Organ music besides Bach, Messiaen etc.

[Mischa]

I was the other day in the Cologne Cathedral showing two American friends the building. A regular day, loads of tourists. While we were going around, the organist started practising. After the first five or six bars we and the entire crowd in the church stood there like frozen, there was no motion anymore, no noise, nothing, it was amazing! It was a transcription of the Prokofiev Toccata, imagine that one in a huge Gothic cathedral:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-3fKF9SyOs&feature=related"]YouTube - Toccata at Cologne Cathedral[/ame]

The effect on the people was simply stunning! The organist apparently practised for an upcoming concert or maybe it was a regular organ concert, who knows. He finished (of course) with the Widor Toccata:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzB3MUJoCrM"]YouTube - Charles-Marie Widor: Toccata en fa majeur[/ame]

The sound of an organ is overwhelming for me, while he was paving his way through the (more and more eventless) Widor I found out, that I hardly know more than the basic pieces. Besides some single works of Brahms of course, mostly Bach. I'd say, I'm rather familiar with Messiaens huge oeuvre. Same applies to Rheinberger. Then fragmentarily Widor as well as some others like Pärt. But these are just fragments, the rest is terra incognita (e. g. Franck, Vierne), I'd love to build up a fundament and learn more about it, so - tell me about your favorites!

[stephen w]

What a wonderful experience.

I love Buxtehude's organ music very much.[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DROr7_YH7eo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DROr7_YH7eo[/ame]
Toccata in d, BuxWV 155. Bernard Foccroulle plays the Arp Schnitger organ built in 1688 in Norden, Germany (organ restored in 1985 by Jürgen Ahrend).

[Despina41]

yum:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJfeihQE4b8&feature=PlayList&p=51B473D0335 977AB&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=35"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJfeihQE4b8&feature=PlayList&p=51B473D0335 977AB&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=35[/ame]

[micrologus]

Jehan Alain


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mX46qsvoKU&feature=related"]YouTube - Litanies by Jehan Alain[/ame]