Horatio Parker (1863-1919): Organ Concerto in E-Flat Minor, Op. 55 (1901/02)
Wayne Oquin (b. 1977): Resilience (2015)
Christopher Rouse (1949-2019): Organ Concerto (2014)
Charles Ives (1874-1954): Variations on "America" (1891/92) - {revised and edited by E. Power Biggs in 1949}

Works for the pipe organ, even outside of the liturgical context, are plentiful. On the other hand, compositions for Organ and Orchestra are relatively rare, and American works in this idiom, even more so. And due to the extra technical logistics involved - use of an adequate concert hall equipped with a pipe organ or, assembling a large orchestra and its instruments within a church building (I've heard recordings in which the organ and orchestra were recorded independently of each other and eventually mixed together, a procedure that never sounds quite right), actual recordings are a rare commodity. Noteworthy exceptions are these great recordings of the Symphony No. 3 "Organ" by Camille Saint-Saëns and the Organ Symphony by Aaron Copland, the latter featuring the same organist as in this new recording. If you've never heard the Copland it should definitely be on your bucket list.

Both Resilience by Wayne Oquin and the Organ Concerto by Christopher Rouse were given their world premiere performances in 2016 by American organist Paul Jacobs. Resilience opens in an impressive fanfaronade fashion, pitting the organ and orchestra against each other. It also includes some highly atmospheric and sonically immersive passages which highlight the pipe organ's tender tonal characteristics. But in the end, the titanic clashes resurface with the organ and orchestra fighting for supremacy. The focal point of Rouse's Organ Concerto is its central Lento movement. Its rich and darkly nebulous harmonic textures bring to mind Neptune from Gustav Holst's "The Planets". The organ is perfectly set as the core internal fabric of the orchestra.

By contrast, the Organ Concerto by Horatio Parker, which saw its premiere in 1902 with the composer at the organ with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, harkens back to late 19th century romantic ideals and is structured in typical concertante form. It's an impressive work that seems to have been mostly overlooked so it's nice to be able to hear it now in this superb performance.

The solo organ work Variations on "America" by Charles Ives ends the program in typical Ivesian style. Despite being a very early work by Ives eventually labeled "the father of American modernism", it already features some of this composer's trademark idiosyncrasies such as simultaneously clashing tonalities, and brief moments of comic relief.

All in all, this is a welcome release for any pipe organ music enthusiasts looking to hear divergent facets of the instrument. It also, in historical context, sheds light on the instrument's evolution and adaptation over the last century.