1978 Kleuker organ at Notre Dame des Neiges, L’Alpe d’Huez, France

We offer a gamut of the organ experience on this week’s Pipedreams program, from some of the simplest to the most challenging of music. Climb up the scale with the eight Little Preludes and Fugues by J.S. Bach - student music with a heart - as we pair those with contrasting works by the greatest German organ composer AFTER Bach, Max Reger. It’s a confluence of contrapuntal ingenuity, from serene to seismic, and performances on a pathbreaking organ at a splendid cathedral in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Whether searching for your lover Shenandoah across the wide Missouri, or settling into a fountain reverie, showering in the South Pacific or praying by the River Jordan, this week’s Pipedreams focus is “liquid lyricism.” You’ll hear about splashing water nymphs, a bathtub songfest, elusive rainbows, and challenges to seafaring men. The music of Handel, Bach, Richard Rodgers, Louis Vierne, and even Chopin will provide a cooling array of aural aquatic images. From the banks of the Jordan to the mighty Rhine, whether in sunshine or moonlight, on Babylon’s shores or in the lively South Pacific, it’s not your normal organ program. From folk traditions to timeless classics, it’s all about Water Music, this week on Pipedreams.

This week’s broadcast is a meditation on that ever necessary, always powerful, inscrutible yet marvelous energy we call love. The choir of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London, sings of the love of God for humankind. Bach and his favored pupil Krebs lovingly decorate Lutheran hymns based on themes of loving kindness. Virgil Fox plays of love’s dream, and other composers explore the range of love as evidenced in folk songs, oratorios and operas. It is a wondrous thing, a power that transports us beyond the mundane and opens new worlds of expression and experience. From folk tunes and hymns, art song and opera, our performers draw upon upon rich resource of music to sooth the soul.

Ours is a pilgrim’s progress of sorts, traversing a year in retrospect and looking into the future. Join us as we take measure of the year 2003 and celebrate the art of the organ and its practitioners the builders, players and composers whose lives contribute so much to our experiences each week. We’ll play some recent compact discs, share shapshots of a trip to Italy, honor the memories of those who have passed to their rewards, and prognosticate a bit about what might come along in 2004.

Tune in and discover a few revelatory attitudes and probing interpretations that set this noteable French virtuoso apart from the norm.

…with a good theme, organist-composers can provide an exceptional ‘tour’ of the tonal resources of any instrument.

…a collaborative offering of Bach’s famous and thought-provoking set of variations, plus other works in ‘G’.

…invented by the Italians and transformed by composers everywhere ever since, the Organ Sonata encourages different strokes from different folks.

…a sentiment-rich collection of 'songs from the heart' recorded in theaters, museums, private music studios and churches.

…in celebration of the Vernal Equinox and a special birthday, we delight again in more of the ever resilient music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

…our traditional summing-up of some of the previous year’s happenings in the world of the King of Instruments.

…invented by the Italians and transformed by composers everywhere ever since, the Organ Sonata encourages different strokes from different folks.

…Beginning the New Year with a special review of recent recordings of organ music from LP's and CD's. Host Michael Barone provides commentary.

…A wide ranging summary of the past twelve months in the world of the king of instruments, with competition winners, new instrument dedications, and memorial tributes to friends and mentors...in particular, E. Lyle Hagert, Douglas L. Butler, and Klaas Bolt (requiescat in pace).

…A quarterly survey of recent recordings.

…Reflections upon events of the past twelve months, including highlights of some new instruments, tributes to Helmut Walcha, Jean Langlais and others, some summer snapshots, and resolutions for the new year.

…Our traditional wrap-up of the preceding twelve months and a projection into the future, with aural snapshots from some spectacular concerts, reviews of several outstanding recordings, and resolutions for the New Year.

…diverse delicious distractions dedicated to variety and tuneful pleasure.

A surprising gift of organ music from a still largely uncharted territory.