1997 Fischer organ at Saint Laurentius Church, Grefrath, Germany

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.

A good tune is a joy forever, but instead of repeating the same melody over and over, why not make it different? This week’s show illustrates the art of variation. Organist, Hannes Meyer toys with a European folksong, while the late, great George Thalben-Ball takes the ferocious fiddling of Paganini and transforms it into a virtuosic dance on the organ pedals. Secular or sacred, sumptuous or sometimes just plain silly, our themes provide remarkable opportunity for creative possibilities. It’s all about the altered intent, where one good tune demands another take. By the end, even you’ll be calling out, Play it Again, Sam.