1996 Kuhn organ at the Mindener Dom, Germany

Some of the most memorable presents are ones we’ve made ourselves, and on the next Pipedreams, you’ll listen to six stupendously talented organists who need only a theme to spark their imaginations, and they make it up from there. Delight in the inspired fantasies of Merrill Davis, playing for a concert audience in Prague; Earl Miller, rhapsodizing at a parish church in Danville, Virginia; Gerre Hancock in New York City; Hector Olivera in Los Angeles; and the inimitable Pierre Cochereau at the mighty pipe organ of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. All set off into uncharted waters and all will bring the ship safely back home filled with seasonal cheer. It’s the miraculous product of Holiday Dreams, improvisations for organ, this week on Pipedreams.

This week, we’ll reflect upon events form the past year and take a look at some projections for the future.

…some holiday melodies from other lands at first may seem strange or foreign, but their message of peace and joy is unmistakable.

…one of the world's most exciting virtuosos plays a mostly-Bach program (with a twist) on the great organ at Royal Albert Hall.

…to celebrate his sesquicentennial, we go beyond the famous Gothic Suite to reveal other facets of this intriguing French composer, Leon Boëllmann (1862-1897).