Customer Reviews

Organ Spectacular

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hurford delivers an exciting compilation of these high-powered organ favorites. For people who love the organ for its ability to rattle the fillings in your teeth, this album is a must! If you are looking for soft, mellow, soothing music, well...you're going to have your fillings rattled. His rendition of Widor's allegro from the sixth symphony is the best piece on the album, but I found the tocotta from the fifth to be rather bland. The Boellmann suite gothique (why I bought the album) is also great. Overall, money well spent

"Organ Spectacular" is truly spectacular. Peter Hurford has combined the finest organ pieces along with absolutely superb playing. All of the pieces are as if the composer himself is playing them. This recording is very rewarding and worth every penny.

On this particular album, organist peter hurford shows off what the organ can do with a pair of nimble hands (and feet). The recording herein contains all of the more familiar "pops" pieces(i.e., you would expect to hear one of these pieces played on nearly every organ recital), and also a rarity or two. The reason I initially purchased this recording was because of the complete Suite Gothique (the only recording available?). Besides the famous toccata, this suite contains some wonderful momemts, such as the sirene priere to the jolly yet sometimes macabre-sounding minuet gothique. The Widor Allegro from Symphonie VI is OK (I still recommend David M. Patrick's album over all others) and the mendelssohn is a nice finishing touch (use this to show off your stereo!) All in all, another well done recording by the scholarly virtuoso Hurford, pleasingly light yet sonically thrilling.

Hurford is clearly a very capable technical organist. His nimble feet and fingers do an excellent job with fast passages. Musically, however, most of the pieces felt uninspired and I was a bit disappointed.