Organ's maiden solo recording released
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The first solo recording of the 130-rank Schoenstein & Co. organ in the Conference Center has been released under the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? label. "Now Let Us Rejoice" features 23 hymns performed by Tabernacle organists John Longhurst, Clay Christiansen and Richard Elliott. All but four of the selections are based on hymns found either in the LDS hymnal or in the Children's Songbook.
Brother Longhurst said that hymn-based compositions have an immediate appeal. "The hymn tunes themselves are familiar, yet the imaginative settings give them a freshness that helps the listener to hear beloved hymns in a new way."
The Conference Center organ, he said, is a landmark instrument of the 21st century. "Its wide variety of tonal colors and dynamic range are truly remarkable," he said.
Brother Christiansen said, "Hymns are an ideal choice for this first solo CD on the Conference Center organ. That organ was built to play hymns: meditative hymns, somber hymns, sacrament hymns, marching hymns, work hymns, exultant hymns. It can express them in any way that one might imagine, and all types are represented on this album.
"We selected two-thirds of the hymns to be on the mellow side in the hope that families might find this to be inspiring listening for, say, a Sunday afternoon. The Conference Center organ has so much capacity for expressing sweet melodies and warm harmonies. It was a joy to have the opportunity to use these capabilities to interpret the lovely hymn settings on this album."
Brother Elliott said that a few years ago a stake president asked him if a recording was available featuring the Tabernacle organists playing hymn arrangements. "I told him that there was nothing currently available but that I thought it was something that should be done," he said.
The CD is accompanied by a booklet in which the organists give some background about each hymn and identify some of the intriguing organ sounds they use. The booklet also gives a complete stoplist of the instrument.
The CD is available at Deseret Book and other music distributors nationwide. — Gerry Avant
