# Contemporary organ music recommendations?



## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

I love organ music, but all my organ records are either Baroque or 19th/20th century French school, like Vierne or Messiaen. Does anyone know of interesting organ composers from the recent decades, say 1950-2000s? I've tried looking on Youtube but got very tired after an hour of watered down impressions of Bach, Alain, and others.

Also, I'm aware of pieces by Xenakis, Cage, Stockhausen, Ligeti, et al, I'm looking specifically for composers who wrote a lot for the instrument.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Are you familiar with Poulenc's Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings in G minor? A very fine piece!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

This composer died in 1946, stunning playing.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/MDG/MDG3171591


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## Phillip21 (Apr 4, 2017)

How about Naji Hakim, who has written some really exciting organ music: http://https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjIn-bEnJPTAhWlF8AKHaPuAy4QFggwMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.najihakim.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNGhpNjQreZp4XiGmeW9YTUYKOH4OQ&sig2=2BuSMZGDoAXnyZeSdowllg


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

Charles Tournemire (1870-1939) wrote some nice modernist-sounding organ music. Check out his _L'Orgue Mystique_, a massive collection of offices for every Sunday of the year! This amounts to over 15 hours of solid music and is IMO the composer's biggest accomplishment.

Not modern but also not baroque is Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901), an organist himself who contributed hugely to the repertoire with his 20 organ sonatas. He had projected a cycle of 24 sonatas in every key, but died soon after completion of the twentieth. Other than this are the two organ concertos (the second is linked below).

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Also, Jongen's _Symphonie concertante_ is a masterpiece:
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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I like this piece by Carl Rütti. It is in four movements, each of which is separately presented on YouTube. I discovered it through a recommendation by another TC member.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Phillip21 said:


> How about Naji Hakim, who has written some really exciting organ music: http://https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjIn-bEnJPTAhWlF8AKHaPuAy4QFggwMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.najihakim.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNGhpNjQreZp4XiGmeW9YTUYKOH4OQ&sig2=2BuSMZGDoAXnyZeSdowllg


Could you please post that link again please, not working.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Petr Eben (1929-2007): Hyperion released 5 volumes of Eben's organ music. Impressive modern organ works that take the listener to another world.

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/c.asp?c=C1122


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Myriadi said:


> I love organ music, but all my organ records are either Baroque or 19th/20th century French school, like Vierne or Messiaen. Does anyone know of interesting organ composers from the recent decades, say 1950-2000s? I've tried looking on Youtube but got very tired after an hour of watered down impressions of Bach, Alain, and others.
> 
> Also, I'm aware of pieces by Xenakis, Cage, Stockhausen, Ligeti, et al, I'm looking specifically for composers who wrote a lot for the instrument.


Maurizio Kagel

......


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Another recommendation for Petr Eben. As for Tournemire, Messiaen thought highly of his organ works.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Phillip21 said:


> How about Naji Hakim, who has written some really exciting organ music: http://https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjIn-bEnJPTAhWlF8AKHaPuAy4QFggwMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.najihakim.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNGhpNjQreZp4XiGmeW9YTUYKOH4OQ&sig2=2BuSMZGDoAXnyZeSdowllg





Pugg said:


> Could you please post that link again please, not working.


 Why not just put up https://www.najihakim.com/ rather than all that link? Oh and don't forget our patron - http://www.magle.dk/composer-bio.html :tiphat:


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

Portamento said:


> Charles Tournemire (1870-1939) wrote some nice modernist-sounding organ music. Check out his _L'Orgue Mystique_, a massive collection of offices for every Sunday of the year! This amounts to over 15 hours of solid music and is IMO the composer's biggest accomplishment.


Thanks - I know Tournemire and Rheinberger, and enjoy both a great deal, Tournemire in particular.


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

tortkis said:


> Petr Eben (1929-2007): Hyperion released 5 volumes of Eben's organ music. Impressive modern organ works that take the listener to another world.
> 
> http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/c.asp?c=C1122


Wow, this seems to be exactly what I was looking for. Listened to a few pieces on Youtube and it's both original and good. Going to get some CDs now, thanks!


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

Phillip21 said:


> How about Naji Hakim, who has written some really exciting organ music: http://https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjIn-bEnJPTAhWlF8AKHaPuAy4QFggwMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.najihakim.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNGhpNjQreZp4XiGmeW9YTUYKOH4OQ&sig2=2BuSMZGDoAXnyZeSdowllg


Thank you - I've heard of him but never heard any of his music. Stuff on Youtube seems a little too bombastic for my taste, but maybe that's the poor selection there, I'll try to check out more of his work. Also, welcome to the forum!


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

Strange Magic said:


> I like this piece by Carl Rütti. It is in four movements, each of which is separately presented on YouTube. I discovered it through a recommendation by another TC member.


"This video is not available."


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

Mandryka said:


> Maurizio Kagel
> 
> ......


I thought he only wrote that Fantasia piece and maybe some early work or something. Was there much more?


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

There's a CD dedicated to him from Gerd Zacher, I'm not sure when he wrote it. There's also a piece called Improvisation Ajoutée from the 1960s which Zacher plays on a different CD on Wergo.

It's really hard to find interesting recent organ music!


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Check out Joseph Jongen (1873-1953), first and foremost his Symphonie concertante for organ and orchestra, but also his solo organ works.


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

Art Rock said:


> Check out Joseph Jongen (1873-1953), first and foremost his Symphonie concertante for organ and orchestra, but also his solo organ works.


I know Jongen's work, but I'm looking for something a bit more recent. Thanks anyway!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Myriadi, the Rütti piece on YouTube works for me here in the USA.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Definitely try *Kalevi Aho*:
Symphony for organ, Three interludes (Jan Lehtola, BIS)
Ludus solemnis - organ works (Jan Lehtola, BIS)

Maybe these would be of interest:
Jennifer Bate - Reflections (Guild CD)
Peter Dickinson - Organ concerto (Albany)
John Buckley - Organ concerto (MP)


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

Art Rock said:


> Definitely try *Kalevi Aho*:
> Symphony for organ, Three interludes (Jan Lehtola, BIS)
> Ludus solemnis - organ works (Jan Lehtola, BIS)
> 
> ...


Thanks - I've already made up my mind to go for Eben first, and I think Aho will be my next choice. I enjoyed almost all of the Jennifer Bate recordings I have - but she usually plays other people's music? I had no idea she was also a composer. Very interesting.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

The piece called Improvisation Ajoutée is very good in a Stockhausen cross Messiaen (Livre D'Orgue) sort of way, I've been playing it all day. Kagel ,that is.


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## Chatellerault (Apr 4, 2017)

Ligeti is almost essential organ repertoire nowadays.

For more underground stuff I'd check the organ works of Philip Glass and Terry Riley, the latter especially if you're ok with electric organ, tape loops and other experimental stuff. (he's got a couple of works for pipe organ too)


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## malvinrisan (Feb 17, 2017)

Maybe try Sorabji's Organ symphonies.


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## Chatellerault (Apr 4, 2017)

Oh and I forgot the organists-composers.
Naji Hakim (born 1955) has succeeded Messiaen at La Trinité church in Paris. I suppose he shares some qualities with his predecessor but I haven't heard him enough yet.

Jean Guillou (born 1930) is more experimental. Among the albums where he played/composed, one was released in the 1960s Philips "Prospective 21ème Siècle" (21th Century Prospective) which featured musique concrète and electroacoustic composers. All the albums are clad in futuristic-looking metallic gloss sleeves with abstract patterns.









Can you imagine a major label like DG or Decca releasing something like that nowadays?


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

*Ferrari* : _Le Maraviglie d'Arcimboldo_ (2017)






Carotta Ferrari (*1975) : Le Maraviglie d'Arcimboldo ("The Wonders of Arcimboldo") (2017) - Carson Cooman, organ

1. [00 :08] L'Ortolano (The Vegetable Gardener) (1587-1590) - Museo Civico ala Ponzone, Cremone (Italy)
2. [02 :25] Il Fuoco (Fire) (1566) - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (Austria)
3. [04 :39] Flora (c.1591)
4. [06 :51] Erode (Herod) (1566) - Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck (Austria)
5. [08 :41] L'Albero della vita di Cristo (1556-1559) - Duomo di Monza (Italy)


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