Search - Virgil Fox :: Art of Virgil Fox

Jim B. from LUTZ, FL
Reviewed on 5/3/2011...

Great disc!

You need this one!

the Organmeister | Columbia, SC | 12/29/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is comprised of transcriptions for organ. Ole Virgy explores the vast tonal resources of the wonderful Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ in the Riverside Church. From the bombastic chords of "A Mighty Fortress" to the lush sounds of Liszt's Liebestraume No. 3, you will find yourself immersed in beautiful auditory impressions. No one knows transcriptions like Ole Virgy. This would make a nice addition to the Virgil Fox collection, but only after you have bought his Encores CD."

A great program from the world's best romantic organ

David Robinson | Oakland, CA United States | 01/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The enormous Aeolian-Skinner organ in New York's Riveside Church was built over two decades under the direction of Virgil Fox who plays on this recording. Although it's not the largest organ in the world, or even in New York, it is the definitive American Symphonic Organ. There are dozens of different divisions surrounding the church sanctuary (not just one big box at one end of the church) and there are tens of thousands of pipes. Many stops beautifully imitate orchestral instruments. The organ is renown for its extensive "celeste" stops--stops where two ranks of pipes, one slightly out of tune, play together to provide a shimmering ethereal quality.The organ's resources are so vast that many performers have difficulty in controling the sound. They play either whisper soft or deafeningly loud. But Fox was perfectly in control, and you'll hear the full range of the organ building to exciting climaxes and then gently pulling back. There's an interesting story about the (analog) recording process. Since the pipes were closely miked, whenever Fox changed stops, the tape would pick up an ungodly crash of the pneumatic stop mechanism. During recordings, at each change, Fox would pause for 5 or 6 beats, and the stop change would later be cut out of the tape. This led to some interesting glitches in the rhythm of the finished pieces, but those of us who've loved this program for 20 years since it first came out on LP wouldn't have it any other way.The program is interesting, with many relaxing familiar tunes. If you own one CD of this fabulous organ, this should be the one."