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Konstantin Reymaier

The New Organ - At St. John's Cathedral, Vienna (CD + Blu Ray Audio)

For centuries, Vienna's St Stephan's Cathedral has cultivated a strong musical tradition and to glance at the list of musicians linked to the cathedral's history we discover Paul Hofhaimer, Johann Pachelbel, Johann Caspar Kerll, Johann Joseph Fux, Joseph and Michael Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Anton Bruckner, to cite only a few.

Few people had expected that music would again be heard on the west gallery following a fire in 1945 which destroyed the previous instrument. Over the course of several conversations the organ builder Wendelin Eberle, the leading tuner Stephan Niebler and cathedral organist Konstantin Reymaier agreed on a specification of 125 stops, which they presented to a committee which extended beyond the cathedral; members included also Olivier Latry, the titular organist at Notre-Dame, Paris, Thomas Trotter (England) and Mainz Cathedral organist Daniel Beckmann.

The result is an astonishingly powerful and versatile instrument with countless shades of colours that remain transparent and clearly audible. It is all this combined that makes the new organ so special.

The repertoire on this album has been selected to showcase the versatility of the new instrument. Symphonic works are heard alongside Baroque, and impressionist soundscapes of Sigfrid Karg-Elert are heard alongside the lighter Bolero de concert by Lefebure-Wely and arrangements of popular pieces by John Williams.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750)
Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565
[Toccata.] Adagio
Fuga
Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir
Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben!

EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934)
Sonata for Organ No. 1 in G major op. 28
Orgelsonate Nr. 1 G-Dur
I Allegro maestoso
II Allegretto - Quasi doppio movimento - Tempo I
III Andante espressivo - Tranquillo
IV Presto (comodo)

SIGFRID KARG-ELERT (1877-1933)
3 Impressions op. 108
Drei Impressionen
I Sunset. Moderato e solenne
Spatsonne
II Starlight. Molto adagio
Unter dem gestirnten Himmel
III Elegiac Poem (Obesquies). Pesante e fastoso
Elegisches Gedicht (Feuerbestattung)

JOHN WILLIAMS (b.1932)
Star Wars : Main Theme
Return of the Jedi : Parade of the Ewoks
Star Wars : Ben Kenobi's Death – Tie Fighter Attack