The Great Organ at Methuen - Bach: BWV 540, 542, 582, 643, & 737

Just received this disc today. Listened to it twice. WOW!!Firstly, the Telarc sound is great. It's crisp, detailed and solid. Hard to believe that this was recorded in 1979, the very beginning of commercial digital recording.Secondly, it does NOT have Bach's Toccata & Fugue in d minor. Thank heavens. It's been recorded so often that it's almost hackneyed. It's a wonderful piece of music but has been played nearly to death.... The Bach pieces on this album are both accessible and intriguing. They are a refreshing listen to Bach.Thirdly, if you want bass, this has some wonderful bass... It's not "in-your-face bass", but the kind that strains the best sub-woofers and causes the floor to vibrate. This is a BIG organ 32 foot pedal pipes. The low notes are well below 30 Hz, the kind you feel as much as you hear. You'll really appreciate it. Your amplifier may not appreciate it.Fourthly, Michael Murray is a consummate artist. He's solid, not flashy. He has deep understanding of the music, he has beautiful technique and his pedal technique is second to none. He has played and recorded widely and is one of the great organists of our time. You can't go wrong with anything he does. He plays music, not just notes.Fifthly, the organ itself has a wonderful history as well as a wonderful sound. It was originally installed in Boston's Music Hall between 1857 and 1863. It was later removed from Music Hall in 1884 and put into storage. It was purchased in 1897 by Edward F. Searles and installed in a building constructed especially for this instrument. The organ stayed in the state of Massachusetts and now resides in Methuen Memorial Music Hall in Methuen, MA, a town of 50,000 inhabitants. It has been rebuilt and augmented twice in the 20th Century. Each of these undertakings retained nearly all of the original pipes as well as adding to the coloring of the organ. If you want to see some pictures of the organ and the Music Hall that houses it, go to [...]A few final notes: -The album is only 39 minutes and a few seconds long. This is the length of a good vinyl record of yore. We are used to CDs of today having an hour or more of music. However, the music is heavenly and you will not feel 'cheated'. -This is a cut-out album. It's brand new but for various reasons it has been discontinued or removed from the catalog. (It is available by special order from Arkiv Music for $11.99) The cut-out price is under $10. Either way it is a bargain. If you want one of the original Telarc pressings, then get the cut-out album.Don't delay. This is a classic album and deserves to be in your collection. You don't have to be a pipe organ "buff" to appreciate this album. It has great appeal and wears well. It will bring you much satisfaction for many years to come.I rate it 10 & 10. Ten out of a possible 10 for both artistry and technical quality. (Yes, this is a 'rave review')

Michael Murray’s debut CD for Telarc (recorded June, 1979) is FABULOUS!! I have not heard finer renditions of the Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor or the Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor. The tempos, registrations, and emotional content of Murray’s playing is STUNNING!!! The Toccata in F Major is right up there as well. As the liner notes say regarding the G Minor Fantasia, “the best service an interpreter can render is to stay out of the way of its inexorable unfolding.” Well this is exactly what Murray does with not just the Fantasia, but the other two great masterpieces previously mentioned. No affectation, nothing fancy, just right there in service of this music. This is NOT to say that the readings are dry, on the contrary they are full of profound emotion, especially where needed in the Fantasia and Fugue and Passacaglia and Fugue. The Methuen Organ is quite nice, and fits this music perfectly. Murray shows off some of its characteristic voices especially in the Passacaglia as well as the two Chorale Preludes which round out this disc. I must add that these short pieces are GEMS, full of Spirituality and I am particularly fond of Vater unser im Himmelreich. I HIGHLY recommend this recording!!!

Happy 75th birthday Michael Murray, one of my favorite organists, born 03/19/1943. I have almost everything he has recorded. Also one of my favorite organs! (Also by my favorite organ composer, and among my favorite organ repertoire :)

I have been searching for a couple of this for years! Wonderful and a pleasure to listen to.

I am a little predjudice, because I live in the city where the organ is, and from my home I can see the building which houses this grand organ. It is as truly beautiful as the sound that comes from the instrument within.

Just a note for audiophiles - this early recording is one of those where the organ is in stereo, but the reverb/overhang is in mono. There might have been coincident mikes to explain this - there is left and right organ sound, but virtually no space. You either like this technique or you don't, but if you don't it is really annoying, especially compared to live organ.Still, your mightiest subwoofer, a true one, not the so-called subs that are really just woofers, will have a lot of fun with it. A true sub has, for a change, a lot to work with.JK

Good

This is amazing

Per gli amanti del genere non è possibile trovare di meglio,sia per l'esecuzione cui Michael Murray è davvero come pochi al mondo,sia come registrazione,ai massimi livelli,cui Telarc ormai ci ha abituati e che rimane un riferimento.

Per chi ama ascoltare l'organo, questo è un buon cd... occorre un impianto adeguato e di qualità se si vogliono ascoltare i bassi dell'organo. Audio buono, telarc. Consiglio.