1738 Müller organ at Sint Bavokerk [Saint Bavo Church], Haarlem, The Netherlands

This week on Pipedreams host Michael Barone visits with one of the world’s foremost recitalists, Gillian Weir. She talks about her fascination with the organ and the challenges and responsibilities of a global career, and plays from her repertoire - which covers pretty much anything from the late Renaissance to the modern-day. Hear instruments in Denmark, England, Wisconsin, the Netherlands, and Texas, and discover how artistry and charm go hand-in-hand. When the magnificent Dame Gillian plays, it’s proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is nothing like a Dame.

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.

Deep in its heart, it is all about a search for poetic, and musical, truth. On our next Pipedreams program, we investigate the tradition of the Ricercare, one of the earliest forms of Baroque instrumental music. Our examples take us back to the mid 16th century and feature an instrument even one hundred years older, at a Basilica in Bologna. Simple themes develop and interweave in phrases both rhapsodic and rigorous. Beyond the fertile Italian homeland, we visit churches in Stockholm, San Francisco, and the Netherlands for performances by John Weaver, Massimo Nosetti, Liuwe Tamminga, and Jean Guillou of works by Bach and Frescobaldi, and Menotti. Ancient and eloquent, our ears follow it heavenward. Ricercare for the Sky the ancient art of counterpoint, this week on Pipedreams.

No questions are asked when the name of Bach comes up. He is the undisputed master of organ music by worldwide acclaim, and this week, we offer a multi-national celebration of Bachian art, works of amazing grace and glorious intensity. From across Europe and the United States come a host of players, from Albert Schweitzer to David Schrader, Aram Basmadjian to Pierre Bardon. From England, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France and America, our retrospective celebrates universal appeal and border-crossing cooperation. It’s Bach International.

The Christmas image of a newborn babe brought into a cold world conjures sentiments of joy and astonishment. So it’s not entirely surprising that the music on this week’s program does the same. We celebrate the season with trumpets and choirs, as well as organs both in solo and duet performances. Join in and sing along with familiar old tunes and embrace some new music, too, heralding the good news of the Nativity. For Unto Us: a holiday for heart and ears.

The Netherlands, beyond its eye-catching windmills and colorful tulips, is home to an incredible treasure of historic and modern pipe organs.

…trace the evolution of this powerful compositional format from its beginnings as a suggestive street ‘dance’.

…the new 66-stop tracker organ by Paul Fritts at Saint Joseph Cathedral joins this city’s already rich local instrumental resources.

…a visit with world-travelling New-Zealand-born British recitalist and teacher Dame Gillian Weir.

…a time for celebration, reflection, and projection of new expectations for the new season ahead.

…a second tribute to the famous blind French organist, master improviser and prolific composer, featuring performances and comments by his students, friends and wife.

…performances by and conversation with the outstanding American recitalist, whose international career continues to blossom.

…in observance of the 450th anniversary of Sweelinck’s birth, a survey of the organ art in the Netherlands.

…whether on historic instruments in his homeland, a Catholic church in New Orleans, or in a Japanese concert hall, nothing quite satisfies like the music of Johann Sebastian Bach!

…music of contrast and contradiction, a progression of mood and spirit leading to revelation.

…the unflappable American virtuoso Stephen Tharp talks about his career and introduces us to some pieces for which he has a strong attraction.

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

…one of the world's best known texts provides us with glimpses into the composer's craft and the organ builder's art.

…a visit with British well-rounded organist Margaret Phillips, including selections from her impressive Bach cycle and other examples from her extensive discography.

…music for the Feast of Epiphany, celebrating the journey of the Wise Men and their celestial beacon.

…a reflection on the life and work of the famous and well-travelled Belgian organist and composer, Flor Peeters (1903-1986).

…a 35th anniversary tribute to Diane Bish, First Lady of the Pipe Organ in the USA.

…the immeasurable treasure of Bach’s compositions for organ provides perpetual pleasure.

…the immeasurable treasure of Bach's compositions for organ provides perpetual pleasure.