# Organ recommendations please!



## Sanctus493

Hi there, not sure if this is in the right place... A friend of mine recently lent me a box set of Messiaen's complete organ works, as played by Olivier Latry. It's absolutely bloody brilliant, as I'm sure many of you will agree. Anyway, I'm interested in delving further into the world of organ music, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend me some good recordings? I also love the organ works of Bach, if that helps.


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## Krummhorn

Hi Sanctus493,

I have the "Jade" version of Messiaen's complete works - recorded on the very organ which he played in 1995. Yes, I can really get into Messiaen ... superb stuff by far. 

The organ literature of Mendelssohn is something you may be interested in. I have a 2 CD set of John Scott playing at St. Paul's in London (Hyperion CDA66491/2)

Cesar Franck is also worth a listen ... I have Piet Kee playing at the Basilica de Santa Maria, Spain (Chandos 8891) ... and ... Anthony Newman on the Rieger Organ at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City (Newport NCD 60060). 

I'll add more in the next couple days ... 

BTW, I moved this thread into the Keyboard Instruments forum area


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## Isola

I'd recommend highly: 
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fugue-Ann...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1207136053&sr=8-2


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## Sanctus493

Thanks Krummhorn and Isola.



Isola said:


> I'd recommend highly:
> http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fugue-Anni...7136053&sr=8-2


 I didn't know Glenn Gould had done any organ stuff! Thanks!


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## BuddhaBandit

Ralph Vaughn Williams wrote some oft-overlooked but fairly good organ compositions- especially check out the Two Preludes.


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## Isola

Sanctus493 said:


> Thanks Krummhorn and Isola.
> 
> I didn't know Glenn Gould had done any organ stuff! Thanks!


Welcome! The recording is partially organ and partially piano. To use your word in the 1st post: "It's absolutely bloody brilliant!"

A piece on YouTube: 





Glenn Gould talks about Art of Fugue:


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## Sanctus493

Thanks for the vids, great stuff! I was talking to a friend of mine who's a bit of a classical fiend (the same friend who lent me the Messiaen box set), and he has the exact CD you mentioned above, so he's gonna do me a copy!


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## opus67

Somewhat unrelated, so please accept my apologies, but as of today I have completely fallen for _The Art of Fugue_. As with any other work, I wish I could understand the technical aspects of it, but sadly I'll have to stick to superficial, aural pleasure, for now. I had actually downloaded a couple of vidoes from YouTube, including the second one mentioned by Isola. And the string quartet version (Emerson) is equally wonderful.


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## Methodistgirl

I would suggest because I like his music Fredrik Magle. I hope I spelled that
right. He would probably get me for it.
judy tooley


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## Krummhorn

opus67 said:


> Somewhat unrelated, so please accept my apologies, but as of today I have completely fallen for _The Art of Fugue_. As with any other work, I wish I could understand the technical aspects of it, but sadly I'll have to stick to superficial, aural pleasure, for now. I had actually downloaded a couple of vidoes from YouTube, including the second one mentioned by Isola. And the string quartet version (Emerson) is equally wonderful.


Hi opus67,

Certainly agree with you about _Die Kunst der Fuge_ ... I have the recordings of Helmut Walcha playing those ... all LP's (in mint condition) on the DGG Label. Had them for about 30 years and refuse to part with them.


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## Sanctus493

I finally got The Art Of Fugue off my mate, it's amazing! It's great to have the contrast between the organ and the piano bits.


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## rborganist

See if you can find "The Golden Age of the Organ." It is a two disc set of North German and Dutch organs which were already around when Bach was playing. E. Power Biggs plays music of Bach, Sweelinck, and many other composers. Krummhorn recommended Franck, and I wholeheartedly agree; there are also some recording made on Franck's organ at Ste. Clothilde in Paris, the organ for which much of his music was composed. (The Piece Heroique was composed for the organ at the Palais de Trocadero). The Trocadero no longer exists, but the organ does; it was moved into the Auditorium Maurice Ravel, and it is a massive instrument. Franck wrote gorgeous melodies and also made good use of counterpoint. Brahms also wrote eleven chorale preludes and four preludes and fugues for organ; unfortunately, towards the end of his life, he destroyed much music which he felt was not up to his best standards, so he may have written more than that, but the fifteen pieces which survive are indeed top drawer Brahms, not to mention top drawer organ music. Liszt also wrote some organ music, and Schumann wrote some pieces for organ or pedal piano; see if you can find those as well. I would also second Krummhorn's recommendation of the Vaughan Williams organ music; my favorite is the prelude on Rhosymedre. And don't forget to listen to Pipe Dreams, which is devoted entirely to organ music; if your local station doesn't carry it, you can probably get it on your computer, and it will sample every style of music and of organ building.


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## Bas

I don't know if you already own organ works by Handel, but I'll recommend the following discs to you:

Lorenzo Ghielmi Organ Concerto's (including the famous Nightingale concerto):









And this disc, featuring Handels opus IV organ concertos:









Both are published on the Passacaille label and have an astonishing sound quality that really captures the majestic instrument the organ is - often a reason why I dislike organ recordings: the sound of the recording must be excellent to capture the essence of the instrument. I often say: an organ is more then the instrument itself, it is in fact the instrument and the room it is in. This recordings are really great.


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## Guest

Bas said:


> I don't know if you already own organ works by Handel, but I'll recommend the following discs to you:
> 
> Lorenzo Ghielmi Organ Concerto's (including the famous Nightingale concerto):
> 
> View attachment 21617
> 
> 
> And this disc, featuring Handels opus IV organ concertos:
> 
> View attachment 21618
> 
> 
> Both are published on the Passacaille label and have an astonishing sound quality that really captures the majestic instrument the organ is - often a reason why I dislike organ recordings: the sound of the recording must be excellent to capture the essence of the instrument. I often say: an organ is more then the instrument itself, it is in fact the instrument and the room it is in. This recordings are really great.


Handel's organ concertos are very nice - I have been listening to recordings of Op. 4 and Op. 7 by Richard Egarr on Harmonia Mundi. But it is quite a different experience from, say, Bach. These were not written, nor indeed initially performed, on a large organ. These were written as show fillers for his oratorios, as a means to draw in a larger audience. He, personally, would perform on the organ to draw in listeners who might not necessarily have come and paid for the performance otherwise. Not to say there is anything wrong with them, but it is much different than, say, listening to something by Bach or Buxtehude. The organ does not have as much "presence."


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## millionrainbows

Sanctus493 said:


> Hi there, not sure if this is in the right place... A friend of mine recently lent me a box set of Messiaen's complete organ works, as played by Olivier Latry. It's absolutely bloody brilliant, as I'm sure many of you will agree. Anyway, I'm interested in delving further into the world of organ music, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend me some good recordings? I also love the organ works of Bach, if that helps.


Virgil Fox, the Legacy Series...Anthony Newman, too. Bach: 24 Preludes & Fugues on Vox.


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## millionrainbows

Whew! Magnificent! I wish I could find this on DVD!


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