The Grand Organ

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Sergey Prokofiev, Richard Wagner, Carl Maria von Weber, Franz Liszt

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 47

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: CDA66216

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
(Die) Meistersinger von Nürnberg, '(The) Masters, Movement: Prelude Richard Wagner, Composer
Richard Wagner, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(6) Consolations, Movement: Quasi adagio Franz Liszt, Composer
Franz Liszt, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(A) Midsummer Night's Dream, Movement: Scherzo (Entr'acte to Act 2) Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Athalie, Movement: War March of the Priests Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Jubel-Ouverture Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(Le) Carnaval des animaux, 'Carnival of the Animals', Movement: The swan Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Danse macabre Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Toccata Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ

Composer or Director: Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Sergey Prokofiev, Richard Wagner, Carl Maria von Weber, Franz Liszt

Media Format: Cassette

Media Runtime: 0

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: KA66216

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
(Die) Meistersinger von Nürnberg, '(The) Masters, Movement: Prelude Richard Wagner, Composer
Richard Wagner, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(6) Consolations, Movement: Quasi adagio Franz Liszt, Composer
Franz Liszt, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(A) Midsummer Night's Dream, Movement: Scherzo (Entr'acte to Act 2) Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Athalie, Movement: War March of the Priests Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Jubel-Ouverture Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(Le) Carnaval des animaux, 'Carnival of the Animals', Movement: The swan Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Danse macabre Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Toccata Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ

Composer or Director: Camille Saint-Saëns, Felix Mendelssohn, Sergey Prokofiev, Richard Wagner, Carl Maria von Weber, Franz Liszt

Media Format: Vinyl

Media Runtime: 0

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: A66216

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
(Die) Meistersinger von Nürnberg, '(The) Masters, Movement: Prelude Richard Wagner, Composer
Richard Wagner, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(6) Consolations, Movement: Quasi adagio Franz Liszt, Composer
Franz Liszt, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(A) Midsummer Night's Dream, Movement: Scherzo (Entr'acte to Act 2) Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Athalie, Movement: War March of the Priests Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Jubel-Ouverture Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Carl Maria von Weber, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
(Le) Carnaval des animaux, 'Carnival of the Animals', Movement: The swan Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Danse macabre Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
Toccata Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Thomas Trotter, Organ
The mantle of Sir George Thalben-Ball sits easily enough on the shoulders of his successor at Birmingham, Thomas Trotter. The recent resurgence of interest in organ arrangements has thrown up some fine recordings and some good tries. This one, however, is way above any of that—it is a blazing triumph. Glenn Gould could play Die Meistersinger Overture on the piano and make you think that's what it was written for. In the same way, Trotter offers it as a piece of splendid organ music. It's so with everything in this programme—not so much a question of finding organ equivalents to orchestral sounds, but of rethinking radically to turn the score into organ music. ''The war march of the priests'' is much more exciting here than it really is (I used to think, as a boy, that these priests were vicars, and that explained the gentility of their bellicose tramp). Weber's Jubel has passed me by, but I see now that I was deprived.
One is amazed and delighted by the amount of detail that Thomas Trotter gets in, but it's more than just fun: it's also a moving programme. The only one which feels a bit coarse-grained to me is the Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which a reed emerges as a soloist, for all the world like a tripper with a 'Kiss Me' hat on in the midst of the Royal Ballet. I shall miss that bit out. But did you know how coolly romantic a diapason stop can be? Listen to it breasting the smooth river as ''The swan''. And the Birmingham Town Hall organ is, of course, a thrill anyway. Marvellous stuff.
'

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