Flights of Fantasy

These days we’d probably just call it ‘getting off’, but years ago when a great performer let loose his imagination, you found yourself transported to marvelous new musical worlds. On our next Pipedreams program, we celebrate multiple opportunities for unfettered inventiveness in a varied collection of inspired works from the German Baroque, by Buxtehude, Bach, Bruhns, and Reincken. And we’ll hear how more recent composers Leo Sowerby in America, Percy Whitlock in England and Louis Vierne in France play with the expanded resources of the 20th century pipe organ.

From felicitous demonstration of a rank of flute stops, to exploration of the full sonic potential of great instrument and some great players we enter the world of unfettered imagination, where music can take us up, up, and away. Be mesmerized by the masters, soar with the eagles, as we take off on Flights of Fantasy, this week on Pipedreams.

Listen to the program

Program Broadcast dates:

May 21, 2001

Music played in the program

NICOLAUS BRUHNS: Praeludium in e –Jan Willem Jansen (1981 Ahrend/Musée des Augustins, Toulouse, France) Temperaments CD-316011

DIETERICH BUXTEHUDE: Choral-Fantasy, Nun freut euch, loieben Christen g’mein –Harald Vogel (1693 Schnitger/Jacobikirche, Hamburg, Germany) Dabringhaus und Grimm MDG 314 0427

ANTHONI van NOORDT: Fantasia Number 4 –Cees van der Poel (1658 Hagerbeer/Nieuwe Kerk, Haarlem, The Netherlands) Naxos 8.554205

LOUIS VIERNE: Intermezzo, Number 4, from Fantasy Pieces, Opus 51, Suite 1 –Ben van Oosten (1890 Cavaillé-Coll/Église Saint-Ouen, Rouen, France) Dabringhaus und Grimm MDG 316 0847

PERCY WHITLOCK: Fantasie Choral Number 2 –Graham Barber (1933 Henry Willis & Sons; 2004 Harrison/Hereford Cathedral, England, UK) Priory PRCD525

LEO SOWERBY: Fantasy for Flute Stops –Mark Dwyer (1936 Aeolian-Skinner/Church of the Advent, Boston, MA) JAV CD-111

J.S. BACH: Fantasy in g, S. 542. DIETERICH BUXTEHUDE: Chorale-prelude, Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist. JOHANN ADAM REINCKEN: Fugue in G. J.S. BACH: Fugue in g, S. 542 –Matthias Eisenberg (1721 Silbermann/St. George Church, Rötha, Germany) Priory PRCD411