Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Christmas Traditional (Composer), Richard Storrs Willis (Composer), Spoken Word (Composer), Virgil Fox (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Virgil Fox
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Christmas Traditional, Richard Storrs Willis, Spoken Word
• Audio CD (September 16, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003G9V
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,072 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #35 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Variations > Passacaglias
  • #74 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Passions

Track Listings

1. Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall: Spoken introduction to BWV 680

2. Wir glauben all an einen Gott (I), chorale prelude for organ, BWV 680 (BC K12)

3. Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall: Spoken introduction to BWV 734

4. Nun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein (I), chorale prelude for organ, BWV 734 (BC K125)

5. St. Matthew Passion (Matthäuspassion), for soloists, double chorus & double orchestra, BWV 244 (BC D3b): Finale

6. Prelude and Fugue, for organ in A minor 'The Great,' BWV 543 (BC J42): Prelude

7. Prelude and Fugue, for organ in A minor 'The Great,' BWV 543 (BC J42): Fugue

8. Toccata and Fugue, for organ in D minor, BWV 565 (BC J37): Toccata

9. Toccata and Fugue, for organ in D minor, BWV 565 (BC J37): Fugue

10. Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall: Spoken introduction to BWV 582

11. Passacaglia and Fugue, for organ in C minor, BWV 582 (BC J79): Passacaglia

12. Passacaglia and Fugue, for organ in C minor, BWV 582 (BC J79): Fugue

13. Fugue for organ in G major, BWV 577 (BC J61)

14. Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall: Spoken introduction to "The First Nowell" & "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"

15. The First Nowell (English)

16. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, stunning technique and delivery. A hair-raiser!, December 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

Virgil Fox was ahead of his contemporaries in bringing Bach and the power of the organ to the masses, a fresh departure from the classical academician's rigid structure and expectations on the audience; the familiar insular approach to performance. Mr. Fox played Bach the way it was meant to be played-- with grace, power and stunning technique, with emotional delivery and thunder. Taking to the road and the roaring rock-concert circuit with a specially equipped touring organ was a natural outgrowth of his desire to share his passion for this grand music. None before or after him has trod such an intrepid path. The legendary Heavy Organ of Virgil Fox is well worth the listen-- set out some candles, dim the lights and turn up the volume. This one's a hair-raiser!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legendary Organist gives Legendary live performance, January 13, 2000

By 

Bob Makarowski - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

Want to hear a performer really communicate with his audience? This is the CD for you. A diverse and impinging introduction to the music of J.S. Bach, as well as Virgil's musical stylings, make this CD a must-have for anyone interested in classical organ, Bach, or how to give a successful live performance of classical music. Although the crowd's boistreous enthusiasm occasionally interrupts the flow of the show, there isn't a single bad cut on the entire album.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Historical Snapshot, June 3, 2005

By 

Stuart W. Hall (Northwest, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall (Audio CD)

This CD is significant in that it is so far the only Heavy Organ performance to make it to CD. Virgil Fox's Heavy Organ tour did a lot to popularize classical organ music and bring it to a wider audience. Although the Rodgers "Black Beauty" touring organ sounds a bit dated by the standards of today's digital instruments, it was state of the art for analog organs in its day. So the sound might not knock your socks off, but this is as close as you'll get to imagining what it must have been like to see Fox live at the peak of his popularity.