1980 Virtanen organ at Turku Cathedral, Finland

Famous also for his superb improvisations and exacting teaching methods, today we remember him through his compositions. This week’s show explores fourteen virtuosic and poetic movements from the pen of French wizard Marcel Dupré. We’ll hear the three Preludes & Fugues of Opus 7 that set the world afire when he was but 26, four of his Opus 50 Inventions, ironic miniatures, concise as an Oriental haiku, and the Seven Pieces which he wrote during his tours in the 1920s and dedicated to friends he made along the way. In his twenties he astonished the world with virtuosity, by his thirties he’d amazed us with his depth, and throughout his career we regarded him as the best there was. The great man himself teams up with his former students and advocates in a musical offering of Seven Pieces, times two.

Showing independence of spirit and diversity of expressive means, a sampler of music from Norway.

An organist’s perspective on a grand and glorious repertoire for the musical stage.

Organs and organ music continue as an integral element in the artistic life of Nordic countries.

…timeless musical gifts from many hands and many lands celebrated the festival of Christmas.

…from around the world, marvelous melodies and evocations of this season of universal pleasure.

…from the core format of organ music, these select and delectable items from beyond the standard repertoire.