Thomas Heywood's Grand Organ Gala!
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CD Details
Composer: Alfred HollinsComposer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Composer: William Thomas Best
Composer: Johannes Brahms
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Composer: Alexandre Guilmant
Composer: Thomas Heywood
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Composer: John [04] Stafford Smith
Performer: Thomas Heywood
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2003-09-23
Music Label: Pro Organo
Soundtracks:
- Concert Overture for organ in C major
- Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major ('Eine kleine Nachtmusik'), K. 525: 1. [Allegro]
- Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major ('Eine kleine Nachtmusik'), K. 525: 2. Romanze [Andante]
- Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major ('Eine kleine Nachtmusik'), K. 525: 3. Menuetto and Trio [Allegretto]
- Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major ('Eine kleine Nachtmusik'), K. 525: 4. Rondo [Allegro]
- Concert Fantasia on an Old Welsh March for organ
- Hungarian Dance for piano, 4 hands, in G minor, WoO 1/1
- Fantasia and Fugue, for organ in G minor ('Great'), BWV 542 (BC J42, 57, 67): Fantasia
- Fantasia and Fugue, for organ in G minor ('Great'), BWV 542 (BC J42, 57, 67): Fugue
- Caprice for organ in B flat major, Op. 20/3
- Humoresque for a Pedal Trombone, for organ, Op. 28
- Hungarian Dance for piano, 4 hands, in G minor, WoO 1/5
- Egmont, incidental music, Op. 84: Overture
- The Star-Spangled Banner (National Anthem, USA), for orchestra & voice/chorus, ad lib
Music reviews of Thomas Heywood's Grand Organ Gala!
Music Review: Grand and Gala Indeed!
Rating: 5 Stars
This digitally recorded CD lives up to its "grand" and "gala" claims in several ways: quantity (77+ minutes of music), quality (fine organ, organist, and music), variety (Bach to Heywood), style and character (showpieces, national anthem)--perhaps also distance traveled for the organist to get to the organ (Melbourne to Buffalo).
The St. Joseph's Cathedral organ in Buffalo, New York, began life as a Hook & Hastings (Boston) instrument built for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, where it won the Judges' Award for highest rank in its class. Subsequently modified, restored, renewed, and augmented, it is today a magnificent testimonial to the Hook organ-building philosophy, thanks to the 1999-2001 complete overhaul by the Andover Organ Company (Lawrence, MA). It now boasts six divisions (Great, Swell, Choir, Solo, Celestial, Pedal), 91 ranks, 87 stops, and 5175 pipes. Its sound in the reverberant cathedral setting is smooth, rich, sweet, symphonic, and as powerful as one could wish.
Thomas Heywood, the Australian organist only 28 years old at the time of the recording (9/2002), shows no noticeable handicaps of experience or maturity. Indeed, from a very early start (age 4) he has crammed his life with musical activiries centered on the organ to such an extent that today he enjoys a fine and widespread reputation, not only as organist, but also as transcriber of significant orchestral works for the instrument. In particular he has taken on the task of arranging all nine of the Beethoven symphonies for organ (of which two are already available). He has composed original pieces as well, one of which is included here. His recordings are several, and the list seems to be growing at a good pace.
The current recording is a very enjoyable and suitably impressive concert of works nearly all of which are monuments of the music literature, well known and loved for years. Of the works written originally for organ, the Hollins Overture, the Best Fantasia, the Bach Fantasia & Fugue, and the Guilmant Caprice are icons of the organ repertoire. Less well established, but still lively and entertaining is Heywood's own Humoresque. Among the transcriptions, Lemare's Hungarian Dances have been played and enjoyed for decades. The Heywood transcriptions, however, are too young to enjoy such veneration. The Mozart serenade, the Beethoven overture, and the Star Spangled Banner all display skill and artistry which betoken a bright future for their positions in the literature and the performance hall.
Of all the pieces here, those which come off best, I think, are the Hollins "Concert Overture," the Best "Concert Fantasia on a Welsh March," the Bach "Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor," the Guilmant "Caprice in B-Flat Major," the Beethoven "Egmont Overture," and the Smith-Heywood "Star Spangled Banner." Somewhat less effective are the Mozart "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik," the Brahms "Hungarian Dances," and the Heywood "Humoresque." The problem in the last cases is not the notes, organ, or organist, all of which are fine, but the acoustic environment. The cathedral's substantial reverberation, often regarded as a plus for organ music, works against the pieces, where clarity is absolutely essential. The Mozart was written for a more intimate setting where all parts and details are sensed in "high definition." The Brahms dances, too, require more clarity in the faster moving sections. Heywood's own humoresque depends for much of its impact on the shenanigans of the pedal trombone stop, many of which are blurred by too much reverberation, which is especially pronounced for the lower pitches.
To sum up the recording, we have to acknowledge its excellence and importance as a contribution to the recording literature of the organ, The beauty of the instrument, the skill and artistry of the performer, and the inherent worthiness of the music seem beyond question. Overall, the listening experience is quite delightful, and even though we may quibble with a few details here and there, we can hardly deny the full five stars to this fine disk!
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