Marakanetz is correct in that no recording I've heard will be able to approach the power of the instrument in real life. The best commercial recordings I've heard of organs are the old Mercury recording of Dupre in St. Thomas Church playing the Widor Symphony No. 6 1st movement (available on CD and very expensive vinyl, but the vinyl has the audiophile benefit of the sound of a truck driving down 5th Avenue at the end of the piece which they cut off on the CD!), the Dorian recordings of Gillou playing Pictures at an Exhibition, an audiophile classic (some will question his performance, however, as he is a bit different in his interpretations), and playing the Jongen Symphonie Concertante at the Meyerson Hall, the Reference Recordings "Pomp and Pipes" from that hall, most any Delos recording of an organ, particularly their recording of David Higgs on the Meyerson Hall instrument (John Eargle is terrific at recording organs, but watch out, some of the earlier Delos discs are preemphasized, which can give a bright sound), and, as a series, the Priory recordings of great European organs is quite well-done. And the bis SACD Prieres Sans Paroles, a recording of modern, read atonal, pieces for pipe organ and trumpet in a huge cathedral space, is the best recording of an organ in a large acoustic I've ever heard, in large part due to being an SACD (it just gets ambience and decay better, more naturally, than CD). Michael Alan Fox of TAS always has good recommendations, you should check back issues of TAS for them. For full bore, large scale romantic organ works, look for pieces by composers such as Widor, Vierne and Guillmant. On a less bombastic note, the Hyperion recording of Christopher Herrick playing the Bach Trio Sonatas is an excellent performance and recording of a smaller organ in a very reverberant church, and is some of Bach's finest writing, IMHO. A disc I'm always returning to for the fun of it. Herrick's Bach cycle on Hyperion is very well-done, though not as bombastic on all the works as some might want.
Organ..
I'm looking for suggestions on the biggest and baddest pipe organ pieces ever written, as well as specific audiophile recordings of these pieces. Suggestions for both CD and vinyl sources would be appreciated. I'm looking for MASSIVE dynamic range, and EXCRUCIATING detail. I want an organasm...
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- 7 posts total
- 7 posts total