Organ Explosion, Volume 1
A collection of virtuoso lollipops played with gusto by Kevin Bowyer on the newly restored Taylor organ
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: (Felix) Alexandre Guilmant, Jeremy Nicholas, Ludwig van Beethoven, Anton Stepanovich Arensky, Albert W(illiam) Ketèlbey, (George) Percy (Aldridge) Grainger, Alphons Czibulka, Nigel Ogden, Camille Saint-Saëns, Edward Marsh, George Frideric Handel, Charles Williams, Norman Cocker, Marco Enrico Bossi, Sergey Rachmaninov
Label: NPC
Magazine Review Date: 6/2000
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 78
Catalogue Number: NPC007
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Toccata Giubiloso |
Jeremy Nicholas, Composer
Jeremy Nicholas, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| Sonata for Piano No. 14, 'Moonlight', Movement: Adagio sostenuto |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Kevin Bowyer, Organ Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
| Danse macabre |
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| (24) Preludes, Movement: C sharp minor, Op. 3/2 |
Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer
Kevin Bowyer, Organ Sergey Rachmaninov, Composer |
| (The) Devil's Galop |
Charles Williams, Composer
Charles Williams, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| Penguins' Playtime |
Nigel Ogden, Composer
Kevin Bowyer, Organ Nigel Ogden, Composer |
| In a Persian Market |
Albert W(illiam) Ketèlbey, Composer
Albert W(illiam) Ketèlbey, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| Winter Stories |
Alphons Czibulka, Composer
Alphons Czibulka, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| (The) Immovable Do (or The Ciphering C) |
(George) Percy (Aldridge) Grainger, Composer
(George) Percy (Aldridge) Grainger, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| Toccata: La vallée verte, sur le theme 'Pat le f |
Edward Marsh, Composer
Edward Marsh, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| Étude symphonique |
Marco Enrico Bossi, Composer
Kevin Bowyer, Organ Marco Enrico Bossi, Composer |
| (6) Morceaux |
Anton Stepanovich Arensky, Composer
Anton Stepanovich Arensky, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| Serse, 'Xerxes', Movement: ~ |
George Frideric Handel, Composer
George Frideric Handel, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| Marche funèbre et chant séraphique |
(Felix) Alexandre Guilmant, Composer
(Felix) Alexandre Guilmant, Composer Kevin Bowyer, Organ |
| Tuba Tune |
Norman Cocker, Composer
Kevin Bowyer, Organ Norman Cocker, Composer |
Author: Marc Rochester
As if the complete organ works of Bach and numerous other recording projects for Nimbus weren't enough for Kevin Bowyer, he has now embarked on a 21-disc series for the fledgling Sheffield-based label, NPC. If there is a theme to this series, nothing emerges from this first release, which is simply a collection of assorted virtuoso lollipops (including a couple of new gems, Penguins' Playtime by theatre-organ buff Nigel Ogden and a spoof French Toccata based on the theme tune of Postman Pat by the recording producer, Edward Marsh) which Bowyer plays with great gusto.
The real interest here is clearly the instrument rather than the music; a point driven home by the booklet which devotes half of its 13 pages to a wordy article about this 1914 Stephen Taylor organ. That article paints a vivid picture of organ enthusiasts flocking to Leicester in their thousands to listen in open-mouthed awe following the instrument's 1998 restoration and while, heard live, it might be an organ-in-a-million, nothing emerges from this recording which sets the adrenalin coursing through my body. It possesses a suitably rotund Tuba Mirabilis, pulled out with alacrity at every opportunity, and a speaker-busting 32-foot reed which serves up a kick like an angry mule, but beyond that it seems a pretty average-sounding example of an early 20th-century English three-manual concert organ complete with action clatter and cholesterol-laden Diapasons, all faithfully captured on this disc.
'
The real interest here is clearly the instrument rather than the music; a point driven home by the booklet which devotes half of its 13 pages to a wordy article about this 1914 Stephen Taylor organ. That article paints a vivid picture of organ enthusiasts flocking to Leicester in their thousands to listen in open-mouthed awe following the instrument's 1998 restoration and while, heard live, it might be an organ-in-a-million, nothing emerges from this recording which sets the adrenalin coursing through my body. It possesses a suitably rotund Tuba Mirabilis, pulled out with alacrity at every opportunity, and a speaker-busting 32-foot reed which serves up a kick like an angry mule, but beyond that it seems a pretty average-sounding example of an early 20th-century English three-manual concert organ complete with action clatter and cholesterol-laden Diapasons, all faithfully captured on this disc.
'
Organ Explosion, Volume 1
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