Customer Reviews

Premiere

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

 

 

This is one of the CD's of organ transcriptions in which the arrangements are as good as the originals (of not better). It's like a realized "what if" the composer wrote these pieces for the organ and found somebody good enough the play them like an orchestra. Indeed the artist, Josh Perschbacher, is presenting himself here as a definitive musician. His musical interpretations are solid, and is use of tone painting with the organ is one of the most stunning things I've heard.

The organ used here seems like a very capable instrument. It sounds as if to be 100+ ranks in a lively acoustical space. The lower registers of the organ are very rich and at the appropriate times the reeds have a definite roaring quality, like a lion behind the pipes. The sound from the upper registers have a distinctive bite to sound; pleasingly right of center between bland and harsh.

There are many CD's of organ transcriptions available on amazon.com. This `Premiere' CD lives up to its name, and puts all others to shame. The product description above identifies this CD as a "thunderous, pulling out all the stops epic." This is a understatement. It's much much more.

What a CD! Every track is wonderful, but my fav is the Imperial March. Why wasn't it written for organ in the first place?

Some previous reviews indicated this was a poor recording with lots of "short static sounds" and "background noise".

I listened through my high end audio system, and to double check, I carefully reviewed the CD "direct/flat" using professional headphones. I heard only two clicks. The first, before the first selection starts, sounds like a transient when the record switch is pressed. The second was a small barely audible click during a quiet passage.

Background noise is common in large live buildings. Turning up Bass/Treble controls will amplify noise, especially the low rumble of the organ blowers. That's what I hear when I turn up the bass. I guess some prefer electronic organs. (their blowers are much quieter you know!) Disregard these complaints. This is a fine recording unless you mess it up with your tone controls.

There are two reasons this CD belongs in any organ audiophiles collection:

First, the Cornel Zimmer Organ is outstanding! At times, it has all the characteristics of a "Bright Baby Wanamaker". Especially the solo and chorus reeds. We rarely hear organs this good from today's builders.

Second, is the opportunity to hear complete "as written" orchestral works "Midi'fied" to use the full resources of all stops, manuals, and pedal that would be impossible with just one, or even two, organists.

The only selection I found wanting was the 1812 Overture. The finale was too muddy, and sounded like the Midi player was having a heart attack and couldn't keep up. Surprisingly, the organ chimes were not used in the grand finale. (A set of tower chimes and a cannon fired from the far end of the church would have helped)

The CD cover might imply that Mr. Perschbacher is the musician who performed these pieces. Not so. They were compiled from the orchestral score by him using computer music writing software, registered for the organ, and played via Midi. That takes a lot of work, and for this effort he deserves full credit and praise. The CD notes stating that he performed on the Wanamaker Organ is not germane to this recording. Indeed, many have been invited to play at one of three daily performances during store hours. One organist I knew bragged for years that he had played the Wanamaker Organ. He was a terrible organist. I played better using the cord method. Just so you know, I once performed on the 146 rank Longwood Gardens Organ.

Well,...... I say performed,....... actually, I played some cords and held keys so Bob Goodchild the curator, could fix a few out of tune pipes.

This artistry here is very good. The record quality is very poor. There is a lot of background noise that is very distracting. 4 stars for the artistry.

Josh Perschbacher is a truly gifted musician for being able to do what he does with the organ. I find it incredibly ironic that the organ being one of the oldest (and in some ways arcane) of instruments is finding new life now being one of the most technologically advanced, and Mr. Perschbacher is taking full advantage of it by playing music that is literally impossible to play under conventional means, and doing it with style and flair!

There are a few audio artifacts here and there and the room appeared to be a little noisy, but this is a very minor issue for me.

In all, a great CD and I think a tremendous step forward for the organ.

The selections presented here are wonderful. But this CD has sonic issues. At the beginning of the CD before the music begins, there is a short static sound. Although unusual, I don't consider that a big deal, but sporadically throughout the entire CD there is static. Most notably during track 3 `Sorcerer's Apprentice' at 9:30 - 9:58 and again during its climax at 10:51. Also on track 4 `Symphonic Fantasy After Dante', static is heard during the climax from 23:46 to the end of the piece. I also sensed a lack of expressiveness in the performances and was not surprised to discover that the pieces were electronically conveyed to the organ via computer.

I also bought Josh Perschbacher's 'Carnivale' and 'Sinfonietta' CDs, with which I am also disappointed for similar reasons. I noted sonic issues with these including some very strange digital anomalies.

However, I commend Josh Perschbacher's efforts, and his devotion to the organ and fine music.

The concept of this recording sounded intriguing, that is a complete orchestral score translated to an organ console. But upon listening to this cd, I found it sonically thrilling and well recorded, but it somehow lacked the "personality" that a transcription played by one person on the keyboards would. It all sounded too mechanical rather than a live performance. I'm happy to have this cd in my organ collection, but mildly disappointed in the results of the concept.

At first glance it seems like a great idea to digitize the orchestration of a composition and play back on the pipe organ. With the vast sonic palate of the instrument, using the computer to control the devices seems like a natural evolution. However, the result in this case is far from musical. There is far more to creating music and negotiating the notes, however complex they may be. This result sounds much like listing to a recording of a piano roll. In addition to having no musical life, the choices of tonal colors are boring and unimaginative, the use of articulation is not present, changes in dynamics are poorly conceived and executed. These performances have no musical soul. A far better experience is to be had by listening to a real virtuoso like Cameron CarpenterCameron Live! (CD + DVD Combo)Revolutionary [Includes Bonus DVD] or Virgil Fox who breathe an element of musical expression that is consistent with their vast musical intellect and deep understanding of the music, and who convey this concept with an almost ferocious desire to communicate to an audience.

For a real example of what a true virtuoso can do, reference any of the recordings by Cameron Carpenter