Petr Eben: The Organ Music - Halgeir Schiager (5CDs)

Artist: Halgeir Schiager
Album: Petr Eben (1929–2007) - Organ Works Vol. 1-5
Released: 1996-2004
Label: Hyperion
Catalog N°: CDA67194/198
Genre: Organ
File format: eac-log-cue-wv, scans. 5CD ~78MB

VOL. 1
Organ of Hedvig Eleonora Kyrkan, Stockholm

Petr Eben is one of the foremost composers from the Czech Republic. Also known as an organist, he primarily performs his own works, but is also highly sought-after as an improviser on both the piano and the organ. His works for organ are among his most popular, including Laudes and Job - both of which are on this disc. Job is one of two major cycles Eben has written. The Book of Job is seen by the composer to be extremely topical. It answers one of the most difficult questions on life asked to this day: Why do good people suffer misfortune? The material for this work, rich in contrast, is divided into eight movements, each of which express a theme based on a quotation from the Book of Job - Destiny, Faith, Acceptance of suffering, Longing for Death, Despair and Resignation, Mystery of Creation, Penitence and Realisation, and God's Reward. This CD is the first in a projected series of Petr Eben organ music.

Laudes
1. Movement 1: Largo – Con moto – Tempo I [5'12]
2. Movement 2: Lento – Allegro solenne [4'38]
3. Movement 3: Fantastico [5'08]
4. Movement 4: Gravemente – Allegro – Vivace fermo [6'26]
Job
5. Movement 1: Destiny [4'02]
6. Movement 2: Faith [4'24]
7. Movement 3: Acceptance of suffering [5'11]
8. Movement 4: Longing for death [5'32]
9. Movement 5: Despair and resignation [5'30]
10. Movement 6: Mystery of Creation [5'02]
11. Movement 7: Penitence and realization [6'39]
12. Movement 8: God's reward [6'41]
13. Hommage à Buxtehude [7'35]



VOL. 2
Organ of Hedvig Eleonora Kyrkan, Stockholm

Petr Eben was commissioned to write the stage music for a production of Goethe's Faust for the anniversary of the Burgtheater in Vienna (the later version for the organ solo came about in 1980). For this work, he set himself the task of expressing the polarity of good and evil in one person, since he felt the idea behind Goethe's drama was not to create a play about God and Mephistopheles taking place around Faust, but rather to demonstrate the struggle of these conflicting elements within Faust's character. That is the reason why he also sought to realise musically both influences within the one instrument. Consequently, Eben gives the organ a dual role, adding to its venerable, traditional style, the trivial vulgarity of a barrel organ. Thus, the Faust cycle provides us with a glimpse into the eternal struggle within man's being. The rhythmic element of the organ has always inspired Eben, and in the Four Biblical Dances he chooses the rarely used genre of the dance. The organ as a church instrument led him to keep its sacred characteristics so Eben therefore chose dances which appear in the Bible.

Faust
1. Movement 1: Prologue [4'16]
2. Movement 2: Mysterium [6'47]
3. Movement 3: Song of the beggar with the hurdy-gurdy [1'37]
4. Movement 4: Easter choirs [5'58]
5. Movement 5: Student songs [3'28]
6. Movement 6: Gretchen [5'18]
7. Movement 7: Requiem [5'54]
8. Movement 8: Walpurgis night [7'14]
9. Movement 9: Epilogue [6'00]
Four Biblical Dances
10. No 1: The dance of David before the Ark of the Covenant [6'21]
11. No 2: The dance of the Shulamite [6'04]
12. No 3: The dance of Jephtha's daughter [8'45]
13. No 4: The wedding in Cana [5'58]



VOL. 3
Organ of Oslo Cathedral

Here is the third instalment of our recordings of the complete organ music of the distinguished Czech composer Petr Eben, certainly one of the 20th century's most significant and prolific writers of organ music. We estimate that the series will eventually run to five discs. (Possibly six, since Mr Eben is currently working on another piece.) For this disc, Norwegian organist Halgeir Schiager has chosen the instrument of Oslo Cathedral. He is joined by a second organist, Kare Nordstoga, for the 'Mutations for One or Two Organs'. These are all major works, most of them not available otherwise on CD.

1. Hommage à Henry Purcell [11'23]
Ten Chorale Preludes
2. No 01: Da Christus geboren war [1'26]
3. No 02: Die Nacht ist kommen [1'30]
. No 03: Es geht daher des Tages Schein [1'26]
5. No 04: Es sind doch selig alle, die [1'06]
6. No 05: Hinunter ist der Sonne Schein [1'41]
7. No 06: Ich dank dir schon durch deinen Sohn [0'55]
8. No 07: Jesu Kreuz, Leiden und Pein [2'16]
9. No 08: Lob Gott getrost mit singen [1'02]
10. No 09: Sonne der Gerechtigkeit [0'58]
11. No 10: Wohlauf, die ihr hungrig seid [1'02]
Momenti d'organo
12. No 01: Agitato [1'31]
13. No 02: Afflitto [1'01]
14. No 03: Agile [1'18]
15. No 04: Poco moderato [1'57]
16. No 05: Impetuoso, poco presto [0'50]
17. No 06: Adagio [2'37]
18. No 07: Appassionato [1'06]
19. No 08: Marciale [1'18]
20. No 09: Comodo [1'12]
21. No 10: Scherzando [1'33]
Kleine Choralpartita über 'O Jesu, all mein Leben bist du'
22. Part 1: Thema [0'37]
23. Part 2: Agitato molto [1'10]
24. Part 3: Poco moderato [0'35]
25. Part 4: Allegretto [0'58]
26. Part 5: Risoluto [1'05]
27. Part 6: Allegro [1'30]
Versetti
28. No 1: Moderato con spirito [3'55]
29. No 2: Moderato fluente [4'39]
Due preludi festivi per organo
30. No 1: Festivo I [1'27]
31. No 2: Festivo II [1'28]
Mutationes for one or two organs
32. No 1: Impetuoso [2'17] Kåre Nordstoga (organ)
33. No 2: Allegretto [1'45] Kåre Nordstoga (organ)
34. No 3: Vehemente [1'01] Kåre Nordstoga (organ)
35. No 4: Scherzando [2'04] Kåre Nordstoga (organ)
36. No 5: Rapsodico [4'17] Kåre Nordstoga (organ)
37. No 6: Grazioso [1'52] Kåre Nordstoga (organ)
38. No 7: Duo – Agitato [5'19] Kåre Nordstoga (organ)


VOL. 4
Organ of Hedvig Eleonora Kyrkan, Stockholm

Those who have been following Halgeir Schiager’s pioneering survey of Petr Eben’s extraordinary organ works will find any words of recommendation for this new disc unnecessary; for the newcomer, the twelve Protestant Chorales at the heart of this recital will provide an excellent starting-point – the most literally contemporary (composed in 2000) music in the cycle, and yet reassuringly rooted around the traditional chorale melodies of the Church. Petr Eben is one of the foremost composers from the Czech Republic. Also known as an organist, he primarily performs his own works, but is also highly sought-after as an improviser on both the piano and the organ. His works for organ are among his most popular.

1. A Festive Voluntary 'Variations on Good King Wenceslas' [7'41]
2. Chorale Fantasy 'Amen, es werde wahr' [5'36]
Two Chorale Fantasies
3. No 1: O Boze veliký [5'21]
4. No 2: Svatý václave [4'37]
Protestant Chorales
5. No 01: K chvále Pána Boha svého [4'35]
6. No 02: Ó Svetlo, Trojice svatá [1'34]
7. No 03: Navštiv nás, Kriste zádoucí [1'55]
8. No 04: Otce všemohoucí [1'42]
9. No 05: Teš se z Krista Krále, dcerko Siónská [1'29]
10. No 06: Narodil se Kristus Pán [1'41]
11. No 07: Pán Kristus, Syn Bozí vecný [1'22]
12. No 08: Vstal z mrtvých Kristus Spasitel [1'18]
13. No 09: Ej, lidé vpravde kající [1'57]
14. No 10: Aj, jak jsou milí tvoji príbytkové [2'00]
15. No 11: Ó Pane Jezíši nejmilostivejší [1'24]
16. No 12: Probud’me se, krest’ané [1'56]
Sunday Music
17. Movement 1: Fantasia I [6'07]
18. Movement 2: Fantasia II [8'16]
19. Movement 3: Moto ostinato [5'42]
20. Movement 4: Finale [10'45]

VOL. 5
Organ of Hedvig Eleonora Kyrkan, Stockholm

Those who have been following Halgeir Schiager’s pioneering survey of Petr Eben’s extraordinary organ works will find any words of recommendation for this new disc unnecessary; for the newcomer, the programme offers an array of accessible riches, including two works where the organ is combined with other instruments to thrilling effect. Petr Eben is one of the foremost composers from the Czech Republic. Also known as an organist, he primarily performs his own works, but is also highly sought-after as an improviser on both the piano and the organ. His works for organ are among his most popular.

Landscapes of Patmos
1. No 1: Landscape with Eagle [3'44] Eirik Raude (percussion)
2. No 2: Landscape with Elders [3'30] Eirik Raude (percussion)
3. No 3: Landscape with Temple [6'30] Eirik Raude (percussion)
4. No 4: Landscape with Rainbow [2'43] Eirik Raude (percussion)
5. No 5: Landscape with Horses [6'57] Eirik Raude (percussion)
6. Prelude 1 [4'58]
7. Gloria 'Prelude 2' [2'45]
Triptychon
8. Movement 1: Agitato [3'53]
9. Movement 2: Moderato [3'35]
10. Movement 3: Allegretto [3'57]
11. Campanae gloriosae [8'34]
Okna 'Windows'
12. No 1: Blue Window 'Ruben'. Con moto [4'02] Jan Fredrik Christiansen (trumpet)
13. No 2: Green Window 'Issachar'. Andantino pastorale [5'05] Jan Fredrik Christiansen (trumpet)
14. No 3: Red Window 'Zebulon', Risoluto e drammatico [5'19] Jan Fredrik Christiansen (trumpet)
15. No 4: Golden Window 'Levi'. Festivo [5'45] Jan Fredrik Christiansen (trumpet)

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pw: petro
not my rips, thanks to original uploader!