1877 Sauer organ at Fulda Cathedral, Germany

He lives in the countryside just down the road from Valparaiso University, he’s got a recording studio and a barber shop in the barn out back, and spends considerable time teaching in Saarebruecken, Germany, and Appleton, Wisconsin. And when he plays, his imagination works overtime. We visit with the ever stimulating and always iconoclastic Wolfgang Rübsam to understand why amidst all the other distractions organ music continues to feed his soul and, through him, ours. As a former pilot, a barber, recording engineer, teacher, and recitalist, he’s totally fearless, and willing even to risk a Bach Trio Sonata in concert. Wolfgang Rübsam reflects on his career and accomplishments, and shares some great and timeless music, From the Wolf’s Den, 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.

It’s a multiplicity of riches on our next Pipedreams program, a sampling from sixteen new releases, including historically correct instruments at Stanford University in California. We’ll also visit Presbyterian churches Rochester and Buffalo, New York, Hexam Abbey in England, and the Cathedrals in Fulda, Germany and Washington DC, hearing Wolfgang Rübsam, Paul Manz, Gillian Weir and still others perform at the top of their game. From the Church of Saint Sulpice in Paris to the west coast of America, we’ll hear colorful music from four centuries of repertoire showcasing the king of instruments in all its glory.

Music from four centuries in which a single ‘good idea’ generates multiple perspectives on a theme.

…hot to the touch, and hotter to hear, these compositions cover the keyboard with memorable sonic effects.

…though his pages often contain a tumult of notes, Max Reger's compositions also encompass magical moments of reflection and compassion.

…a contrapuntal convergence honoring the births of Johann Sebastian Bach (3/21/1685) and Max Reger (3/19/1873).