Matthew Owens - Organ Works 1 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

A close contemporary of Buxtehude, Johann Pachelbel was, by all accounts, an outstanding keyboard player himself, and his compositions provide a fascinating stylistic bridge between early-Baroque composers such as Frescobaldi and Froberger (both of whom influenced him) and the later music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. Organist Matthew Owens continues his major exploration of the many extant organ works of Pachelbel with this second volume, recorded on a recent instrument by the renowned French organ builder, Bernard Aubertin. The recital includes Pachelbel's largest set of Magnificat Fugues - 23 in total - alongside free works and chorale-based works.

On September 26, 1957, West Side Story opened at Broadway's Winter Garden Theater a turning point in the history of American Musical theater, but also the launch of one of the most dazzling, hit laden scores ever written for Broadway. Leonard Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics immediately captured the public's imagination. In the last half century, the greatest singers and instrumentalists in the pop and classical music have been reinventing these unforgettable tunes. This new collection brings together the very best of them, from Johnny Mathis's classic cover of InchMariaInch to the Dave Brubeck Quartet's martini cool version of Inchsomewhere.Inch

In this fifth volume of the complete organ works of Johann Pachelbel, Matthew Owens continues his revelatory exploration of a composer who stood at the crossroads of German musical traditions. Recorded on the characterful historic Metzler organ of Trinity College, Cambridge, this programme illuminates Pachelbel's synthesis of northern virtuosity and southern lyricism - from the cascading brilliance of the toccatas and the poised contrapuntal craft of the fugues, to the devotional intimacy of the chorale preludes and Magnificat Fugues. Owens's performances bring a rare clarity and expressive warmth to music that bridges liturgical purpose and concert artistry. With it's elegant blend of scholarship, colour, and vitality, this latest instalment in the acclaimed series reaffirms Pachelbel as one of the most eloquent voices of seventeenth-century organ literature.