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Organ CDs with really deep bass

I'd like to request and share information with other classical-music audiophiles who are interested in classical pipe organ CDs that are exceptionally well recorded and have really deep bass. I have a couple of recommendations for now, and I'd be interested in hearing recommendations from any of you who are into classical pipe organ CDs that permit your state-of-the-art subwoofer to strut its stuff. (Please, no arguments/diatribes here about analog vs. digital, LP vs. CD. Plenty of room for that elsewhere.)

1. Jean Guillou, organist; Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, Stravinsky, 3 Dances from Petrouchka; Dorian CD DOR-90117. D. B. Keele, who used to write speaker and subwoofer reviews for Audio, used this as one of his references for testing subwoofers and called it "one of my favorite bass demos." It has potent levels of really deep bass. As organ buffs know, most medium-to-large pipe organs have at least one (and sometimes more) 32-foot pipe (usually but not always a pedal pipe); this pipe has a fundamental of 16 Hz. This is one of the few recordings I know of that contains this note. An amazing, reference-quality recording. If you'd like to get evicted and are looking for a lease-breaker, this CD played on a good system with a first-class sub should do the trick. (All of the Dorian CDs I have tried of Guillou playing European organs of his design (three of them) have reference-quality sound and seemingly unlimited bottom-end response.)

2. Michael Murray, organist; The Ruffati Organ in Davies Symphony Hall: A Recital of Works by Bach, Messiaen, Dupre, Widor & Franck; Telarc CD CD-80097. Although not as colorful as the Guillou/Dorian CD above, this excellent CD also has prodigious deep bass that will give your sub plenty to do. To my ears, Telarc does a better job of recording Michael Murray (one of the best organists of our day) playing pipe organs than it does of recording orchestras. There are a number of superb Telarc CDs of Murray playing various interesting organs. This is not my favorite overall, but it is outstanding for deep bass.

Now let's hear from you guys. I'm all ears. Thanks.
texasdave
av2k
17 posts
 
There are many books written on pipe construction, some very technical. Take a look at the Organ Historical Society Website, www.ohscatalog.org. They have quite a few books available on-line. You might want to call them for a recommendation.

A subbass is a foundation flue stop usually found in the Pedal Organ. Typically, it is a 16' stop which produces a 32Hz frequency at Low C. The Posaunen is a reed stop sounding like a Trumpet or Trombone in the lower registers. At 32' a Posaunen will have a relatively weak fundamental frequency at 16 Hz, Low C. But the beating of the reed at this frequency provides power to the full ensemble or "full organ"

I haven't heard this CD but it sounds like a small scale organ, voiced in the Northern German style. Clarity of tone is more important here than really deep bass, especially for contrapuntal music like that of Bach.

I found real inspiration while listening to organ recordings and then listening to organ music. The clincher for me was music from the French Romantic Period of the 19th century (Franck, Widor, Guilmant, Vierne). Big sound, large instruments, and glorious music. Not very popular though!
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
I have a very old Mono LP titled "Liebert takes Richmond". It is non classical music, such as you might hear at an ice skating rink, played on a very large Wurlitzer, that gives meaning to the term "all the bells and whistles".. A great recording but technically outdated, and my copy is worn out.
Does anyone have a suggestion along these lines? J.S Bach need not apply.
jimmy2615
407 posts
 
Late in the thread, but I wanted to mention that the Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ Society put out a fundraiser CD of the organ - not a blockbuster **BUT** it has a recording of the solo 64' stops! I don't know of any other recording that has this. Just have your hand on the volume control when you try it out...it is available on their website.
texasdave OP
144 posts
 
I recently stumbled across a CD that belongs in this thread: Ocean Grove: French Spectaculars on the Great Ocean Grove Organ, Gordon Turk, organist, a Dorian CD recorded in 1998. I haven't found anyone who does a better job of recording organs than Craig Dory of Dorian Records, and he did this one. This is a very large organ (4 manuals, 152 ranks, 9,000 pipes, four or five 32' pipes), and this CD is one of the best recordings of a big organ I've ever heard: clear, well focused, wide dynamic range, full frequency range, plenty of natural-sounding, floor-shaking deep bass. This one will give your subwoofers a real workout, and if you're looking for a lease-breaker, it should do the trick. An exceptional recording.
texasdave OP
144 posts
 
Here's another one that belongs in this thread: Peter Hurford playing Mendelssohn, 3 Sonatas and 3 Preludes & Fugues, on the Ratzeburg Cathedral organ, Germany. This is an Argo CD recorded in 1984, and the engineer (Simon Eadon) deserves credit for a superb job: the organ, a large modern instrument (4 manuals, two 32' pedal pipes), is recorded with excellent clarity, but with exceptional deep bass. The booklet contains the following statement (which is certainly unusual for Argo/Decca/London): "Technical Note: Organists and Audiophiles will be interested to know that special attention was paid to recording the massive pedal department of this exciting organ as accurately as possible, whilst at the same time retaining the clarity of the upper-work. Bottom D at 32 pitch represents a fundamental frequency of 19Hz, with sub-harmonics below this. This recording should provide a challenging test and excellent demonstration for lovers of organ music and hi-fi alike." Hurford is one of the best organists around, and he uses this same organ extensively in his complete Bach organ works cycle for Decca/London (but not with the incredibly deep bass heard here, which literally makes my windows shake and rattle). An excellent CD, strongly recommended for any organ buff.
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