Review by gonzostick November 11, 2009 (5 of 8 found this review helpful)
|
|
DO NOT MISS!!! This is arguably the best recording of a huge pipe organ with a symphony orchestra. Yes, it is inside the acoustics of Liverpool Cathedral, but if your surround balances are set properly and you have full-range monitors all around (with LOTS of power), this disc will move the air around in your home. Also, it will replace the acoustics in your listening room with those of Liverpool Cathedral.
While the music cannot be called top-drawer (with the exception of the Dupré piece which is one of the loveliest things he ever composed), the performances certainly are. The best thing is that most of these works are very charming and powerful "pieces d'occasion" designed to make the hair stand up on the back of the necks of listeners in a huge space with a powerful organ and the added orchestra; all written for special celebratory events.
Berlioz used to say that the orchestra was the "the king of instruments" and the organ was "the pope." When combining the two, the organ usually comes out the dominant force simply because it is capable, with a serious pedal division, of moving huge amounts of air, which a symphony orchestra, for all of its brilliance, cannot ever do (except when there is a madman playing the bass drum).
The disc contains the best recording ever done of Marcel Dupre's Cortege et Litanie. It was written for a premiere with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Stokowski at the Wanamaker Organ at the Lord and Taylor Store in Philadelphia. This cut is worth the price of the disc, alone. I have loved this lovely miniature ever since I first learned to play it, decades ago.
Sometimes, there are SACD's that sound good when one is in the room with them, but this one is quite special, as it just drifts about the house in a very lovely manner. You will not be sorry you invested in this sonic spectacular. Do bolt down any small objects as this disc will make lots of loose things buzz in your home.
DO NOT MISS!!!
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|