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Review of the CD released last year in the Classical Music Sentinel. Thanks again to Frederick Hohman for his stellar work on this project, and of course to Manuel Rosales for building such a stunning work of art!

"Instructions on how to play this CD: 1) Close all your windows and doors. 2) Check your house for structural issues. 3) Alert local seismologists about your plans. 4) Crank up the volume and gasp in amazement at organist Daryl Robinson's flawless technique and solid musicianship, and bask in this magnificent instrument's power. 5) Go around your house and check all the windows for cracks. 6) Look outside to see if your neighbours have moved away.

The disc opens with the impressive Scherzo symphonique by Pierre Cochereau, one of those rare pieces that imposes severe demands on the performer's technique and stamina, whilst maintaining an extremely musical momentum and dénouement. It also brings out a pipe organ's character by alternating between full stops to only one or two. It's easy to understand why Daryl Robinson won first prize in the 2012 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance when you hear his thrilling reading of this work of gargantuan proportions. And at the other end of the sonic spectrum lies Sigfrid Karg-Elert's Harmonies du soir which highlights this versatile instrument's gentler side. I've heard thousands of recordings in my life, and very rarely have I heard anything as beautiful as the quality of sound this pipe organ produces on the soft, goosebump inducing, final chord of this work. The Tanz-Toccata again allows you to marvel at Robinson's agilities, while the piece by Jean-François Dandrieu brings out his attention to style and period performance. And if you thought that you had heard this organ's full force in the Cochereau, wait 'til you hear the "monster" exposed during the Prelude and Fugue on BACH by Franz Liszt. The final chords alone will make you glad to be alive.

The recording engineers at Pro Organo have very well captured this organ's power as well as the space it occupies. With impressive stops including a 32' Contre Bombarde, this instrument moves great volumes of air. Enjoy! Hope you're on good terms with your neighbours."

Jean-Yves Duperron - February 2014

St. Paul's, Richmond VA, Calls New Minister of Music

David Sinden has been called as the new minister of music for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. The organ at St. Paul's is Rosales Opus 22. Click for an article on the church's website.

Opus 11: Trinity Cathedral, Portland OR - 20th Anniversary

The year 2007 marked the 20th anniversary of Rosales Opus 11 at Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. The event was observed by a recital featuring John Scott on October 29. Jonathan Ambrosino writes of this instrument:

It has been now eighteen years since I first saw that organ. I still have my handwritten notes and impressions from that visit (three years before my first laptop!). It was David Junchen who urged me to see it most of all, and Grahame Davis ... and seemingly countless others. Sometimes it's difficult to think back to those far more unyielding times, when its fusing of the supposedly unfusable reflected the culture as much as the instrument itself. It was a clear watershed, amplified by so many people understanding that very fact right from the start.

See more about this landmark organ, including John Scott's recital program. Also see an article about the retirement of John Strege after 37 years as organist and choirmaster at Trinity.

 

 

Opus 32: First Lutheran Church of Venice CA

A new page has been added to this website for the organ at First Lutheran Church of Venice, California. The instrument was a collaboration with Parsons Organ Builders. Click for more information.

 

 

David Britton Memorial Website

A website in memory of Dr. David Britton (1942-1992), concert organist and recording artist, has been established by Manuel Rosales. Anyone with material to contribute for the site may contact Manuel by email. Visit the site at DavidBrittonOrganist.info.

 

 

Opus 37: St. Edmund's, San Marino CA

We are honored to have been chosen to rebuild the historic Aeolian-Skinner organ at St. Edmund's Episcopal Church in San Marino, California, in the San Gabriel Valley near Los Angeles. The 31-rank instrument was designed by Joseph Whiteford, who was then President and Tonal Director of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston. It is the firm's Opus 1323 from 1957 and was dedicated with a recital by Irene Robertson on April 13, 1958.

Click for more on this organ, including the stoplist and photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Opus 33: St. Stephen's, Monona WI

The new Rosales Opus 33 at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Monona, Wisconsin, was played for the first time in services on Christmas Eve 2005. The dedication recital was played on David Schrader on June 2, 2006. This 29-stop organ with mechanical action is a collaboration with Parsons Organ Builders of Canandaigua, New York. Click for more on this organ, including the stoplist and photos.

 

 

 

Recent Publications

Murray M. Harris and Organ Building in Los Angeles, 1894-1913 was recently published by OHS Press. Based on research by the late David Lennox Smith, the book has been edited by Orpha Ochse with the collaboration of Manuel Rosales, Kevin Gilchrist, Jim Lewis, and Jack Bethards.  More

Also from OHS Press comes Litterai Organi: Essays in Honor of Barbara Owen, published in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Organ Historical Society. This volume includes an essay by Orpha Ochse entitled "Manuel Rosales and the Los Angeles Organ Renaissance."

Both of the above publications are available from the Organ Historical Society.