Vol. 2-Jesus on Saviour

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
The Emmy Award-winning Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is one Europe's finest recording orchestras, and is the featured orchestra in Coventry Music's three album set, The Praise Symphony Project, arranged and conducted by Paul Terracini. The best-selling A Symphony of Hope - The Worship Songs of Geoff Bullock, (Maranatha! Music/Bredon Hill) was also recorded by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, the orchestra also performs on Paul Terracini's Hymns of Our Forefathers, Vol. 1, for Australia’s Bredon Hill Music and the Scripture in Song retrospective As Incense - Symphonic Expressions of Faith (Integrity Music). With over twenty critically acclaimed albums of film music recorded for Silva Screen Records, the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra has garnered wide acceptance throughout Europe.

Album Description
SYMPHONY NO. 2, JESUS OUR SAVIOUR is the second in a three-album trilogy of symphonic works, based around the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Once again combining both the historic hymns of the church with the fresh voice of new worship songs, Australian arranger/conductor Paul Terracini and the Emmy Award-winning Prague Philharmonic Orchestra present a triumphant portrait of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, our Saviour.

Tracks:

Prelude And Fugue In B Major
Prelude And Fugue In F Minor
Prelude And Fugue In G Minor
Variations On 'Adeste Fideles' An Improvisation For Organ
Le Virtrail de St. Ouen, Op. 65
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 7-12: 7. In My Beloved God
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 7-12: 8. Out Of The Depths Have I Cried Unto Thee
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 7-12: 9. O Christ Who Art The Light Of The World
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 7-12: 10. Christ The Lamb Of God
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 7-12: 11. Christ Is Risen From The Dead
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 7-12: 12. Christ Lay In The Bonds Of Death
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 42-47: 42. Jesus, My Joy
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 42-47: 43. Jesus Christ, Our Saviour
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 42-47: 44. Jesus Christ, Our Saviour
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 42-47: 45. Jesus, My Trust
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 42-47: 46. Come God, Creator, Holy Ghost
Chorales, Op. 28, Nos. 42-47: 47. Come Holy Ghost, Lord God
Meditation (1966)
Paraphrase On The 'Te Deum', Op. 43

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performance on a great instrument.......2006-10-09

As an addition to the review below, what makes this CD the best of the Dupre series on Naxos are the performer and the instrument. Jeanette Fishell, who is a nationally known organist and champion of the works of Petr Eben, shows herself a brillant interpreter of Dupre who has his technique down pat. Her performance is exquisitely well-thought, is well-registered and delivers quite an emotional impact. I dare you to find a better recording of the 3 Preludes and Fugues.
The organ at St George's Nashville is the 85-rank Casavant Op. 3606 from 1986, located high on the east end behind the high altar and speaking directly into the nave. It is notable for its rich assertive principal mixtures, an expressive Positif section with a wealth of solo voices, and 2 ranks of big trumpets (hooded ones in the Positif, and festival ones in the west end). Legend has it that a Casavant voicer from Quebec, on hearing the completed instrument, said that he was satisfied with the whole, "but the 2-footer, the 4-footer...she sing, she sing!" And it is a fact that the upper voices carry exceptionally well in this acoustic, and to great (sometimes fiery) effect in this recording. Casavant Op. 3606 has been featured on several recordings on CD and radio, but it has never sounded better than on this CD.

Organ Pyromania.......2000-09-07

The Three Preludes and Fugues, in their time, were like no work ever written before. Composed as an entry in the prestigious Prix de Rome competition, they display astounding virtuosity, both in composition and in the performer. The B major Prelude and Fugue displays the typical qualities of a French toccata; dazzlingly quick handwork on the manuals with a profound, carillon-like melody in the pedals. The F minor Prelude and Fugue is far more subdued and vague about its statement, with much of it being played on Bourdons and Voix Celeste stops. The G minor Prelude and Fugue combines characteristics of both pieces proceeding it - the Prelude being soft and Presto, the Fugue being loud and Moderato. These pieces display a maturity well before their time, and if you analyse and dissect the pieces written around Op. 7, apart from his Quatre Motets Op. 9, you will not find anything as mature until his Variations in C# Op. 22 for piano, or his Symphonie-Passion, Op. 23 for organ.

Variations on "Adeste Fideles" were originally an improvisation recorded on a Skinner Organ Company Pipe Organ roll, recorded at The Skinner Studio NYC in 1929. These rolls were very similar to those used by Grainger and Rachmaninov to record their own works. This improvisation was reconstructed and edited by the American Rollin Smith in 1974. The variations open with the hymn played on foundations, followed by a variation featuring the melody on Cromorne 8', accompanied by Flûtes 16', 8', 4'. An amazing triplet variation on Full Swell with Swell-Pedal follows, then a fugue in the relative minor (E). The piece is rounded off with a short typical French toccata of 3 pages in length. This piece makes a great concert piece at Christmastide and it isn't too difficult for the average organist to play, given an adequate instrument.

Vitrail is Dupré's last composition with an opus number, and was composed to describe the stain-glass window at the cathedral of St Ouen in Rouen, where Dupré's father was organist. This piece is written from an artist's perspective, carefully detailing every object, no matter how small or insignificant, rounding off in an explicit coda of retrospective wonderment.

Listeners continue to get a taste for the Seventy Nine Chorales, written as preliminaries for the counterparts in name, written by J.S. Bach. These are great pieces to start students off with and are his easiest works, next to some of his Inventions, Op. 50.

Méditation, as the name states, is a quiet contemplation that was written for some friends as a contribution to their book 'A Library of Organ Music'.

Tracks:

Offertoire I'll Est Ne, Le Divin Enfant
No. 59: Come Now, Saviour
No. 54: Praise God
No. 68: Out Of High Heaven
No. 41: In Quiet Joy
No. 53: Praise The Lord
I. E Major
II. G Major
No. 19: This Day Full Of Gladness
No. 63: The Child Was Born
No. 28: The Son Of God Is Come
No. 27: Praise To Thee, Jesus Christ
No. 75: We Christians
No. 14: Give Praise To Christ Jesus
I. Ecce Dominus Veniet
II. Omnipotens Sermo Tuus
III. Tecum Principium
IV. Germinavit Radix Jesse
V. Stella Iste
VI. Lumen Ad Revelationem
No. 69: From Heaven Above
No. 18: The Holy Child Shall Be My Consolation
No. 29: Help Me Glorify The Grace Of God
No. 17: The Old Year Is Passed Away
No. 30: Christ My Lord, God's Only-Begotten Son
No. 74: How Bright Shineth The Day-Star!
Theme
Variation I
Variation II
Variation III
Variation IV
Variation V
Variation VI
Variation VII
Variation VIII
Variation IX
Variation X
Presto

Music:

Music

Music