Customer Reviews

Virgil Fox: Organ Recital

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

 

 

This is the first digital recording made in the United States and again Mr.Fox was on the cutting edge. It was played on the Rafatti Organ at the Walnut Grove Community Church in California. The Artistry of Virgil Fox is evident throughout this recording as in all of his recordings. A beautiful farewell from a great performer and superb human being. I recommend it without reservation.

The provenance of this LaserLight CD is detailed below, in a near-identical release of Virgil Fox performing this music, but on the Bainbridge label and titled "The Digital Fox." This LaserLight release, while both inexpensive and readily available, suffers from a few major deficiencies: (1.) There is a brief, but disconcerting, drop-out at the beginning of the opening track. (2.) Despite its clearly being labeled as "Digital" (on both the booklet cover and on the CD), and a booklet note to the effect that "...Virgil Fox began an historic series of recordings: the first digital tape recordings made in the United States," this is NOT a digital recording; the CD transfer was made from analog direct-to-disk LP-master lacquers. (3.) This transfer process has altered the frequency balance, causing it to be bass-heavy and treble-shy. (4.) The booklet notes are useless. If you consider yourself a Virgil Fox fan, seek out that Bainbridge release. My comments on that release follow below.

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There is so much of historical significance to Virgil Fox fans and pipe organ aficionados in this album, originally recorded in 1977, that it is rather difficult to know where to begin. It was Fox's final recording, made when he had already been diagnosed with cancer. (He lived another three years, but his performing schedule and abilities declined, at first slowly but then precipitously as the cancer metastasized in his hands.) It was also the first, last and only recording - to the best of my knowledge - of what was then a new (1976) Ruffati organ installation in the Garden Grove Community Church (that of Dr. Robert Schuller); not long after the recording session, the organ was dismantled, and parts of it combined with parts from the 1962 Aeolian-Skinner organ from Philharmonic Hall in Lincoln Center, NY, to become the new installation in the equally-new Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. (The Philharmonic Hall organ was removed when the venue was remade as Avery Fisher Hall.) And apparently - with evidence that is difficult to refute - this was the first digital recording made in the U.S. It remains as the sole digital recording that Fox made.

This digital provenance was not at first known. Originally, the 1977 Garden Grove sessions had been released on a pair of direct-to-disk LPs on the Crystal Clear label. According to the copyright information on this Bainbridge CD, the date of digital release was 1983, three years after Fox's death. To confuse matters further, the 1977 Garden Grove sessions are also available on a LaserLight CD release, an item I review elsewhere under the product title "Virgil Fox Performs Bach, Franck, Dupre, Widor and others." (From what web research findings I've been able to locate, the provenances of the two releases differ, with the LaserLight CD release being made from the original direct-to-disk lacquer masters, not always the same precise "takes" as here, although the sessions were the same. The LaserLight release is inferior, for both sonic reasons and others, a point I clarify in that other review.) So much for the historical materials. It is the music - and the performance here - that matters.

Virtually every work on this CD is a "staple" in the organ soloist's repertoire. (A minor exception should probably be made for the Jehan Alain work, "Litanies," seldom heard but now part of a definitive set of Jehan Alain CDs on the Erato label by his sister, Marie-Claire Alain.)

Lest there be any question regarding Fox's terminal illness causing a loss of ability and technique at the time this recording was made, he immediately puts that question to rest in the opening work, the famous Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565. At the outset of the Toccata of this chestnut, his articulation is crisp; throughout, his choices of stops and voicings are appropriate, and, during the closing pages of the fugue, one can again hear his impeccably crisp playing. While perhaps somewhat on the "romantic" side in terms of his use of rubato, this is not an idiosyncratic interpretation at all; rather, simply, Bach played well. Probably my favorite recording of the work.

Joseph Jongen, a Belgian whose Symphonie Concertante for Organ and Orchestra is probably second only to the famous Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 for popularity in this genre, is justly famed for the final Toccata of this work. Here, Fox (as, apparently, only he could do) interpolates large portions of the orchestral accompaniment along with the solo organ part, in a truly prodigious display of technique. At the close of this Toccata, there is a descending scale passage, a finishing flourish that "makes or breaks" concert organists. Fox blows through this passage as if it were child's play.

The rest of this album of organ chestnuts is "of a piece" with the above-mentioned ones: Fox in prime time. The recorded sound is terrific: it has excellent frequency and dynamic range, and just the right amount of ambient reverberation has been caught. One wishes that this remarkable Ruffati organ installation had been recorded more than just this once, before it emerged transmogrified (along with the Philharmonic Hall organ) as the Crystal Cathedral organ; it - for all its brevity of existence - was one fine instrument.

The booklet notes include a small note to the effect that "...the newest technology, Digital Tape, was employed as well." (This technology was NOT used for the original Crystal Clear LPs, from which the LaserLight CD was derived.) For this reason, and others as well, Fox fans should seek out this Bainbridge "true digital" release over the less expensive but decidedly inferior LaserLight release.

Bob Zeidler

I just received the LaserLight recording compiling the two Crystal Clear direct to disc recordings of 1977 at the Garden Grove Community Church. I still have the LP's, in mint condition, since I recorded them on metal tape and never played the vinyl since, but, I retired my cassette deck several years ago. The CD is well balanced from bottom to top and the only flaw is the first two notes (A,G) are missing from track one. This combination of a very large five division organ and the genious of Virgil Fox and a fine master recording is difficult to beat. A definite lease breaker!

will someone PLEASE explain to me how it is possible to make a recording of the Bach toccata and fugue in d minor and have the first two notes of one of the most famous openings of all time MISSING!!!!!!!!!!??????????

THANK GOD THIS CD IS ONLY SIX BUCKS ON AMAZON.

shame on whoever is responsible. they should have a disclaimer on the jacket.

ps to all organ fans. beware of the latest scandel: a dvd supposedly of fox playing, which shows nothing but an inane kaleidoscope circle accompanied by photos of kids on rollercoasters and sheep safely grazing for the entire duration with fox nowhere to be found. there are two of these discs by a company called seemusicdvd. and you will have to fight with the record store owner of course when trying to return the open dvd. fortunately tower in nyc took mine back for credit. one thinks they're getting the light show PLUS fox as he had in some of his concerts, but there is no fox! and the one entitled Bach Gamut doesn't even attempt to give the slightest warning on the front of the box and only a vague bit of info on the back.

I'll be honest--I bought this disc to get a good recording of the Widor Toccata, and though it is better than the first recording I've heard, it does suffer a bit. The tempo is amazingly quick, and even though I've listened intently, I haven't heard many mistakes (like other reviewers have said--it goes by almost too quickly.) The recording as a whole comes off somewhat dry--the building an organ is in is a big part of how the instrument sounds. Still, other recordings have far too much echo to get a clear picture of what is heard--this may go too far in the other direction though--losing some of the resonance that a huge cathedral can give to the king of instruments. If this work is subpar for Fox, then I am eager to find a great recording from his prime years--unfortunately, much may be lost in the transfer of media given that many believe he was not in prime form when digital recording came to be.

Those who are looking to hear technical brilliance, and who aren't steeped in the history of organ recordings will find this CD very enjoyable for the work and career it represents.

Virgil Fox was without question one of the greatest technical players of the century. Unfortunately, while demonstrating incredible ability, this recording - and Fox's myriad others - also demonstrate conclusively that he was a performer completely without taste or finesse. While I, as a musician, am admittedly awed by the tempo at which he is able to take the Widor, I am also, frankly, annoyed at the sounds he wrestles from the instrument - the organ seems to 'bark' at the listener, owing to the harshness of his attack and articulation. And the tempo even takes its toll on him in the final bars, as his playing takes on a definite "hang on for dear life" edge.

The Dm Toccata and Fugue (BWV 565)sounds like a monstrous creation in the hands of a man who unashamedly classified J.S. Bach as a Romantic composer. Played by Fox, the contrapuntal majesty of the Fugue is transformed into nothing more than a technical etude for the organist, who seems bent on showing the world that he can play more notes than anyone else, and misses the point of the music completely in the process.

The Franck "Piece Heroique" is poorly concieved, badly registered and unmusically played. Fox, once again, shows that he has no concept of phrasing and line, and seems to think it necessary to beat the music out of the instrument. The same goes for the Alain piece; in addition, Fox's generous liberties in tempo not only defy the composer's instruction of unbroken motion, but make the piece so tedious that it is nearly unlistenable.

For good Bach interpretations, I recommend the recordings of E. Power Biggs, Helmut Walcha, Ton Koopman, and Marie-Claire Alain. Michael Murray's Bach is also good, if a bit heavy-handed and ponderous. If you can find Anton Heiller's recordings of Bach, they are absolutely definitive.

For recordings of the French repertoire, Marie-Claire Alain is at the very top of the list. The old recordings of Marie-Madeline Durufle-Chevalier (widow of Maurice Durufle) are excellent, and Michael Murray, a student of the late Marcel Dupre, are also worth a listen. Dupre himself made a few recordings which are difficult to find but well worth the effort, as he was probably the greatest organist of the 20th century.

Virgil Fox's recordings are worthwhile perhaps if one is a student of the instrument. Otherwise, look elsewhere for recordings that exhibit true musicianship. Fox proved again and again throughout his career that he was more interested in how fast his fingers and feet could move, than in what they had the potential to communicate.

Virgil Fox was a supremely talented organist and a welcome shot in the arm for the often stuffy King of Instruments. But this disc is not the Fox you want to hear. It was recorded very late in his life, and betrays deteriorating musicianship and technical ability.

Musically, the recording is a disaster. I enjoy progressive interpretations of familiar works, and Fox's playing is usually a delight. Here, however, he moves beyond avant garde into outright slaughter. The Widor Toccata is played in a whirlwind 4'25"; there are lots of note mistakes (though they go by so fast it's hard to tell), and in the coda Fox loses track of the pedal line, forgetting notes where Widor wrote them, and then sticking them desperately in where he didn't. Obvious mistakes are present in the Dupre and the Vierne, and the Gigout Toccata is ludicrously registered and given a hideous ad lib pedal glissando at its conclusion.

More disappointing -- or perhaps saddening -- is the obvious decline of Fox's playing abilities. This is most evident in the Final from Symphony #6 by Louis Vierne, one of the most notoriously difficult works in the repertoire. Fox takes it at a modest tempo, but struggles with it. The interleaving of the themes over rapid F# pedal scales toward the end is a glittering spectacle in the right hands and feet; here it is labored and plodding.

There is, however, one beauty on this disc: the organ reduction of Joseph Jongen's Toccata from Symphonie Concertante. This piece is hard enough as written for organ and orchestra; to achieve the nearly complete, beautifully performed rendition of it that Fox does here is little short of magic. And ironically, this lone gem is the reason this disc disappoints so thoroughly. It shows what Fox was able to do, and why he was such a deservedly famous icon of 20th century organ playing. The other tracks are unfortunate demonstrations of the virtuoso far past his prime, playing sloppy renditions of works that had slipped permanently out of his grasp.

I respectfully disagree with Mr. Hall's review and comments that Mr. Fox was past his prime. The Bach pieces sustain your interest and Fox was the master of the French masterworks. The Jongen is great but so are the Vierne and the Dupre renderings.

This cd is Fox's best, mostly because of the virtuoso organ repertoire which is not really found on the Art Volumes 1 and 2 or Encores. However, his unique style and superb technique are what make this CD great. Among the great performances, Jongen's Toccata is flawless and Vierne's Finale is extremely exciting. Take advantage of this opportunity and enjoy a classic CD of one of the greatest organists ever.

I've read through all the reviews and I find myself scratching my head at the comment that the first two notes of the Toccata and Fugue are dropped out in the recording.

I bought my copy of this particular CD at Tower Records in DC when I was going to college, probably around 1993, and I've never noticed any dropouts at all. It's quite possible that a batch of these transfers had some issues and several people were unlucky to have purchased those copies.

That issue notwithstanding, I do find this disc to be somewhat of a guilty pleasure, especially for the rather cheap price I paid for it at the time. Most Laserlights went for about 2-3 bucks.

I do agree that the sound can be a bit raucous and heavy at times, definitely from the perspective that Mr. Fox was wont to put an organ through its paces. I do also find there to be a bit of a "dry" presence to the overall sound, but that might be due to the venue.

There are some flubs here and there (suspect pedals notes on the Gigout Toccata for one), but they don't take away from the energy that is employed throughout.

If you can find it in a bargain bin, I'd say go for it.

But buying it new? For anywhere from 25-100 dollars? Somebody's smoking the crackpipe if they think they're going to sell it for that much.