Aaron David Miller - Fantasia on a Theme of Gustav Holst *
Calvin Hampton - Lullaby from Suite No. 2
Jeffrey Brillhart - Philadelphia Flourish *
Jeanne Demessieux - Attende Domine from Twelve Choral Preludes on Gregorian Chant Themes, Op. 8
Leo Sowerby - Comes Autumn Time
David Briggs - Concert Variations on 'Nicaea' *
Gerre Hancock - Air: A Prelude for Organ
McNeil Robinson - Hommage a Messiaen
Jason Roberts - Two Scherzos *
- Whimsical
- Mischievous
Marcel Dupré: Variations sur un Noël, Op. 20
George Baker - Rumba for Organ and Percussion *

* World première recordings

The impressive, one-of-a-kind, fantastically designed Glatter-Gotz/Rosales pipe organ that sits in the Walt Disney Concert Hall is heard here in its first commercially available recording. Ans as well, many of the pieces on this CD are world première recordings, and all twelve works on offer here are all guaranteed to impress organists and organ music enthusiasts alike. And if some of you organists out there are courageous enough to seek out the music of some of these new pieces and intend to play them, they are sure to give both your hands and feet quite a workout. For starters, the Fantasia on a Theme of Gustav Holst, based on the main theme from the planet Jupiter, is bound to keep you focused as the mighty theme is constantly relayed from manuals to pedals and back, whilst you free hand or foot is busy simultaneously working on something else. And for a piece of music that uses as its catalyst the words "AGO Philadelphia" and "Philly", and creates a motif out of them by employing a musical cipher created by composer Arthur Honegger, Philadelphia Flourish certainly sounds better, and more musical, than that play-on-words logic would imply. Anyone who has heard and admired the music of David Briggs before, are in for a treat with Concert Variations on 'Nicaea', as it delves into all the possible stop combinations a massive instrument can offer. And composer McNeil Robinson has truly captured the unique and "oblique" harmonic language and rhythmic style of Olivier Messiaen in his Hommage. And by clever registration, organist Daryl Robinson brings out, at the end, the mystic element of Messiaen. And as their titles suggest, the Two Scherzos by Jason Roberts are very much whimsical and mischievous. And last but not least, the Rumba for Organ and Percussion, despite being technically demanding, must have been just as much fun to play as it is to listen to.

In this older review of a previous recording by organist Daryl Robinson on the Pro Organo label, I remarked about his awesome technique and versatility on the instrument, qualities that are still highly obvious and are the backbone of his playing. And of course he knows how to put each and every pipe, from the 1' Piccolo to the 64' Contre Basson of this 109 ranks monster of an instrument, to good use in this wonderful recording that belongs on the shelf of all serious pipe organ music fans.