Search - Samuel Adler, Larry Baker, Greg D'Alessio :: Aubade

Organ Music by Contemporary Composers

S. C Rice | 05/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On "Aubade", Karel Paukert performs organ music by composers with some connection to Ohio, USA. He performs on the 1971 Holtkamp rebuild of a 1918 Skinner organ at the Cleveland Museum of Art, so the organ is an orchestral organ. All of the works on the CD are treated very well by Paukert, and many of these pieces were also commissioned by him.



There is not yet a track listing for this recording here, so let me include that:



Marilyn Shrude "Four Chorale Preludes"

1 - Oh Gott, du frommer Gott (3:38)

2 - Herzliebster Jesu (4:22)

3 - Ach bleib' mit deiner Gnade (6:10)

4 - Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (6:36)



5 - Larry Baker "With (Etude no. 1) (5:05)

6 - Samuel Adler "In Praise of Bach" (3:42)

7 - James Primosch "Meditation on 'What Wonderous Love is This?'" (3:33)

8 - Donald Erb "Aubade" (4:56)

9 - Monica Houghton "Erebus" (1:58)

10- Klaus George Roy "Inaugural Fantasia (Augmentationis Celebratio)" (5:34)

11 - Greg D'Alessio "Albion II" (6:36)



Shrude's "Four Chorale Preludes" are on reformation era hymns, and often borrow figuration that would not be out of place in a Buxtehude chorale prelude. Each prelude is quite harmonically colorful, and brings an emotional tinge to the chorale that makes it seem that it can unflinchingly look at the way things are, rather than existing in the past, or in a fantasy. Adler's "In Praise of Bach" also looks to the past of the organ for an idea, but works it out in a modern idiom. "In Praise..." is one of many organ compositions that work out the four note motive of Bach's name (Bb, A, C, B natural). Primosch's "Meditation" is a very simple, but pretty setting of "What Wonderous Love..." Also of note is Erb's "Aubade", which includes handbells and glasses. Even without the added timbres, "Aubade" is an attractive piece; full of color."