All Episodes

The goal of our next Pipedreams program is clear enough, discover exceptional women musicians and given them center stage. And so we shall, with Irmtraud Krueger marching around the sanctuary in Poligny, France, Kathleen Scheide playing her own composition in Boston, Dorothy Papadakos improvising to the songs of humpback whales at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City, now isn’t THAT an image?! and Katharine Pardee responding to the muse of Sweelinck in Syracuse. Whether Under the Linden Green, or in the depths of the sea singing with humpback whales, talented women organists play for us, showing off a multiplicity of talents and tastes as we Cherchez les Femmes, and find them…this week on Pipedreams.

…the remarkable Marie-Claire Alain talks about the unique power of the compositions by her older brother and first teacher, Jehan Alain [1911-1940]. He wrote one of the best known, and most powerful organ scores of the 20th century, titled Litanies, and during his short life created an astonishing array of deeply communicative compositions. On our next Pipedreams program the works of Jehan Alain will be performed by an international array of soloists, including composer’s sister Marie-Claire. Jehan was the talented older brother, Marie-Claire the little black sheep whom he encouraged. Jehan was killed early in World War II, at the age of 29 and Marie-Claire has championed his music ever since, music which now the whole world knows. Mysterious, miraculous, the music of Jehan Alain, revealed to us by the woman who has championed it throughout her own remarkable international career. Marie-Claire Alain is our special guest for Alain on Alain, this week on Pipedreams.

Maybe it’s just a matter of doing things HIS way, or wanting to shake the dust off and step beyond hallowed tradition. On our next Pipedreams program, I visit with Swiss recitalist and composer Guy Bovet, for whom the organ offers every imaginable opportunity for expression and adventure. Whether in a beguiling tribute to the city of Salamanca, or the first inventory of the historic organs of Mexico, whether involved in an important restoration, or tickling us with a ‘rediscovered’ Mozart Bolero, or making pipes play jazz, Guy Bovet blends serious intentions and wry humor in a very special way. We’re never quite clear about his destination when we start out, but when you travel with a certain Swiss organist you’re guaranteed an adventure amidst historic instruments and unusual repertoire, all produced with rare insight and good humor. It’s a “Guy” Thing, this week on Pipedreams.

This is fair and pleasant music, grave yet rapturous, from the pen of Marcel Dupré, a collection of introspective Vespers Antiphons which began as improvisations and proved to be so compelling that he was commissioned to later write them down. On our next Pipedreams program, these and other such works by Benjamin Britten, Larry King, and William Mathias provide startling contrast to outspoken scores by Percy Whitlock, Daniel Gawthrop, Barbara Harbach, and Brent Weaver, where heraldic brilliance calls us to attention and involvement. It’s a program of contrasts, brilliant and subdued, theatrical and introspective, with instrumental and choral pieces dedicated to color and collective prayer. From the Cathedral in Mallaga to Trinity Church, Wall Street, delight in variety Fanfares and Antiphons, this week on Pipedreams.

The pipe organ offers a player a rainbow of sonorous hues from which to draw, and while our next Pipedreams program exploits such opportunity, we also deal with a different facet of color. During the past century, composers such as William Grant Still, Thomas Kerr, Ulysses Kay, and Florence Price have made sizeable, if sometimes unheralded, contributions to the concert repertoire of the king of instruments. Whether in abstract visions or classical forms, responding to main-stream themes or spiritual influences, theirs is an important voice, as you’ll discover listening to a dozen remarkable works recorded by James Abbington, David Oliver, Mark Miller, Lucius Weathersby, Mickey Thomas Terry, and friends. Color me intrigued by the richness and variety of music for pipe organ by African American composers. Is it a paradox that we experience the full range of color In Black and White? The African American impulse, this week on Pipedreams.

It’s a game of getting-to-know-you. First a few notes, then some others and before you know it, we’re into a new adventure in sound. For hundreds of years, players have explored the limits of their instruments and of their own techniques in works that evolved from the sheer tactile pleasure of pushing down the keys and seeing what happens. Marius Monnekendam in the Netherlands, Robert Elmore in the United States, Girolamo Frescobaldi of Italy, J.S. Bach in Germany and many others have written some of their most exciting music following this scheme. Tactile and tantalizing, our program explores four hundred years of repertoire, instruments from three centuries, and the delights of things done by hand. Better than a good massage, with a tingling sensation guaranteed, we Reach out and Touch the Art of the Toccata, this week on Pipedreams.

It’s about knowing both sides, when to hold back in thoughtfulness and when to rush impetuously forward, to know the heart of a piece beyond just the muscle. On our next Pipedreams, eight very aware young talents, recent award winners in a national competition, show us their stuff and tell us their dreams. The names of Michael Costello, Jeeyen Son, Svetlana Fiahkretdinova, Cara Dye, Todd Fickley, Tom Trenney, Grace Renaud, and Frederick Teardo may still be new to you but among them likely are some of the heroes of tomorrow. Whether in sweet serenity or soulful soaring, eight twenty-something young artists prove that the future’s been well-provided for by the talents they are husbanding today. Bask in their glow, Rising Stars, this week on Pipedreams.

We explore a world of opportunity on our next Pipedreams program. This is a kind of golden age, as never before has there been quite so much music available on compact disc. We’ll sample from among the most recent issues, including this delicious movement for violin, cello and organ by Rheinberger. We’ll also have the work of little-know Viennese composer Robert Fuchs, played at Saint Stefan’s Cathedral, Vienna, by Peter Planyavsky some Brahms Variations by Marcel Dupré, in a first recording, the latest from the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia, just a tantalizing taste, and pieces by Bach and his favorite pupil, Krebs, recorded very stylishly on historic instruments in Germany. From simple Bach for only two parts well, not SO simple to the sound of the largest functional musical instrument on the planet, we select from among the best new compact discs and provide you with a consumer’s alert. A review of what’s new, we’re Going on Record, this week on Pipedreams.

It was a meticulous craftsmanship and a perfectionist’s attitude that limited his lifetime compositional output to a mere dozen scores. On our next Pipedreams, we’ll show that while they are few in number, the compositions of Maurice Duruflé are like so many perfectly-polished jewels, core items in the organ repertoire. Along with his own works are interpretations of Bach, Handel, and Schumann in performances recorded at Soissons Cathedral, the National Shrine in Washington, DC, and Saint Thomas Church, New York, NY. Inspired by an abiding faith, a reference for Gregorian chant, and a love for the organ, he created a handful of masterpieces beloved equally by singers, players and listeners. Explore the exquisite art of Frenchman Maurice Duruflé, in A Centenary Tribute, this week on Pipedreams.

Where do the hours and the months and years go? Can you believe it? Our next Pipedreams program observes the 20th anniversary of our first national broadcast, which was way back in the winter of 1982. Believe it or not, we were hatching our plans even before then. This week, hear some of those earliest tapes, plus get a sampler of things we’ve done and places we’ve been over the past two decades. After 20 years has it all been played? Not a chance. Some bright ideas never dim, and this week we’ll reflect on a score of great music and plan for the future. Organ music on the Radio? Absolutely! Listen as we celebrate the first twenty years, an anniversary retrospective, this week on Pipedreams.

Our annual reflection on world happenings, with highlights of instruments, young artists, and exceptional recordings.

A rose blooms out of season on a winter morning. The Brightest and Best stars show up in the “Company at the Creche.” Images, scenes, and personalities such asa these are present in our next Pipedreams program. It’s a showcase for the work of composers here in the United States, giving a sense of home and place to this international festival. Timothy Albrecht plays grace notes at Emory University, Nancy Whipkey leads her Ascension Children’s Choir in a cantata by Daniel Pinkham, Allison Luedecke and Robert Gallagher stir the echoes at Saint John’s Cathedral in Milwaukee, and Craig Cansler and the Choir of Saint Philip’s in Atlanta celebrates the work of Charles Beaudrot. Our torch lights up the manger scene in Bethlehem, and who do we see there but a circle of composers from the United States, celebrating the holiday with their special gifts. Tune in for An American Organist’s Christmas, this week on Pipedreams.

Some of the most memorable presents are ones we’ve made ourselves, and on the next Pipedreams, you’ll listen to six stupendously talented organists who need only a theme to spark their imaginations, and they make it up from there. Delight in the inspired fantasies of Merrill Davis, playing for a concert audience in Prague; Earl Miller, rhapsodizing at a parish church in Danville, Virginia; Gerre Hancock in New York City; Hector Olivera in Los Angeles; and the inimitable Pierre Cochereau at the mighty pipe organ of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. All set off into uncharted waters and all will bring the ship safely back home filled with seasonal cheer. It’s the miraculous product of Holiday Dreams, improvisations for organ, this week on Pipedreams.

Whether on a clear midnight or a morning glorious with heavenly splendor, our next Pipedreams sings its holiday message in many languages. Frenchman Jean Guillou improvises in Switzerland, Lebanese composer Naji Hakim does the same in Paris. From the first noel to the last shepherd’s pastorale, you’ll hear music and instruments from Ireland, England, Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and here at home, promoting a universal message of hope and happiness. Join us for a multicultural expression, Celebration International, this week on Pipedreams.

Seasons change, the days get shorter, and darkness seems more prevalent; it’s no wonder we become introspective at this time of year. Our next Pipedreams program plays with that theme, and the notion of expectation that comes as part of the package. Winter descends, and old chorales and chants for the season call out in earnestness and hope. We follow the Psalmist’s admonition and look to the hills for help. Is it all about hunger? In the end, music provides the key, and a dozen recitalists, plus choirs from Dallas, Texas; Bangor, Maine; Stockholm and Indianapolis ask the questions and resolve to find solutions—uncertainty, with a purpose, leads to an harmonious resolve. We acknowledge Advent Anticipation, this week on Pipedreams.

The principality of Liechtenstein may be one of Europe’s smallest corners, but from it sprang one of the late 19th century’s most prolific and important organists and teachers. Josef Rheinberger is the focus of our next Pipedreams program. He’s a one-time child prodigy who already was playing in church at age seven and who reigned as harmony, counterpoint and history professor at the Royal Academy of Music in Munich for three decades. A dozen different soloists join us as we follow the trail of his prodigious and influential talent from his very first compositions through the Sonatas and Concertos by which he is still remembered. He was a master in the grand romantic tradition, one of the most prolific protagonists of the organ, and a teacher of some of America’s best turn-of-the-century composers. Discover treasures from a bygone day, and join us for the glorious music of Josef Rheinberger, as we embark on Rheinberger’s Journey, this week on Pipedreams.

We explore things new and engaging on our next Pipedreams program, sampling recent releases of organ music on CD, including a jazzy Te Deum from Germany, the sound of praise today. With saxophone? Sure. Plus we’ll have trumpet voluntaries featuring festival reed stops on instruments in Kilgore, Texas; Hendersonville, North Carolina; and Chartres, France. The 1930 Skinner organ at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, Ohio, is at its best under the hands of Todd Wilson, but really old is the 1730 Trost organ at Waltershausen, Germany, playing music by a kid who grew up just west of there, Johann Sebastian Bach. Would Bach have approved? Absolutely, because he knew the builder of this instrument and loved his work. These and other stunning sounds from cathedrals in Toledo, Ohio, and Saint Louis, Missouri, and a jazz-friendly congregation in Stuttgart are all part of the plan. We’re Going on Record with CDs in review, this week on Pipedreams.

Composer and critic Virgil Thomson had the right idea. For him, regardless of style or attitude, if a piece of music was written by an American it qualified as American Music. And that’s what you’ll hear on our next Pipedreams program. There’ll be several zesty settings of popular hymns, jazzy toccatas, and dances including a boogie-woogie, picturesque scenes, historic take-offs, and even a profound Passacaglia, played on sonorous instruments by Rosales, Skinner, Hendrickson, and Wurlitzer. From California to Connecticut, from Bingham to Bitgood, ours is a coast-to-coast survey of colorful organ scores. Frances Nobert, Diane Belcher, James Biery, Diana Lee Lucker, and Charlie Balogh with the Wichita State University Jazz Ensemble are all part of the party as we sample American Perspectives, this week on Pipedreams.