Recommended Organ Recordings

jtawney

My daughter is beginning organ lessons, and we would like to procure some good organ recordings. While I am versed in much of classical music, I am tragically uninformed about organ music in all aspects: the variations in the particular organ used, the pieces themselves, performer, renowned recordings, and in many cases the "famous" pieces (though I do know a few). I don't know if folks have any expertise in this, but I am looking to get some recordings of well known pieces, but I know the importance of obtaining quality performances. I also sense that the choice or organ has much to do with these recordings. If this is something you know about, can you recommend three or four cd's? If not, do you know of anyone who might?

I have a penchant for Bach (who doesn't?), but I want a variety.

Sincerely,

Jake Tawney

Randolph Nichols

You'll probably get as many recommendations as there are organists, but an indispensable resource is the on-line catalogue of the Organ Historical Society.

kevinf

The subject of organ recordings is much like any other instrument. Everyone has their favorites. For me, the recordings of Bach by Michel Chapuis are wonderful as well as recordings by Peter Hurfurd. For the works of Cesar Franck I really like Marie-Claire Alain at St. Francois de Sales in Lyon, though I also like the early recordings of Jean Langlais. I also like Douglas Cleveland's recordings of the Vierne organ symphonies.
And anything recorded by David Craighead will be worthy of listening.

WiesOrganista

There are lots of very nice recordings available on Amazon. I prefer recordings on "original" instruments such as St. Sulpice, Woolsey Hall, etc. My favorite set is an EMI set recorded in about 1930 with all the "masters" playing their instruments. There's nothing quite like Bach on a big symphonic instrument. There is much to be learned (good and bad) about registration by listening to recordings. I also suggest any of Dupre's recordings, as he was a master of registration.

CharlesW

I know this will shock you, but Bach and the Lutheran composers are not my favorites. I can grudgingly play Bach, and sometimes do, although I don't like the North German style organs. I prefer French and English organs, recordings of those instruments, and the literature written for them. Marie-Claire Alain, and Daniel Roth are two of my favorite performers. It is amazing the number of organ recordings available for free on You Tube. When you have some free time, start browsing around there.

WiesOrganista

The JAV label has a lot of good quality organ recordings. Their re-creation on the Vierne Messe Sollenelle at St. Sulpice with Daniel Roth is my favorite recording of all time, and the organ never sounded better.

Oh, plus you get to hear the bells pealing.

jtawney

What about specific pieces? Are there "standards" that people should own when starting a collection? As an avid fan of classical music, I know I could rattle off 10-20 compositions that someone "should" own is starting a classical music collection. But when it comes to the organ, I am tragically uninformed.

Gavin

Just get everything by everyone! She'll make her own decision as to what she likes.

Protasius

Among the most famous pieces are

Bach: Fantasy in G major, Toccata in d minor, Prelude and Fugue in E flat major; lesser known the Dorian Toccata and Fugue, the Little and Great Fugue in g minor.

Widor: Toccata from the fifth symphony.

marajoy

Dead, white, French guys!
Tournemire, Langlais, Jehan Alain. Now THERE is Catholic organ music! (And of course Messiaen and Franck, although after having taken an entire graduate course on Messiaen, I still have not learned to appreciate him...)

Gavin

Just avoid the French organists when they play Bach!!

Adam Wood

Sidenote, please make sure she learns to accompany hymns like a happy cathedral Anglican, and not like a sad provincial Presbyterian.

BruceL

You might consider buying a subscription to Naxos Music Library. It is something like $15-20 a month, and you have full access to the whole Naxos catalog and some others they own. The artists are not always "famous", but the performances are usually of a very high quality. You'll be able to find all sorts of random pieces, and they have a smartphone app, too, so you can listen on the go.

kevinf

"Just avoid the French organists when they play Bach!".

Wow Gavin. Talk about bad stereotypes.

Adam Wood

THAT'S the stereotype you notice?

ny_ct_fl_ms_organist

I would start with the public radio show "Pipe Dreams". You can access an archive of every 2 hour show online here: http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/ . Happy listening!

ny_ct_fl_ms_organist

R J Stove

Pipedreams is worth any organ buff's time.

Naxos organ recordings are consistently above average in my experience - both in playing and in quality of sound - and often have much more comprehensive booklet notes, stop-lists, etc., than many costlier alternatives. In particular, you can't go wrong with Joseph Payne's Naxos discs.

Any record made by Gillian Weir will be at the very least technically formidable, well-registered, and sensible in its choices of speed. At the risk of outraging plenty of early-music buffs, I find Piet Kee's and Ton Koopman's CDs of baroque composers to be contrived, shallow, and often enough simply too fast.

Don't overlook older organists either. Quite a few of Marcel Dupré's and André Marchal's 1950s-1960s LPs have been remastered on CD to very good effect. Dupré's approaches to Bach and Franck are now unfashionable, but should never be ignored.

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