but there's still enough meat here to keep the listener interested.

The disc starts with a collection of previously unrecorded early pieces for two pianos. Most of them aren't particularly interesting, but the Polyphonic Etude (written as early as 1943) is a striking premonition of Ligeti's later preoccupations. For that matter, fans of the Musica ricercata (or the Six Bagatelles) will recognize the first two movements of the 1950 Sonatina. Kataeva and Aimard bring off these minor pieces with aplomb.

Following this, we hear the Invention (a rather dry attempt at writing hyper-chromatic Bach) and the two somewhat Bartokian Capriccios. Again, these are minor Ligeti; Kataeva's recording of them probably isn't quite as good as Ullen's on BIS (fill-ups to his underrated reading of the first two books of Etudes), but it's still perfectly acceptable.

After this, we reach mature Ligeti. The three pieces for two pianos are amongst the closest Ligeti got to American minimalism--indeed the middle movement is somewhat clumsily entitled Selbsportrait mit Reich und Riley (und Chopin ist auch dabei). Kataeva and Aimard play well here, without entirely erasing memories of the Kontarsky brothers on a now-reissued recording for DG.

No complaints at all about Elisabeth Chojnacka's rendition of the harpsichord pieces. The mean-tone tunings of the Passacaglia ungherese and Hungarian Rock counterpoint their intentionally bland rhythm. The gem amongst the three pieces, though, is Continuum, a frantic toccata throwing up strange patterns and illusions, which comes off wonderfully here.

The four organ pieces end this disc. The Ricercare (the organ version of the last piece in Musica ricercata) is a gloomy chromatic Frescobaldi pastiche, while Harmonies is an apparently simplistic set of chords distorted by tampering with the organ's pressure mechanism. Coulee, by contrast, is an organ version of Continuum, which sounds remarkably different from the original. Last of all, is the graphically scored tone-cluster piece Volumina. This is a phenomenal, apocalyptic piece, a clear ancestor of the Requiem, and is exceedingly powerful in live performance. Unfortunately, I don't feel Zsigmond Szathmary's performance here comes close to matching Gerd Zacher on DG or the phenomenal Hans-Ola Ericsson on BIS (my own favourite for the complete organ works, coupled with an excellent Schoenberg Variations on a Recitative).

Despite reservations, then, this disc is still worth considering--particularly as Sony's website indicates that the company is in the process of deleting the entire Ligeti Edition.

brilliant music.......2003-06-17

just listen to the five pieces for piano four hands, and you will know what i'm talking about. I'm going to try and get all this editions of ligeti.

Delightful.......2003-05-04

A delightful introduction to Ligeti, for me--very accessible and winning, from student work for piano that recalls Stravinsky, to "Self-Portrait with Reich and Riley" (one reason I bought this) to "Volumina" (the other reason). A wonderfully diverse keyboard CD, from simple to profound. If it's not Ligeti's most momentous work, I wouldn't fault the CD: the performers are excellent, and so's the engineering.

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The Whole Gamut
Music, Passion, Joy - Indeed!

Magic Horn

Manufacturer: Opening Day Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Essential Canadian Brass
Basin Street
Red Hot Jazz: The Dixieland Album
The Best of Canadian Brass (The Millennium Collection)
Super Hits: Canadian Brass

ASIN: B0006PIQ3M
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Tracks:

With You I'm Born Again
Libertango
Contrabajeando
Oblivion
Fracanapa
Caprice No. 24
Cakewalk on a Tightrope
Preacher On the Pier
Magic Horn Tango
State Street Stomp
Concerto in G Major
Toccata
Rondo (from Horn Quintet K407)
Water Music - Allegro Vivace
Water Music - Air
Water Music - Hornpipe
Water Music - Allegro Maestoso
Echoes of Harlem
Quintet

Album Description

The five virtuosi of Canadian Brass have made the brass quintet an exciting vehicle for serious concert music. The quintet — now in its 34th season — consists of Joe Burgstaller, trumpet; Stuart Laughton, trumpet; Jeff Nelsen, French horn; Gene Watts, trombone; and Chuck Daellenbach on tuba. The group has a long history of recording classical repertoire. They have a special affinity for Baroque music, which requires the brilliance and musical structure that has become the Canadian Brass' trademark. Their more than 50 recordings to date include works by Purcell, Vivaldi, Gabrieli, Pachelbel, Beethoven and Wagner — all in meticulously crafted transcriptions that are setting new musical traditions in brass performance. They are especially drawn to the works of J.S. Bach. The Canadian Brass sprang from modest and highly experimental roots in Toronto, Ontario, in 1970. The brass quintet was not established as a serious concert ensemble at that time, and it proved an irresistible challenge to Gene and Chuck. Their imagination and consummate musicianship eventually elevated the art of the brass quintet to what it is today. Thanks to their pioneer status, the quintet developed a unique character and rapport with audiences that proved so successful that it has been emulated by many other ensembles. Canadian Brass master the gamut of concert presentations — from formal classical concerts to music served up with lively dialogue and theatrical effects. No matter what the style, the music is central and performed with utmost dedication and excellence. Having started with the very limited base of traditional works for brass, Canadian Brass set out to create their own musical world by transcribing, arranging and commissioning more than 200 works; the most recent being the brilliant Quintet by Michael Kamen. They are not only presenting works in the classical repertoire but continue to take daring leaps into jazz, contemporary concert music and popular songs. Most of this music, including the Quintet, is published by Hal Leonard. It is the inspiration and musical staple of students and brass ensembles in North America and Europe. All members of the Canadian Brass are keenly interested in training the next generation of players. On their travels around the world, performing on gold-plated Yamaha instruments, they often pause for master classes. The famous five are chamber quintet-in-residence at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. Additionally, they have created an innovative brass summer course at the famous Eastman School of Music. They have been invited by the Canadian Government to play for visiting heads of states on numerous official occasions. There is no letting up for the Brass who posses a childlike love for what they do. It comes so naturally, it's hard to imagine them ever stopping!

Customer Reviews:

The Whole Gamut.......2007-03-09

I was introduced to this CD via YouTube. A brass player advised me to take a look and listen. It was one of the highlights of 07 for me. As a musician with no small amount of background, I can truthfully say that this reminds me of moments in my own career when I was blessed to be in the presence of greatness. The Canadian Brass is and established group of the highest caliber. Magic Horn is a good mix of styles and genre. The Bonus, a musical video filmed in a beautiful gorge west of Toronto is ethereal. The only sad part of the CD/Video is the commemoration at the end of Quintet. The loss of Michael Kamen as a composer is everyone's loss. What a gorgeous tribute. More Please!!

Music, Passion, Joy - Indeed!.......2005-02-19

Few recordings of any music type find their way into my library "sound unheard". Works of The Canadian Brass have typically found their way into my library just that way - they simply never produce anything but the best!

Magic Horn would certainly have been added to my collection at some point without a prior listening, but I had the great fortune to attend a recent CB concert where much of this beautiful music was played. Incidentally, if you've never attended a live CB performance, you've robbed yourself of one of the great musical experiences in life. Their recordings clearly reveal the members as masters of their trade - they are consummate musicians. However, what doesn't come across in the CDs is that they are entertainers of the highest caliber as well! Simply put, a CB concert is a guaranteed "BLAST" - it's the best sort of treat!

Now, back to the subject at hand: the key word here is "Magic". The repertoire of The Canadian Brass is astounding in its breadth and depth, and the selections of Magic Horn demonstrate once again, that nobody else does it quite like these guys. Who else in this genre would reprise the 80's Motown hit With You I'm Born Again - how appropriate, as it is certainly born again here. Astor Piazzolla's Cuatro Tangos gets an enthralling interpretation with trumpeter Burgstaller's fiery arrangement. Bramwell Tovey's Santa Barbara Sonata is simply sublime - I would gladly have purchased this CD if it only contained this piece! In what might just be the CD's finest moment (in the movement entitled "Preacher on the Pier") the familiar tune of J.S. Bach's hymn (Now thank we all our God) enters, "floating" on piccolo trumpet in counterpoint above the other parts - I believe Bach would heartily approve! He would undoubtedly approve of the inclusion of his Concerto in G Major. Frescobaldi's Toccata is a lyric beauty, as is Mozart's Rondo. Excerpts of Handel's Water Music and a Paganini Caprice round out the classical offerings on Magic Horn very nicely, indeed! The Ellington-Henderson Echoes of Harlem is an absolute gem - making me yearn for that bygone era! And, Quintet (so aptly named as the "bonus" track) - wow, what a bonus! The enhanced CD Feature (Music video of Quintet) is a very nice added touch.

Canadian Brass fans will no doubt be grabbing up Magic Horn in serious numbers. It's a sure bet that what you get with CB is musical expression at the summit. It's true, the group has undergone personnel changes over the years, but the anchors (Gene Watts on trombone, and Chuck Daellenbach on Tuba) remain; plus Stuart Laugton on trumpet (an original CB member) has returned! These stalwarts are an inspiration - a blessing for so many fans who are thankful that this group endures and continues to craft only the finest!

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Very Pleasing Collection of Short Virtuoso Pieces
One of my favorite cello albums
Starker's sparkling interpretation is beautiful...

Starker Encore Album

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Janos Starker Virtuoso Music for Cello
Italian Cello Sonatas
The Road To Cello Playing
Romantic Cello Favorites
Starker Plays Kodaly

ASIN: B0000034O7
Release Date: 1993-08-27

Tracks:

Grave, From The Style Of W.F. Bach
Divertiment In D Major
The Swan
Moment Musical No. 3
Prayer
Tarantelle
Arioso
Toccata
Abendlied
Adagio And Rondo
Traumerei
Rumanian Folk Dances

Customer Reviews:

Very Pleasing Collection of Short Virtuoso Pieces.......2007-06-21

Starker manifests a beautiful tone and plays in a sweetly nuanced style that is both precise and flowing. Shuku Iwasaki, accompanying on piano, has just the right touch. The selection consists of largely familiar melodies from the mainstream repertoire. The recording quality is excellent, in accord with Denon's high standards. Highly recommended for the casual and close listener alike.

One of my favorite cello albums.......2007-06-13

On a whim, I picked up a copy of the CD, "Ultra Relaxing Cello Solos" while waiting for a plane. The musicians were not identified on the album, just the composers. The music was so fabulous that I had to find out more about the artists. Lo and behold, I discovered that many of the pieces on that generic album were performed by Janos Starker. I have now obtained copies of most of Starker's albums, and this one is definitely one of the best. Every time that I listen to it, I think that I have a favorite piece, but when I listen to it again, another piece jumps out. Whether you are a cello fan or not, you will enjoy this great compilation by Janos Starker.

Starker's sparkling interpretation is beautiful..........2002-01-31

In this recording Janos Starker exhibits an astounding display of technical mastery of the cello, caressing each nuance and making technical impossiblilities into unique musical experiences. As a cellist, I highly recommend this recording for both study and casual listening, and anyone who enjoys the beauty of the best instrument ever will love it!

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The Fabulous Andrés Segovia

Manufacturer: El Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Art of Segovia
Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces
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ASIN: B000NVLEW4
Release Date: 2007-04-30

Tracks:

Sonatina In A Major (Allegretto)
Fandanguillo Op 36
Campo (Allegretto)
Copla (Andante)
Fiesta (Allegro Con Brio)
Etude No.8 In C Sharp Minor (Modere)
Etude No.1 In E Minor (Allegro Non Troppo)
Andante
Andante
Allemande
Tombeau De Claude Debussy (Mesto E Calmo)
Theme, Variations And Finale
Sonata In C Major
Sarabande
Bouree
Menuet
Fugue Bmv 1000
Prelude No.1 In E Minor
Prelude No.3 In A Minor
Madronos
Aria E Corrente
Nortena
Cancion Del Emperador
Variations On ''Guardame Las Vacas''
Prelude

Album Description

Beautiful collection of vintage recordings by the legendary guitarist featuring The Maestro's own transcriptions of Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces and of pieces solicited from composers such as the popular Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos. Segovia, the Unchallenged Master Of the Spanish Guitar, influenced many musicians including George Harrison, Django Reinhardt, Robert Fripp, Julian Bream and every serious Classical guitarist. His influence can still be heard today on Pop, Rock, Classical, Jazz and World Music releases worldwide. El. 2007.

Album Details

Beautiful Collection of Vintage Recordings by the Greatest Guitarist the World Has Ever Known; Comprising the Maestro¹s Own Transcriptions of Renaissance and Baroque Masterpieces and of Pieces Solicited from Composers of the Day Such as the Popular Brazilian Composer Heitor Villa-lobos

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One of my most-played CDs
One of the best sets of organ works
Mystic!
By All Means Get This CD
To be fair...

In A Quiet Cathedral

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Canons | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Organ Favorites
The Music of St. Paul's Cathedral
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Michael Murray At The Cathedral Of St. John The Divine: Works By Franck, Widor, Dupré, Bach and Others

ASIN: B0000006Z0
Release Date: 1994-08-02

Tracks:

Op. 122, No. 5: Chorale Prelude: Schumcke dich, o liebe Seele
Air
Prelude On The Welsh Hymn Tune 'Rosymedre'
Pastorale On 'Forest Green'
Prelude In E-Flat Major
BWV 731: Chorale Prelude: Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier
Adagio (For Glass Harmonica) K. 356
Sonata I in F Minor, Op. 65: Adagio
BWV 647: Choral Prelude: Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten
Cantata No. 147: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Aria
Lotus (Lotus Blossom)
Irish Air From 'County Derry' (Londonderry Air)
Jerusalem, My Happy Home
Suite in D: Air On The G String
Adagio In E Major
The Good Shepherd
Op. 18, No. 10: Magnificat I
Symphonie Gothique, Op. 70: Andante sostenuto

Tracks:

Fiori Musicali: Toccata per l'Elevazione
Chorale Prelude: Meine Seele erhebt den Herren
Prelude And Fugue In F Minor, Op. 7, No. 2
Canon In B Major, Op. 56, No. 6
Pieces de Fantaisie, Op. 53: Clair de lune
Vocalise
Pieces en style libre, Op. 31: Berceuse
Strings, Op. 11: Adagio
Meditation
Sonatina: Very Slowly
Trois Paraphrases Gregoriennes: Ave Maria, Ave Maris Stella
Chant de Paix (Song Of Peace)

Customer Reviews:

One of my most-played CDs.......2005-10-13

This is one of my most frequently played CDs. I find it perfect background music for meditation, prayer, reading and other tasks, as well as a good CD that doesn't disturb people at work.

This is not intended to be organised as a church service or a concert performance per se, but rather, as the co-producer Carol Rosenberger states, 'this album is meant to recreate an experience many of us have treasured: slipping inside the doors of a cathedral and finding oneself alone in a vast, quiet space with light streaming through stained glass windows. The organist begins to play gentle music, and one is lost in contemplation...'

As a churchy person, I've often had the experience of working or sitting in an empty church while the organists or their students practiced. This recording in many ways reminds me of that experience. Of course, our organ is a far cry from the pipe organ in Atlanta's Cathedral of St. Philip, with over 5000 pipes (and our church does not have a 5-second delay reverberation, either), 4 manuals and 96 ranks. This Aeolian-Skinner organ is a genuinely stunning instrument, but as with any instrument, it takes the right performer to bring out the fullness of the sound from it.

Todd Wilson is just such a performer. His playing is solid and well-suited for this task, with occasional flashes of brilliance. Mozart's 'Adagio', Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Many's Desiring', and Barber's 'Adadio for Strings' (here arranged for the organ) are truly wonderful pieces. The programme here is a diverse collection of pieces from Baroque, Renaissance, and later pieces, including folk tunes and a few modern compositions. Todd Wilson is a church organist and music director at Church of the Covenant in Cleveland, Ohio (a city with not insignificant music resources and life), and is also head of the Organ Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has had an international performance and recording career.

I applaud the decision to make this a double-disc set - the producer writes that there was just too much good music to limit the selection. Thus, there is a method to the organisation, given the availability of two discs. The first disc has more simple pieces, easily recognisable melodies and well-known hymn/sacred pieces. The second disc has a bit more complexity of music.

There is a booklet that is particularly designed for young people, so that they may become more familiar with the organ as an instrument, and this type of music.

This is a truly wonderful recording.

One of the best sets of organ works.......2005-02-20

This is a superb set of organ works. Strongly recommended.

Mystic!.......2003-12-28

The Æolian-Skinner organ in St.Philip's Cathedral, Atlanta is the finest example on Earth of eclectic organ...and the last- really-marvellous instrument erected by this firm. Flutes and Erzählers speak directly from Heaven...and the organ, despite electric, seems to have tracker action! Listen to Bach's BWV 731 and 648: they sound like played on a Silbermann instrument!
Todd Wilson is a delicate musician, a poet of the organ and a genius in the choice of the stops.
Buy also the other recordings of this Æolian-Skinner by Robert Delcamp (Naxos) and Alan Morrison (Gothic)...and don't forget that Michael Murray recorded in St.Philip's Cathedral for Telarc the finest rendition of Poulenc's "Concerto in sol minore per organo, archi e timpani" under the direction of the late Robert Shaw.

By All Means Get This CD.......2003-09-06

I found this wonderfully relaxing CD above and beyond my expectations. Do you enjoy organ music, then listen and explore the sacred music of J.S. Bach. This music will relax you: keep your muscles relaxed as you work on a time deadline for a large project, or doing some casual items around the house.

To be fair..........2003-04-04

The hiss that one reviewer refers to is undoubtedly the organ's wind supply. The wind can be heard on most organ recordings.

Music Review: