Dutton is releasing E. Power Biggs famous recording of the Rheinberger organ concertos for the first time on CD. This is the best recording of the concertos and should not be missed!
For more details, see: http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CDLX7334
If I am not mistaken, this is the recording which used to be on cassette tape decades ago. This is where I discovered Rheinberger's concertos when I borrowed it from a public library. The tape, however, sounded stretched. Some years later I managed to buy my own copy, but that had exactly the same problem. Over time I could replace those recordings with the clear Spang-Hansen and Juffinger CD recordings.
Two comments then: One should listen to the Biggs recording before buying to make sure it is OK. Secondly, I have always hoped that the works for solo violin and organ which are also found on some recordings of Rheinberger's OCs would one day be transcribed and performed for string orchestra and organ. An example is the Suite for violin and organ (Op. 66) on Juffinger's Cappricio label CD.
Gerhard. These recordings have been privately transferred to CD and the transfers were excellent. I can't even imagine what they will sound like on SACD. With Dutton behind this project, I am sure you won't be disappointed. I'll let you know as soon as my copy arrives.
Here is a review by Robert Benson from classicalcdreview.com
This splendid Dutton SACD, licensed from Sony, contains two organ concertos by Joseph Rheinberger The concertos are among the finest ever composed for the instrument. Rheinberer included brass soloists and timpani as well as an orchestra. E. Power Biggs is featured along with the Columbia Symphony directed by Maurice Peress, recorded in St. George's Episcopal Church in New York November 28-29, 1973 on the grand Möller organ. Producers used great imagination taking full advantage of the four channels, separating the instruments most effectively. My equipment indicates that this is a 5.1 recording, which seems rather odd as this was a four-track recording. At any rate, the result is a treat for those who care about quality sound, a thrilling audio experience. Let us hope Dutton will release more of these sonic treasures!
I can finally dispose of my old, well-worn LP! The CD has got to sound better than the LP - the inner grooves were really awful - distortion galore.
This is indeed a fine re-release of two superb performances. It is great to be able to enjoy them without the inevitable compromises involved in the original vinyl LP. The music is grateful, euphonious and hugely enjoyable. Has anyone else bought it?
Yes. I bought it and I agree. It's a very fine disc in every way. Excellent music superbly performed and recorded.
So, should I now move on to Rheinberger's solo organ works?
I'm not sure. I don't know these works and opinions seem to vary. Some reviewers in the Gramophone and elsewhere have had a low opinion of the sonatas. I remember one reviewer calling them dull though, he said, they are occasionally enlivened by perky fugue subjects.
I've got an old book by Harvey Grace on the organ works. It is, of course, mostly enthusiastic though it is not afraid to make some harsh criticisms of certain movements or even whole sonatas. Grace regards the best of the sonatas as Nos 6-14 and is particularly keen on No. 12, Op. 154, "the finest" of them.
Having sampled some of Rheinberger's organ sonatas years ago I'm afraid I have to say I did not find them engaging.
I look forward to listening to the recording.
Personally on the whole I used to enjoy his organ music less than his standard-instrumentation(ish) chamber music (e.g. the fine string quintet), but I'm not that surprised to find I like more of his music with time rather than less... but yes I realize that's off-topic to the concertos (moreso than, say, a comparison with other recordings of same.)
Thanks for your thoughts. Much appreciated.
As a side note, decades ago when Maurice Peress was music director of the now defunct Kansas City Philharmonic he invited E. Power Biggs to K.C. to perform these two concertos. This was shortly after the LP and Quad LP of these works was released. Alas, before the concert could take place Mr. Biggs developed pneumonia and was hospitalized, a substitute organist was found, the resident organist at the Church of the RCLDS headquartered in Independence, MO where the concert was held in that auditorium. From my foggy recollection of the concert the organ rather overwhelms the orchestra, with occasional breakthroughs from the brass while the strings saw away. Musically it sounds like a mixture of Beethoven and Saint Saens, fanfare-like figures from the brass, answered by blasts from the organ. The slow movements dwell in the ruminative netherworlds of organ figurations, the outer movements paced mostly moderato with organ - brass volleys. Which is to say that this SACD ought to be a better listening experience than a live performance. At the time of the Quad LP release it was considered quite a demo of then state of the art sound technology - unfortunately very few had the equipment to enjoy this phenomenon. What with modern remastering, rebalancing, discrete channels, high bit technology, et. al. this ought to be as they say a sonic spectacular.