Transcriptions for Organ from Works for Other Instruments and OrchestraThe CDs below feature repertoire which has been transcribed or arranged for organ. The original works were composed for other instruments or combinations of instruments, including full symphony orchestra. Most of the original works and their transcriptions date from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. |
| ||
| NEW! Birmingham Town Hall Restored! Thomas Trotter, Birmingham City Organist since 1983 in addition to carrying on a far-ranging career as a recitalist and teacher, plays a brilliant program of concert pieces composed or transcribed for exactly this kind of organ. | |
| ||
| ||
| Wagner & Cavaillé-Coll Wagner is played by Christoph Kuhlmann on the Cavaillé-Coll located in Iglesia del Salvador, Usurbil, recreating a musical soirée of the times when this very organ was located in the home of the Albert Baron de l’Espée. It was moved to the church after the Baron's death. (The Baron also owned the organ now in Sacré-Coeur in Paris). | |
| ||
| ||
| 2CDs for the Price of One! Timothy Edward Smith plays the newly restored 1931 Kimball 4m and the 1972 Beckerath 3m at First Congregational Church, Columbus, transcribing Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns and playing American works by Bingham, Baumgartner, Warner, Ford, and Hampton as well as European Baroque and Romantic works. | |
| ||
| ||
| Thomas Heywood plays the 1927 Casavant Grand Organ at Saint Andrew's Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. | |
| ||
| ||
| Piet van Egmond plays transcriptions at Amsterdam’s Prinsessekerk Steinmeyer, home of his popular radio broadcasts | |
| ||
| ||
| Marty Smyth plays the Pole & Kingham 3-36 built in 1997 for Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Chatham, Ontario, transcirbing many of the works. The talented Mr. Smyth is a church musician as well as a pianist, organist, and double bassist, and studied organ with John Tuttle at the University of Toronto. The recent organ concentrates on accompaniment and colorful orchestral capabilies, thus having such unusual characteristics as an independent 6-rank String Organ enclosed in its own swell box, a celesta and chimes, as well as contrasting trumpets and a variety of other reed sounds, two 32’ stops, and full principal choruses and several other flutes and strings. GRIEG: March of the Trolls; In the Hall of the Mountain King; Wedding Day at the Troll Hill BIZET/LEMARE: Fantasia on Carmen DVORAK: Humoresque SAINT-SAËNS: Danse Macabre LANG: Tuba Tune BEETHOVEN: mvt 2 Andante from Symphony 5 HOLLINS: Grand Choeur No. 1 in g | |
| ||
| ||
| Organist and composer Sabin Levi plays his own transcriptions on the large Hellmuth Wolff organ in the resonant Bales Recital Hall at the University of Kansas. He also plays three of his own works based on Sephardic tunes. SATIE: Gymnopedie 3 BARTOK: Roumanian Dances RAVEL: Pavane pour une infante défunte; Sonatine (mvt. 2); Minuet (Tombeau de Couperin) PROKOFIEV: 5 Visions Fugitives PANCHO VLADIGEROV: Sarabande HINDEMITH: Interlude (Ludus Tonalis) LEVI: Ballade; Choral prelude; A Small Rhapsody | |
| ||
| ||
| Thomas Heywood plays the superb 1913 Hill & Son 3-35 at St. John’s Church, Toorak, Victoria, Australia. MOZART: Overture to The Magic Flute BACH: Concerto for 2 Violins in d, mvt. 1, BWV 1043 DEBUSSY: Clair de lune BEST: Organ Sonata in D DVORAK: Largo from Sym. 9 HANDEL: Organ Concerto, op. 4/2 FAULKES: Autumn Song HAYDN: Introduction & Allegro from Symphony in D, No. 104 RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Flight of the Bumble Bee LEMARE: Concertstück (Tarantella), op. 90 | |
| ||
| ||
| Winfried Bönig, appointed Cologne Cathedral organist in 2001, plays the two organs together from the new console “towards using the greatest possible number of stop combinations when both organs are played simultaneously . . . in the Romantic symphonic conception.” The Klais firm of Bonn built a 71-rank tracker organ in the nave in 1998, and in 2002 enlarged the 1956 electropneumatic Choir organ to 117 ranks. Hybrid SACD Compatible with conventional CD players and SACD surround sound. BRUCKNER: Scherzo from Symphony No. 0 in d; Adagio from String Quintette in F; Scherzo from Symphony No. 2 in c LISZT: Les Préludes; St. Francis’ Sermon to the Birds; St. Francis Walking on the Waters STRAUSS: Solemn Entry of the Knights of the Order of St. John | |
| ||
| ||
| Leave it to this wonderful French label to present an entirely superlative and original CD resulting from artful anachronisms: a 21st century organist (the superb Louis Thiry of Rouen) playing transcriptions of 14th and 15th century vocal music on a little-known historic organ of the 17th/18th centuries. Writes Thiry, “This is . . . a musical bouquet gathered as I pleased like wild flowers picked up at random . . ." Click on the headline for more information and to order. | |
| ||
| ||
| At St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, organist Simon Nieminski presides at the 1879 Henry Willis 4-66 (“Father” Willis, progenitor of the dynasty of four British organbuilders named Henry Willis) to play transciptions of mostly orchestral works by Edward Elgar, including Nieminski’s own transcription of the rare, 14-minute work “Polonia,” Op. 76, filled with Polish themes. A sonic treat, the recoding is produced in the new high-resolution SACD surround sound and is also entirely compatible with conventional CD players. Click headline for contents of CD. | |
| ||
| ||
| Timothy Byram-Wigfield plays concert transcriptions of works for which this organ was optimized. Since 1902 it has been located in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. It was built in 1901 by the famed T. C. Lewis firm of London with 3m and 55 ranks for the Glasgow International Exhibition held in the same year and was erected in a temporary concert hall. It was restored in 1988. Click the headline for works by Tchaidovsky, Weber, Bizet, Mozart, Humperdinck, Handel, Mendelssohn, and Bach, and to order. | |
| ||
| ||
| Wolfram Adolph, Organist, is also the producer of CDs on the IFO label, director of the German publisher Schott, and editor of Organ - Journal für die Orgel. He is a pretty good organist, too, playing the glorious symphonic 1899 Henri Didier 3-65 in the magnificently recorded space of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Laon, France, in a Romantic program of little-known transcriptions, including several from two operas by Franck. GUILMANT: Sonata No. 2, op. 50 MASSENET: Méditation; Mélodie-Élégie DEBUSSY: Arabesques 1 & 2; Cortège; Fugue FRANCK: Prélude and March from the opera Ghiselle; Berceuse; Chanson de l’Hermine and Cortège des Fiancés from the opera Hulda | |
| ||
| ||
| The popular French organist Jean-Paul Imbert plays the inaugural CD on the 4m organ of 72 ranks built in 2004 by Bernard Dargassies at the Basilique Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours in Paris. The Russian works are transcribed for organ by Imbert. COCHEREAU: Improvs on Vesper Versets Nos. 1-5, 7, 13; BACH: Passacaglia & Fugue in c BWV 582; FRANCK: Choral No. 2 WIDOR: Mvt. from Sym 5 BOËLLMANN: Gothic Suite RACHMANINOV: Vocalise PROKOFIEV: 3 extracts from Romeo & Juliette SCRIABIN: Etude, op. 2/1 SHOSTAKOVICH: Waltz No. 2 in d | |
| ||
| ||
| Orchestral conductor and organist Johannes Skudlik brings a great sense of line to his performances in the resonant space of Dinkelsbühl Munster on the 80-rank Rieger organ which was completed in 1997 and is generally optimized for performance of Romantic repertoire. Expressive, lively playing, and perhaps the only recording of the famous Erwin Horn's transcription of the Scherzo from Bruckner's Symphony No. 0 (zero). Click the headline for transcriptions of Bruckner and Brahms, and works by Schumann, Karg-Elert, Liszt, and Reger. | |
| ||
| ||
| Frederick Hohman plays original symphonic organ music and organ transcriptions by Englishman Edwin F. Lemare on the 1912 Austin op. 323 (103 ranks, four at 32' pitch) which Lemare played as municipal organist of Portland, Maine. Click to see original and transcribed works in this new Volume III, and also the earlier Volumes I & II of Lemare Affair Lemare Affair I | |
| ||
| ||
| Guillou's Three Most Famous CDs for the Price of One CD This 3-CD set of the famous recordings that Jean Guillou made for the audiophile Dorian CD label are now available at a special price. He plays the famous Fisk organ at Meyerson Symphony Hall, Dallas, with the Dallas Symphony, Eduardo Mata, conductor; the “ikon” organ in the shape of a hand as built by Kleuker for the Alpine church of Notre-Dame des Neiges, and the van den Heuvel organ which he designed as titulaire of St-Eustace in Paris. Click the headline for titles and to order. | |
| ||
| ||
| On the Spanish island of Menorca, St. Mary’s Church in the town of Mahón has a two-century tradition of fine music supported by a large (3m, 52 stops) and very important historic organ built in 1810 by Kyburz. The musical style has been to borrow great operatic tunes and use them for church, and there is even a hand-written book of organ music in the style dating from the 19th century. Eric Lebrun and Marie-Ange Leurent play the Kyburz organ in its fine acoustics. Click picture for repertoire | |
| ||
| ||
| NEW! Vivaldi La Stravaganza is a set of 12 concerti which were composed by Antonio Vivaldi for four string parts, solo instrument (violin) and continuo. Here, the consummately musical Catherine Todorovski transcribes the concerti for solo organ and plays them on the lovely Grenzing organ at the abbey of Saint-Cyprien in Périgord (southwestern France). | |
| ||
| ||
| Spanish organist Jordi Vergés and Italian organist Fabio Ciofini play their transcriptions for four hands and four feet of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachmusik and his Symphony No. 40 on a Spanish organ! Discover the majesty of these pieces as arranged for what Mozart called the "King of Instruments." | |
| ||
| ||
| Digital dexterity & fun, too! Australian phenom Thomas Heywood transcribes most of the selections from operas by Verdi, Wagner, Rossini, Mozart, and more on this CD, and he plays the huge Schantz completed in 1998 at Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church in Galveston, Texas, with 117 ranks and several 32' stops including the facade. Click the headline for titles and to order. | |
| ||
| ||
| It sounds like ten million dollars! At the end of the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the huge organ that the Hook firm had built for it was moved to St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Buffalo, New York, where it was restored and enlarged by the Andover Organ Company July 1999 to January 2001. This first CD on the renewed organ is played by Australia’s phenomenal Thomas Heywood in a program of mostly transcriptions and "municipal auditorium" music by Hollins, Guilmant, Brahms, Mozart, Bach, Best, etc. Click the headline for titles and to order. | |
| ||
| ||
| Erwin Horn follows Liszt’s precedent in making transcriptions of Wagner’s operas, taking important and memorable passages to create opulent sound pictures. In playing them, this becomes the largest collection of Wagnerian music transcribed and played by one artist. (Scores of Horn’s Bruckner transcriptions are available from OHS). The 1996 Klais 3-54 at the Augustinian Church in Würzburg, along with a 2-14 choir organ, provide an ideal situtation for symphonic repertoire, voluptuously recorded! Click for operas transcribed and to order. | |
| ||
| ||
| Bruno Morin plays the famous Clicquot organ in the Cathedral at Poitiers to present this music of pageantry. Boyvin Suites on the 2nd, 3rd, and 7th tones; the Lully pieces are transcribed for organ: Cacone de Galatée and Passacaille d'Armide. | |
| ||
| ||
| John Scott Whiteley, organist at the minster since 1976, explores the grand orchestral sounds of the beloved organ with transcriptions of Wagner, Debussy, Bach, Chopin, Rossini, and Rachmaninoff. At its core, the organ is an 1863 William Hill and 1904 J. W. Walker, rebuilt in 1930 by Harrison and Harrison with reconstitution of Great Mixtures and new stops, especially in the Pedal, completed in 1994 by Geoffrey Coffin. Click on the headline for more information and to order. | |
| ||
| ||
| The 142-rank, 5-manual, 103-register organ completed in 1989 at the Basilica of Waldsassen, Germany, complements the rich harmonies of these famous Wagner transcriptions by Edwin Lemare, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Franz Liszt, and even the organist here, Harold Feller. Click picture for list of works transcribed. | |
| ||
| ||
| On the newly rebuilt and famous organ at Gloucester Cathedral, David Briggs, cathedral organist, presents a remarkably compelling program of well-turned transcriptions, some by Briggs himself. Great sound! Click ikon for repertoire | |
| ||
| ||
| Nicolas Kynaston plays interesting transcriptions of Mendelssohn piano works and a Rinck flute concerto, and “real” organ works by Saint-Saëns and Guilmant on the newly rebuilt Klais organ at Abbey Himmerod. Click picture for repertoire | |
| ||
| ||
| Hear transcriptions on the 1863 Walcker now enlarged to 4-112 at the Market Church in Wiesbaden, Germany. Joplin rags to a Sabre Dance. Click picture for repertoire | |
| ||
| ||
| On the very large Schoenstein organ at First-Plymouth Congregational, Lincoln, Nebraska, Frederick Hohman plays symphonic masterpieces transcribed for the organ by Hohman, Lemare, and others. Three major works of Tchaikovsky are featured: The Nutcracker Suite; Finale from Symphonie Pathétique; and Overture to Roméo et Juliette. Also the Hebrides Overture of Mendelssohn, March of the Toys by Victor Herbert, and Air on the G String by Bach. Click on ikon for further description and to order | |
| ||
| ||
| Peter Sykes transcribes this 20th-century orchestral masterpiece for, and plays it on, the 1933 Skinner organ of 100+ ranks at Girard College, Philadelphia. Writes David Bond in the The American Record Guide, "Sykes has made the impossible possible. This transcription is by far the most satisfying and persuasive I have ever heard." | |
| ||
| ||
| LISZT: Sonata in B-minor for piano, transcribed to organ BRAHMS: Variations and Fugue on a theme of Handel, Op. 24, transcribed for organ | |
| ||
| ||
| Joachim Walter plays transcriptions written by Hermann Jimmerthal (1809-1866), organist at the giant 1854 Schulze organ in St. Mary’s, Lübeck, that demonstrate fascinating and unexpected, kaleidoscopic, registration practices. Works he transcribed include Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, etc. Since the organ at St. Mary's was destroyed during World War II, this CD is recorded on the 1871 Ladegast 4m at the Cathedral in Schwerin, one of the world’s largest at the time it was built and similar in its stoplist. | |
| ||
| ||
| Finish organist Kalevi Kiviniemi is famous for his virtuoso technique and his amazing command of the organ. Here he arranges and transcribes music composed for orchestra, voice, and other instruments, and plays it on a 4m German organ built in 1986 to play romantic and orchestral repertoire. | |
| ||
| ||
| National City Christian Church WAGNER: Overture to Die Meistersinger BACH: Liebster Jesu; Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g’mein; Passacaglia in C-minor KARG-ELERT: Pastels from Lake Constance LISZT: Am Grabe Richard Wagners; Fantasy on BACH; Consolations in E and D-flat The 141-rank Möller of 1985 at National City Christian Church in Washington, DC, is handsomely played by Gregory D’Agostino. | |
| ||
| ||
| Symphony No. 4 ("Romantic") by Anton Bruckner is transcribed and played by Thomas Schmögner on the 4m Cavaillé-Coll at La Madeleine in Paris, a sonic tour-de-force. | |
| ||
| ||
| David Briggs realizes a long personal ambition in transcribing Mahler’s mammoth Fifth Symphony to organ and plays it at Gloucester Cathedral in England, where he is organist and choirmaster. | |
| ||
| ||
| Commissioned from Japan, Lionel Rogg transcribes the mammoth Eighth Symphony of Anton Bruckner into a manageable, non-literal, and often deeply moving entity for organ. It is played on the 1993 Van den Heuvel 4/69 in Victoria Hall, Geneva. | |
| ||
| ||
| Newly rebuilt and enlarged by the Schantz Organ Co., the 1929 Hill, Norman & Beard 4-101 Grand Concert Organ in the Melbourne Town Hall (Victoria, Australia) this first CD of the renovated organ features Australia's entertaining organ virtuoso, Thomas Heywood, playing transcriptons of great orchestral works, including the entire Fifth Symphony by Beethoven! | |
| ||
| ||
| Great works by Beethoven, Ravel, Debussy, Mozart, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss | |
| ||
| ||
| Stravinsky’s great ballet scores for orchestra are transcribed by Pierre Pincemaille and recorded on the 1991 rebuild by Dargassies of the 107-rank organ at Radio-France in Paris. | |
| ||
| ||
| MENDELSSOHN: Ruy Blas Overture; Scherzo A Midsummer Night’s Dream DVORAK: Carnival Overture SULLIVAN: Pirates of Penzance & Iolanthe Overtures DEBUSSY: Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun THOMAS: Entr’acte Gavotte from Mignon WAGNER: Pilgrim’s Chorus from Tannhäuser Peter Conte, organist at Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia, plays on the Longwood Gardens Aeolian organ. | |
| ||
| ||
| Tara theme TCHAIKOVSKY: Romeo & Juliet ROSE: Holiday for Strings JOPLIN: Cascades WEBER: Memory SONDHEIM: Send in the Clowns HERBERT: Jeanette & Her Wooden Shoes; New York, New York DELIBES: Pizzicati from Sylvia GRIEG: March of the Dwarfs RODGERS: Climb Ev’ry Mountain MOZART: Turkish Rondo KARG-ELERT: Praise the Lord with Drums & Cymbals; the Dream of Olwen Longwood Pops OHS member Michael Stairs plays the 1930 Aeolian of 10,100 pipes, 145 ranks, and five 32’ stops at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. | |
| ||
| ||
| JAMES ROGERS: Concert Overture JAMES POLLARD: Chanson Romantique RALPH KINDER: In Springtime FELIX BOROWSKI: Sonata I SAINT-SAENS: Le Cygne WAGNER: Love Death from Tristan & Isolde FAULKES: Concert Overture; more James Hammann plays the 1918 J.W. Steere 4m at The Baptist Temple in Brooklyn, New York, lovingly restored by OHS member Keith Bigger. | |
| ||
| ||
| Ron McKean demonstrates the sonic splendors of the 86-stop Rosales Opus 16 in First Presbyterian Church, Oakland, California. Works by Liszt, Mussorgsky, and McKean. | |
| ||
| ||
| FRANCK: Interlude Symphonique Redemption RACHMANINOV: Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Isle of the Dead LISZT: St. Francis Walks on the Water; Fourth Consolation; Evocation of the Sistine Chapel Virtuosic Transcriptions by organist Louis Robilliard explore the gorgeous solo stops and power of the Cavaillé-Coll at St. Francis de Sales in Lyon. | |
| ||
| ||
| Voluntaries and Interludes WHITLOCK: Fanfare, March for the “Phoebe” ELGAR: Salut d’Amour MOZART: Larghetto & Adagio from Clarinet Quintet BACH: Sinfonia, Cantata No. 29 HOLLINS: Trumpet Minuet WM. HARRIS: A Fancy FIOCCO: Andante DVORAK: Largo from New World Symphony HANDEL: Arrival of Queen of Sheba LANG: Tuba Tune FAURÉ: Pavane SCHUBERT: Marche Militaire Huddersfield Town Hall in England. At its heart a Willis from the 1860s, this venerable municipal organ (4m-79r) was rebuilt by Harrision & Harrison in 1981. Gordon Stewart turns in an entertaining and well-recorded program. | |
| ||
| ||
| At the Seattle AGO National Convention in July, 2000, Rakich played magnificently at St. Mark's Cathedral. Here, she explores transcription repertoire on the 1933 Kilgen 3-39 designed by Courboin for an art-deco church in Hartford, Connecticut, where she served before just recently being appointed music director of Immaculate Conception Church in Boston, ground zero for historic American organs and music (1863 E. & G. G. Hook 4m). | |
| ||
| ||
| PROKOFIEV: Suite from Romeo & Juliet, Op. 64 KEITH JOHN: Suite Time & Motion VALERI KITKA: Orpheus Suite TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker Suite Virtuoso Keith John transcribed Romeo & Juliet and Nutcracker as brilliant organ suites and equally brilliantly plays then and the other works on the impressive 1992 Klais at Iceland's Hallgrimur Church in Reykjavik. | |
| ||
| ||
| Kalevi Kiviniemi plays a colorful program befitting the tonal palette of this major instrument (4-110), recently enjoying restorative repairs by the Bradford Organ Co., reversing earlier changes. SIBELIUS: Finlandia BONNET: 2nd Legende, Caprice Heroique DUPRÉ: Magnificat, Antiphon, Crucifixion PIERNE: Prelude WIDOR: Andante Sostenuto SAINT-SAËNS: Prelude op. 99 AULIS SALLINEN: Chaconne KIVINIEMI: Improvisation KOKKONEN: Lux aeterna KANKANEN: The Moonlight | |
| ||
| ||
| Thomas Murray is fabulous on the 1928 E. M. Skinner at Yale University. SIBELIUS: Finlandia; LISZT: Les Preludes & ‘’Égologue’’ DELIUS: ‘’On hearing the first cuckoo in spring’’ RACHMANINOFF: Prelude in G minor; HANDEL: Samson Overt. RAVEL: ‘’Petit Poucet,’’ Ma Mère l’Oye; ELGAR: Nimrod KREISLER: The Old Refrain and Liebesfreud | |
| ||
| ||
| Jean-Paul Imbert plays the organ built in 1845 by Joseph Callinet at St. Bonaventure, Lyon, France, and later expanded to 81 ranks by Merklin and others. Imbert plays three of Liszt’s works for organ, Imbert’s own transcription of Liszt’s Les Preludes, and Liszt’s transcriptions of works by Chopin, Nicolai, Verdi and Bach. LISZT: Consolation; Poeme symphonique Orpheus; Prélude & Fugue sur B-A-C-H BACH; Poeme symphonique Les Préludes (trans. Imbert) NICOLAI: Ouverture Ein feste Burg VERDI: Agnus Dei BACH: Choral Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis CHOPIN: Préludes, op. 28, nos. 4 & 9 | |
| ||
| ||
| Johannes Geffert plays works of Bach for instruments or voice and which have been transcribed for organ. The organ was built in 1927 by Josef Behmann of Vorarlburg for St. Martin’s in Dornbirn, Austria, and restored with no changes in 1986 by the Swiss firm Kuhn. Wolfgang Rehn of the Kuhn firm wrote about this famous restoration in Acta Organologica XXII, “The insight that each style of music is best . . . played on the original instruments of the period should certainly not be limited to ancient music . . .” The transcriptions are by Guilmant, Widor, Landmann, Karg-Elert, E. Power Biggs, and W. T. Best Click picture for repertoire | |
| ||
| ||
| Liszt’s transcriptions of Pilgrim’s Chorus from Tannhäuser, Chopin preludes, and Liszt's own Orpheus as well as three of Liszt’s works for organ are played on a newly-restored 1910 Klais by Philippe Delacour, also well admired for his organ video. “Stunning results . . . a magical experience . . .” writes Peter Palmer in Organists’ Review of February 1999. | |
|