Our Favorite Holy Week Recordings - Part 2

The week leading up to Easter is usually referred to as Holy Week, and encompasses many major days of celebration. We have many great recordings of choral and organ music that is appropriate for these celebrations, but this week we thought we would feature some of our favorites! Make sure to see the albums featured yesterday!

Dubois: The Seven Last Words of Christ
Choir of First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, Texas
Teresa Maria Gomez, soprano
Kim Childs, tenor
Edward Pleasant, baritone
Frederick Swann, organist
Gordon McMillan, conductor

A timeless, Romantic setting of the agony of Christ's Passion, this CD is consistently a Gothic Catalog best seller. Sung in English, and beautifully accompanied on organ by Frederick Swann. Also included are Mendelssohn's classic "Hear My Prayer" and Dubois' Grand Chorus for organ.

Hear My Prayer—Mendelssohn (Teresa Maria Gomez, soprano)
Grand Chorus—Dubois (organ solo)
The Seven Last Words—Dubois

Easter on Fifth Avenue
Choir of Saint Thomas Church, New York City
The Saint Thomas Brass
Jeremy S. Bruns, Associate Organist
Christian Lane, Assistant Organist
John Scott, director

John Scott directs the famous Saint Thomas boys choir in Easter favorites.

Jesus Christ is risen today (Easter Hymn) · arr. John Rutter
Haec dies · William Byrd
Most glorious Lord of life · William H. Harris
Christus Vincit · Joseph Noyon, arr. Gerre Hancock
Dum transisset sabbatum · John Taverner
My beloved spake · Patrick Hadley
Come ye faithful, raise the strain (Gaudemus Pariter) · arr. John Scott
Feierlicher Einzug (Solemn Entry for the Knights of St. John) for brass quintet, timpani and organ [1909] · arr. by Scott McIntosh · Richard Strauss
Surrexit Christus hodie · Samuel Scheidt, ed. John Rutter
Lord of the Dance · arr. John Bertalot
Dic nobis, Maria · Giovanni Bassano
If ye be risen again with Christ · Orlando Gibbons
Sing ye to the Lord · Edward C. Bairstow
Ye choirs of new Jerusalem · Sir Charles Villiers Stanford
He is risen, He is risen (Unser Herrscher) · arr. John Scott
Grand Choeur Dialogue for brass, timpani and organ · Eugene Gigout · arr. by Scott McIntosh



Easter Sunday in Imperial Vienna 1666
Antonia Bertali: Missa Resurrectionis
Spiritus Collective
Yale Collegium Players, Robert Mealy, director
Ilya Poletaev, organ
Yale Schola Cantorum, directed by Simon Carrington

Our Favorite Holy Week Recordings

The week leading up to Easter is usually referred to as Holy Week, and encompasses many major days of celebration. We have many great recordings of choral and organ music that is appropriate for these celebrations, but this week we thought we would feature some of our favorites!

Easter—Hymns, Carols and Anthems
Choir of All Saints' Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California
All Saints' Brass Ensemble
Craig Phillips, organist
Thomas Foster, director
World Premier Recordings!

Tom Foster and the choir of All Saints' present a program of Easter music, including a significant number of first recordings. Supplemented by an eleven member brass ensemble and the organ playing of Craig Phillips, this CD shows why this choir is among the most highly regarded in Episcopal churches. Intentional, focused, spiritual singing.

Includes "Jesus Christ is risen today", "Now the Green Blade Riseth", and Britten's Festival Te Deum.


J.S. Bach: St John Passion (1725 version)
Derek Chester, Evangelist
Douglas Williams, Jesus
Ilya Poletaev, organ
William Perdue, violoncello
Abigail Haynes and Mellissa Hughes, soprano
Ian L. Howell and Sylvia Aiko Rider, alto
Steven Caldicott Wilson, tenor
Joshua Copeland, bass
Yale Collegium Players (Robert Mealy, director)
Yale Schola Cantorum
Simon Carrington, director

The rarely performed 1725 version of Bach’s St. John Passion is presented by Yale University’s premier early-music ensembles. Simon Carrington, who initiated his illustrious musical career as cofounder of the King’s Singers, directs this live performance.

Click to view all of our Holy Week Recordings!

The Organ Loft - Dubois’ Seven Last Words

The Organ Loft - March 28, 2010
Dubois’ Seven Last Words, with organist Frederick Swann
Webcast and Broadcast Schedule


Program: Dubois’ Seven Last Words, with organist Frederick Swann

1. THÉODORE DUBOIS: The Seven Last Words of Christ outcue: "…next, on the Organ Loft”
2. J.S. BACH (arr: V. Fox): Come, Sweet Death

Recordings Used:
“The Seven Last Words of Christ” Choir of First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, Texas; Gordon McMillan, dir; Frederick Swann, organ; Teresa Maria Gomez, sop; Kim Childs, tenor; Edward Pleasant, baritone GOTHIC G 49124
“Riverside Revisited” Frederick Swann, organ GOTHIC G 49086

Listen Online:

KING-FM Seattle's Classical Choice — Sundays at 10:00 PM

OREGON: KWAX-FM and the University of Oregon radio network — Sundays at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM

Bach Celebration Week Sale

This is the last day that we will be reminding you of the Bach Celebration Week savings that you should be participating in! So, make sure to head over to http://gothic-catalog.com today!

J.S. Bach: St John Passion (1725 version)
Derek Chester, Evangelist
Douglas Williams, Jesus
Ilya Poletaev, organ
William Perdue, violoncello
Abigail Haynes and Mellissa Hughes, soprano
Ian L. Howell and Sylvia Aiko Rider, alto
Steven Caldicott Wilson, tenor
Joshua Copeland, bass
Yale Collegium Players (Robert Mealy, director)
Yale Schola Cantorum
Simon Carrington, director

The rarely performed 1725 version of Bach’s St. John Passion is presented by Yale University’s premier early-music ensembles. Simon Carrington, who initiated his illustrious musical career as cofounder of the King’s Singers, directs this live performance.

List Price: $24.98
Our Price: $15.98
You save $9.00!
Buy Now to Save!

Bach Influences: Kimberly Marshall two-CD special
Kimberly Marshall's "Bach and the Italian Influence" plus "Bach and the French Influence" for a special price!

Bach and the Italian Inflence
Fisk-Nanney Organ
Stanford Memorial Church
Kimberly Marshall, organist

"Bach and the Italian Influence" explores the Italian influences on Bach, and is presented by organ scholar and international performing artist, Kimberly Marshall.

The Stanford Fisk is unique in that it incorporates two different tuning temperaments (well-tempered and meantone), both of which are heard on this recording.

Toccata and Fugue in F-Major, BWV 540/ J.S. Bach
Concerto in d-minor, BWV 596 (based on the Concerto in d-minor, Opus 3, no. 11 by Vivaldi)/ J.S. Bach
Toccata avanti la Messa della Madonna/ Frescobaldi
Canzona dopo l'Epistola/ Frescobaldi
Recercar dopo il Credo/ Frescobaldi
Bergamasca/ Frescobaldi
Canzona in d-minor, BWV 588/ J.S. Bach
Fugue in b-minor on a theme of Corelli, BWV 592/ J.S. Bach
Concerto in G-Major, BWV 592 (based on the Concerto in G-Major by Prince Johann Ernst von Sachsen-Weimar)/ J.S. Bach
Toccata and Fugue in d-minor ("Dorian"), BWV 538/ J.S. Bach

Bach and the French Influence
Fisk-Nanney Organ
Stanford Memorial Church
Kimberly Marshall, organist

Noted organist and scholar, Kimberly Marshall, explores the relationship between French classical composers and Johann Sebastian Bach. The Stanford Fisk incorporates two different tuning temperaments (well-tempered and meantone), both of which are heard on this recording.

Prelude in E-flat major, BWV 552/J.S. Bach
Fantasy in c minor, BWV 562/ J. S. Bach
Fugue à 5/ Nicolas de Grigny
Trio in F Major, BWV 587/ J.S. Bach
Excerpts from Messe des Paroisses/ François Couperin
Fantasy and Fugue in c minor, BWV 537/ J. S. Bach
Excerpts from Livre Premier/ Louis Marchand
Pièce d'orgue, BWV 572/ J. S. Bach

Buy Both Discs together for one Special Price:
List Price: $26.98
Our Price: $14.98
You save $12.00!
Take Advantage of this offer - Buy Now!

Bach: Clavierübung III & Schübler Chorales
Joan Lippincott, organ

Joan Lippincott continues her Bach series with two of the most substantial collections published during Bach's lifetime. The Clavierübung III follows Book I (Italian Concerto) and Book II (Goldberg Variations) and precedes Book IV (Art of Fugue), and altogether represents Bach’s highest achievements in the art of writing for the keyboard. Clavierubung III, sometimes called “The Organ Mass” begins with settings of the Kyrie and Gloria, but is structured after the German Lutheran catechism. Included in this recording are both the large chorales, the alternative chorales for manuals only and the four duetti. Bach’s collection of cantata movement transcriptions for organ published by Schübler in 1742 includes the famous “Wachet Auf!”, and rounds out this two-CD collection.

List Price: $26.98
Our Price: $14.98
You save $12.00!
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Bach Week Celebration Sale!

It's still Bach week here at The Gothic Catalog, and our celebration translates into major savings for you! Here are a couple of examples of how you can celebrate Bach's birthday:

The Bach Masses - Volume 1
FIRST AMERICAN CD RECORDING!

Washington Bach Consort
J. Reilly Lewis, music director

The success of Bach's B-minor Mass has obscured a number of his shorter masterpieces of the same genre. Written in the 1730s (when Bach was in his 40s), these masses—which consist only of a Kyrie and Gloria setting—could be performed in both Catholic and Lutheran liturgies. Sometimes misleadingly called "The Lutheran Masses," Bach used them to gain recognition from the Catholic court of Dresden, which bestowed upon him the title "Electoral Saxon and Royal Polish Court Compositeur." Later he was to take one of these masses and expand it into the full B-minor Mass so popular today. The Washington Bach Consort, directed by J. Reilly Lewis, is one of America's leading Bach ensembles, having recently performed the entire 5-year cycle of Bach cantatas. In this first volume of the complete Bach masses, they explore some of the B-minor Mass's lesser-known, but equally interesting, companions. Program notes by eminent Bach scholar Christoph Wolff.

Mass in F major, BWV 233
Kyrie-Christe, Du Lamm Gottes, in F major, BWV 233a
Mass in G minor, BWV 235

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The Trio Sonatas of Johann Sebastian Bach
performed on a diverse collection of period instruments

Dana Maiben, violin (Nicola Amati, 1658)
Wendy Rolfe, flute (Rod Cameron, after G.A. Rottenburgh)
Alice Robbins, 'cello and viola da gamba (Thomas Urquhart, and William Turner, respectively, after instruments from London c. 1680)
Christa Rakich, harpsichord (French double after Blanchet by Willard Martin)
Christa Rakich, organ (Brombaugh, Taylor/Boody, Fritts, Fisk, Richards/Fowkes, and Harrold)

Scored for organ (or pedal clavichord), the Bach trio sonatas can be played on a variety of instruments, as Christa Rakich demonstrates in this imaginative program. Six different organs, six different organ builders, and an assortment of period chamber music instruments are used on this double-CD set!

Audio sample here (CD1 track 4)

"Christa Rakich’s new recording of the Six Trio Sonatas of Bach is remarkable for its variety, ingenuity, elegance, and scholarship. Ms. Rakich has assembled a unique presentation of these notoriously difficult contrapuntal masterpieces. ...She is a serious, intellectual musician, cognizant of every detail in this intensely linear music. Whether in the three-part counterpoint of the sonatas, the massive textures of the preludes, the intricate four-part dialogue of the fugues, or her beautifully realized continuo in the two transcribed sonatas, Ms. Rakich exhibits a pristine technique. She sensitively conveys the unique character of each of the many themes as well as the special ambience of the various keys through which each movement progresses. Her registrations delight the ear with one beautiful combination on one superb instrument after another, and her embellishments and flourishes are always tasteful.

Ms. Rakich begins her program notes with a question: “Why another recording of Bach’s Trio Sonatas?” and she correctly acknowledges that “so many fine ones exist.” The varied instrumental color palette brought to this familiar repertoire by Ms. Rakich and her colleagues is itself a compelling reason to produce a new recording. Adding to that the precision, clarity, and vitality of the playing, there is every reason to welcome this outstanding recording to the Bach Discography." — The American Organist

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Our Price: $12.98
You save $14.00!
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Bach's Birthday Celebration!

It's Bach's birthday and we're celebrating at The Gothic Catalog with a few of our favorite Bach recordings!

So to really celebrate we are passing on some ridiculous savings to you! For example:


The Complete Joan Lippincott Collection of Bach on Gothic Records
Eight discs, total, at a special price.

This set includes:

1. Toccatas & Fugues by Bach/Lippincott
2. Bach: Leipzig Chorales/Lippincott
3. Bach Trio Sonatas/Lippincott
4. Sinfonia: Organ Concertos and Sinfonias by J.S. Bach/Lippincott
5. Preludes & Fugues/Lippincott
6. Bach: Clavierübung III & Schübler Chorales/Lippincott (2 CDs!)
7. J.S. Bach: Weimar Preludes and Fugues/Lippincott

List Price: $197.80
Our Price: $49.98
You save $147.82!
Buy it Now at this amazing price!

The Organ Loft - Bach Organ Fugues

The Organ Loft - March 21, 2010
Bach Organ Fugues
Webcast and Broadcast Schedule


Program: Bach Fugues

1. Fugue in c-minor, BWV 575 1
2. Fugue in G major, “Jig”, BWV 577 2
3. Fugue in g-minor, “Little”, BWV 578 2
4. Fugue in C major, BWV 566 3
5. Fugue in D major, BWV 532 4
6. Fugue in C major, BWV 564 5
7. Fugue in e-minor, “Wedge”, BWV 548 6
8. Fugue in g-minor, BWV 542 7

Recordings Used:
“Bach: Preludes and Fugues” Lionel Rogg, organ HARMONIA MUNDI 290772
“Bach: Great Organ Favorites” E. Power Biggs, organ CBS42644
“Johann Sebastian Bach” Wim van Beek, organ MARTINIKERK GRONIGEN WBG 9905
“J. S. Bach: The Works for Organ, Vol 2” Kevin Bowyer, organ NIMBUS 5289
“Bach on the Fritts!” Jonathan Biggers, organ CALCANTE RECORDINGS CAL CD009
“One of a Kind” William Porter, organ LOFT RECORDINGS LRCD 1025
“Bach organ works, vol. 1” George Ritchie, Raven OAR-250

Listen Online:

KING-FM Seattle's Classical Choice — Sundays at 10:00 PM

OREGON: KWAX-FM and the University of Oregon radio network — Sundays at 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM