Search - Widor, Liszt, Vierne :: Anthony Newman: Romantic Masterworks for Organ, Volume II

Towering Achievement

Avid Reader | Franklin, Tn | 07/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anthony Newman is like an Organ God. When he plays, it seems the instrument becomes a part of him and one never hears even the slightest hint of technical problems. The Vierne and Widor works are big, romantic, very French and played very well. The real jewel in the midst, though, is the Reubke Sonata. I have already reviewed two other recordings of this seminal work, but I can safely say that this one outranks them all. For one, the musical architectural elements serve to make this sometimes disjointed piece a workable whole. Second, the sound is always clear even in the most densely noted places. Third, the playing on the fugue is almost unbelievable. He is evoking more sonority and sounds from one instrument than seems humanly possible when suddenly the triumphant bass enters on two feet. There is no slowdown at the start of the fugue (as occurs in many recordings) and the integrity of the piece remains to the end. The sound of the organ is superb and fits for the works presented here. It is highly romantic, firmly in the "color" organs of Widor (where indeed Reubke's music belongs). Both the first and second album of Romantic Organ works are a collector's must"