Favourite works for Organ and Orchestra (excluding Saint Saens's 3rd Symphony)

[vandermolen]

Up to 6?

Copland: Symphony for Organ and Orchestra
Richard Strauss: Festival Prelude for Organ and Orchestra
Stephen Paulus: Grand Concerto for Organ and Orchestra
Malcolm Williamson: Organ Concerto
Poulenc: Organ Concerto
Vaughan Williams: Prelude and Fugue in c minor (orchestral version)

[Brian]

Barber: Toccata festiva
Copland: Organ Symphony
Handel: (tie) any organ concerto in a minor key
Poulenc: Organ Concerto
Widor: Organ Symphonies Opp. 42 and 69

BONUS
Elgar: Enigma Variations must always be played with organ in the finale

GIVING MYSELF SOME HOMEWORK
Just saw there is a Naxos disc with two concertos by Rheinberger. I'll give that a listen this afternoon.

[MusicTurner]

I think the only ones I really listen to, besides the magnificent S-Saens, are Händel's organ concertos. And Corrette's no.6. The combination of a concertante organ and a big orchestra can be a bit too massive at times, for me.

I do have works say by Rautavaara, Poulenc (comes third?), Copland, Jongen, Kabelac, Nørholm, J.Haydn, Hindemith, Williamson, possibly Aho, etc. I'm not sure I've heard the Williamson.

[Jo498]

I almost never like this in post baroque music (besides Handel and Corrette there are a bunch of Bach sections, most famously the one that became the first movement of the d minor keyboard concerto in the cantata BWV 146,
Don't even care for the Saint-Saens, maybe I should try the Copland and Poulenc once again. I seem to vaguely recall at least not actively disliking the Poulenc concerto.

[vandermolen]

Barber: Toccata festiva
Copland: Organ Symphony
Handel: (tie) any organ concerto in a minor key
Poulenc: Organ Concerto
Widor: Organ Symphonies Opp. 42 and 69

BONUS
Elgar: Enigma Variations must always be played with organ in the finale

GIVING MYSELF SOME HOMEWORK
Just saw there is a Naxos disc with two concertos by Rheinberger. I'll give that a listen this afternoon.

Thaks Brian - the Barber would have been included if I'd allowed myself a 7th choice. I want to hear it again - so, some homework for myself! 

[vandermolen]

I think the only ones I really listen to, besides the magnificent S-Saens, are Händel's organ concertos. And Corrette's no.6. The combination of a concertante organ and a big orchestra can be a bit too massive at times, for me.

I do have works say by Rautavaara, Poulenc (comes third?), Copland, Jongen, Kabelac, Nørholm, J.Haydn, Hindemith, Williamson, possibly Aho, etc. I'm not sure I've heard the Williamson.

I've actually seen the Williamson live (great 'big tune' in the finale, based on the dedicatee, Adrian Boult's, initials (ACB)) with Boult conducting. This is the team who recorded it for Lyrita:

[vandermolen]

I almost never like this in post baroque music (besides Handel and Corrette there are a bunch of Bach sections, most famously the one that became the first movement of the d minor keyboard concerto in the cantata BWV 146,
Don't even care for the Saint-Saens, maybe I should try the Copland and Poulenc once again. I seem to vaguely recall at least not actively disliking the Poulenc concerto.

Thanks
The Poulenc isn't my favourite but it has some great moments.

[MusicTurner]

I've actually seen the Williamson live (great 'big tune' based on the dedicatee, Adrian Boult's, initials (ACB)) with Boult conducting. This is the team who recorded it for Lyrita.

Mine is the Lyrita LP. I'll give it a listen.

[vandermolen]

Mine is the Lyrita LP. I'll give it a listen.

Yes, do and let us know what you think - look out for the big tune in the last movement! I have that Lyrita LP as well.

[MusicTurner]

I almost never like this in post baroque music (besides Handel and Corrette there are a bunch of Bach sections, most famously the one that became the first movement of the d minor keyboard concerto in the cantata BWV 146,
Don't even care for the Saint-Saens, maybe I should try the Copland and Poulenc once again. I seem to vaguely recall at least not actively disliking the Poulenc concerto.

I also have BWV1052 as a concerto for organ & orchestra, it works OK.

[Jo498]

Yes, I have seen this, there was an 1980s East German recording of the d minor as "organ concerto" with the young Schornsheim on the organ. Some of the other keyboard concertos have also been done with organ.

I think Power Biggs had a disc on Sony with selected Bach sinfonias featuring organ. The other famous one is the one based on the same material as the prelude of the E major violin partita.
In fact, the young Handel might have been the first composer to write a concerto movement with organ solo as a sinfonia (3 or 4 min) in the early italian oratorio Trionfo del tempo ed il disinganno.

While I don't remember the particular piece, I liked all of Hindermiths "Kammermusiken" and the last one op.46 No.2 is an organ (chamber) concerto (1927). There is another late organ concerto by Hindemith from 1962 but I have never heard this one.

[VonStupp]

I will have to mull this one over, but without repeating others I'll add these off the top of my head:

Saint-Saens: Cyprès et lauriers
Liszt: Hunnenschlacht
Stanford: Concert Piece
Sowerby: Medieval Poem
Daugherty: Once Upon a Castle
Khachaturian: Symphony 3
Colgrass: Snow Walker

I generally like when a composer will add organ pedal as an orchestral voice, such as Respighi or Elgar, but that doesn't quite fit here.

[André]

I love the combination of organ and orchestra, one of the most successful to include an obbligato instrument IMO.

I would add these to the works already listed:

- Guilmant's two symphonies for organ and orchestra (esp. no 1).
- Thierry Escaich's terrific organ concerto.

That being said, my personal choice as a bona fide masterpiece (of any genre or style) is the Poulenc concerto. 0:)

[vandermolen]

I will have to mull this one over, but without repeating others I'll add these off the top of my head:

Saint-Saens: Cyprès et lauriers
Liszt: Hunnenschlacht
Stanford: Concert Piece
Sowerby: Medieval Poem
Daugherty: Once Upon a Castle
Khachaturian: Symphony 3
Colgrass: Snow Walker

I generally like when a composer will add organ pedal as an orchestral voice, such as Respighi or Elgar, but that doesn't quite fit here.

Oh! How could I forget the Khachaturian! 

[vandermolen]

I love the combination of organ and orchestra, one of the most successful to include an obbligato instrument IMO.

I would add these to the works already listed:

- Guilmant's two symphonies for organ and orchestra (esp. no 1).
- Thierry Escaich's terrific organ concerto.

That being said, my personal choice as a bona fide masterpiece (of any genre or style) is the Poulenc concerto. 0:)

Thanks for reminding us of Guilmant. Must give those another listen to.

[vandermolen]

I will have to mull this one over, but without repeating others I'll add these off the top of my head:

Saint-Saens: Cyprès et lauriers
Liszt: Hunnenschlacht
Stanford: Concert Piece
Sowerby: Medieval Poem
Daugherty: Once Upon a Castle
Khachaturian: Symphony 3
Colgrass: Snow Walker

I generally like when a composer will add organ pedal as an orchestral voice, such as Respighi or Elgar, but that doesn't quite fit here.

I think that Respighi's Suite for Organ and Strings is a good choice. I like Stanford's 'Concert Piece' as well.

[Cato]

I love the combination of organ and orchestra, one of the most successful to include an obbligato instrument IMO.

I would add these to the works already listed:

- Guilmant's two symphonies for organ and orchestra (esp. no 1).
- Thierry Escaich's terrific organ concerto.

That being said, my personal choice as a bona fide masterpiece (of any genre or style) is the Poulenc concerto. 0:)

A big AMEN  0:)  for the GUILMANT and POULENC works!

Oh! How could I forget the Khachaturian! 

Is that the one with 10 trumpets?  I bought that when it first came out on an American label, I think on RCA with Leopold Stokowski conducting!

A fun work!  A potboiler,     but a fun potboiler! 

Not to be forgotten:

https://www.youtube.com/v/hu8Y8elFFhE

[Brian]

Not to be forgotten:

https://www.youtube.com/v/hu8Y8elFFhE

Indeed, I didn't forget it!  One of my favorite knock-the-house-down CDs!

[classicalgeek]

I guess I would have to go with works that have already been mentioned:

Poulenc - Organ Concerto
Barber - Toccata Festiva
Copland - Organ Symphony
Hindemith - Kammermusik op. 46 no. 2

and, although they're written for an organ *as part* of the orchestra, I can't not mention these:
Janacek - Glagolitic Mass
Bax - Symphony no. 4
Holst - The Planets
Respighi - Pines of Rome, Roman Festlvals

[vandermolen]

I guess I would have to go with works that have already been mentioned:

Poulenc - Organ Concerto
Barber - Toccata Festiva
Copland - Organ Symphony
Hindemith - Kammermusik op. 46 no. 2

and, although they're written for an organ *as part* of the orchestra, I can't not mention these:
Janacek - Glagolitic Mass
Bax - Symphony no. 4
Holst - The Planets
Respighi - Pines of Rome, Roman Festlvals

Oh yes! I like those four additional choices - the Janacek is especially apt I think and I like all the others.