American Muse

We take the psalmists directive, at least for few moments, and venture Beside Still Waters on our next Pipedreams program by listening to music by American composers. Douglas Cleveland plays Dan Locklair’s Windows of Comfort… a series of movements inspired by Tiffany stained glass window scenes. David Higgs presents the world premiere of Three Meditations, by Augusta Read Thomas, and Mary Preston joins the Colorado Symphony for a colorful and sizzling new Concerto for Organ and Orchestra by Gerald Near which might make you stand up and shout bravo.

From alpha to omega, we explore the living art of colorful contemporary repertoire with Douglas Cleveland, David Higgs, and Mary Preston as our soloist guides. From an Organist’s Guild Convention in Denver, it’s the American Muse at work, this week on Pipedreams.

Listen to the program

1 hr 28 min

Program Broadcast dates:

•November 16, 1998 as Show #9846

•April 16, 2001 as Show #0116

Music played in the program

PAMELA DECKER: Kairos [1997] DAN LOCKLAIR: Windows of Comfort [1996] –Douglas Cleveland (1979 Casavant Frères/Wellshire Presbyterian, Denver, CO) Pipedreams Archive recorded July 2, 1998

GERALD NEAR: Concerto for Organ and Orchestra [1998], premiere –Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Mark Foster, conducting, Mary Preston (Rodgers organ) Pipedreams Archive recorded July 1, 1998

WILLIAM BOLCOM: Fantasy on O Zion Haste/How Firm a Foundation, from Gospel Preludes Book IV, Number 3. CALVIN HAMPTON: At the Ballet, from Five Dances. AUGUSTA READ THOMAS: Meditations [1998], premiere –David Higgs (1985 Reuter/Augustana Lutheran, Denver, CO) Pipedreams Archive recorded July 1, 1998

Though these performances were recorded in concert, commercial recordings are available of some of this repertoire:

PAMELA DECKER; DAN LOCKLAIR; Douglas Cleveland on Gothic G49113

CALVIN HAMPTON on Pro Organo CD 7009

WILLIAM BOLCOM on Pipedreams PD 1001

WILLIAM BOLCOM; David Higgs on Gothic G49113