The 1911 Murray M. Harris Organ St. James in-the-City Todd Wilson, organ

James Buonemani writes: With the passing of some 25 years, the David John Falconer Memorial Organ continues to inspire organists and listeners alike… a voice rescued from oblivion, and today sounding with restored grandeur for many generations to come.

Murray M. Harris (1866-1922) is generally regarded as “the Father of Organ building in the West.” This 1911 Murray M. Harris organ, now extensively restored and rebuilt, arrived at St. James in-the-City in April of 1995. The organ was acquired from St. Paul’s Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles where it had been kept in storage after the church’s demolition. The restored organ has approximately 5,000 pipes and 90 ranks playable over 3 manuals and pedal. It is dedicated to the memory of David John Falconer, who spearheaded the acquisition project as the choirmaster at Saint James. James Buonemani, current Organist & Director of Music at Saint James, guided and oversaw the restoration and subsequent additions.

Todd Wilson is head of the Organ Department at The Cleveland Institute of Music, Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, and Curator of the E.M. Skinner organ at Cleveland’s Severance Hall. He holds the Fellow and Choirmaster certificates from the American Guild of Organists and has won numerous competitions including the French Grand Prix de Chartres and the Fort Wayne Competition. He performs worldwide at such major American venues as Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Dallas’ Meyerson Symphony Center, Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall and Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, as well as international venues in the British Isles (Birmingham Symphony Hall, Westminster Abbey, St. Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin), and in Europe and Japan. Todd Wilson has over 14 CD recordings to his credit on the Raven, Naxos, JAV, Delos, Gothic, Disques du Solstice and other labels. 

This album features the premiere of Fantasy on Ave Regina Caelorum, written by James Buonemani in celebration of the 25^th anniversary of the organ in St. James in-the-City, and dedicated to Todd Wilson.  Inspired by the medieval Marian antiphon assigned to be sung at Compline, the Fantasy on Ave Regina Caelorum is entirely based on motives from this exuberant chant melody. It celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary in a tripartite form:

Part A – the praise of Mary as God-bearer – a section of mystery and rising intensity.

Part B – driving rhythms and shifting harmonic tension representing the dichotomy of Mary as both a glorious figure and a tragic one in seeing her Son crucified.

Part C – the consummation of Mary in radiant assumption into heaven – a section of great tranquility as the entire chant theme unfolds.

REVIEWS:

Choir and Organ Magazine, March 2022

This double CD marks the 25^th anniversary of the installation of this organ in St. James’s Church in L.A. Harris is considered the “Father of organ building in the West” and the church has everything to celebrate with the restoration of this fine instrument, originally built in 1911 for the pro-cathedral in LA. Todd Wilson masterfully demonstrates the organ’s rich colours, particularly through some transcriptions of Gerre Hancock’s improvisations and an enchanting piece specially composed by St. James’s director of music, James Buonemani. The main works are Reubke’s Sonata on the 94^th Psalm and Widor’s final two organ symphonies “Gothique” and “Romane.” There is a superb balance of warmth and clarity on this splendid recording which allows us to enjoy some thoughtful and finely crafted performances by Todd Wilson. – Rupert Gough

American Record Guide 1-2, 2022

It is rare these days when a recording appears where all of the elements—artist, organ, music—are of one accord. Such is the case with Todd Wilson’s superb performance of this marvelous program.

   He is currently Head of the Organ Department at The Cleveland Institute of Music, Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and Curator of the EM Skinner organ at Severance Hall in Cleveland. Regarded as one of today’s premier concert organists, he has played at venues in the United States, Europe, and Japan, and with orchestras in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Nashville, Slovakia, Florida, and London.

   The Three Cincinnati Improvisations were transcribed by Wilson from Gerre Hancock’s first commercial LP, recorded in 1970 at Christ Church in Cincinnati. The improvisation on the classic Anglican hymn-tune St. Clement, appeared on Hancock’s 1990 CD Fanfare, later transcribed in 2013 by his former assistant Peter Stolzfus Berton. The Fantasy on Ave Regina Caelorum, by James Buonemani, Organist and Director of Music at St. James in-the-City, Los Angeles, was written for the 25^th anniversary of the installation of the Harris organ in 1995 and is dedicated to Todd Wilson. It is a fine three-part commentary on the plainchant melody: an evocation of praise and supplication to the Queen of Heaven.

   This extraordinary 1911, 4-manual, 73-stop Murray M. Harris organ has a fascinating history which can be found on the church’s website (https://stjla.org/organ/). It is distinguished by an endless array of gorgeous colors which Wilson exploits beautifully, particularly in Bruce Simonds’s lush, impressionist medication on a plainchant and in the slow movement of the Reubke.

  As I listened to this recording, I was mindful of ones by some of my favorite pianists—Arrau, Bolet, Johannsen, Richter—whose unforgettable interpretations were the result of many years of thought and performance. Such is the case with Wilson’s Franck, Reubke, and Widor. He has lived with this music for many years, has something to say about it, and plays with authority, passion, and total mastery. In a word, these are flawless performances.

   Excellent notes on the music by the performer, extensive notes on the organ by Buonemani, with photos. Specification can be found on the church’s website. A truly magnificent and memorable recording. - Delcamp

The American Organist, May 2022

Murray M.Harris is best remembered today as the builder of the organ for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. At that time it was the largest organ in the world, and it would become the nucleus for the famed Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia. Like the Wanamaker, Harris’s 1911 instrument built forSt. Paul’s Cathedral in Los Angeles would ultimately embark on a journey that included removal, storage, relocation, rebuilding, and augmentation. The full, fascinating story of this remarkable organ, written by James Buonemani, organist and director of music at St. James in-the-City, may be found, along with full information about this recording and program, on the Gothic website.

   Organist Todd Wilson, who has performed in live recitals several times on this instrument, was chosen to make this stunning recording in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the organ’s installation at St. James in-the-City. His brilliant performances feature significant large works representing multiple facets of the repertoire, as well as music based on hymns particularly associated with the Episcopal liturgy. The program is designed to demonstrate many aspects of this organ’s bounty of color and expression, including the stunning new chorus reeds. 

   The first disc includes Franck’s Choral in E Major, Reubke’s Sonata on the 94th Psalm, and the Prelude on I am sol recedit igneus by Bruce Simonds. It also includes a new work by James Buonemani, written for the 25th anniversary of the David John Falconer Memorial Organ: Fantasy on Ave Regina Caelorum. This is a substantial three-part work that explores various aspects of the text of this well-known chant through a variety of musical gestures and tone colors. It is a piece that deserves to find its way into the established repertoire. Gerre Hancock, remembered as one of America’s finest improvisers, recorded an LP of improvisations in 1970, during his tenure as organist- choirmaster at Christ Church (now Cathedral) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Todd Wilson has transcribed three of these delightful and exemplary extemporizations, which he offers as a welcome part of this program. They are based on the hymn tunes LOBE DEN HERREN, GRAND ISLE, and AR HYD Y NOS. Thankfully, they have recently been published by Oxford University Press in an album of Hancock’s organ compositions. 

   The second disc is devoted to two late masterworks by Charles Marie-Widor: the Symphonie gothique, Op. 70, and the Symphonie romane, Op. 73. These works offer plenty of opportunity to showcase the Harris organ’s multitude of tonal resources. While not inspired directly by the work of Cavaillé-Coll (Harris trained under the American organbuilder George S. Hutchings), this instrument sounds and feels remarkably at home rendering the music of Widor. 

   Wilson offers a final treat—another of Gerre Hancock’s inimitable improvisations. The Improvisation on ST. CLEMENT appears on his CD Fanfare, recorded in 1990 for Gothic Records at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, where Hancock was then organist and master of choristers. Transcribed by former St. Thomas assistant organist Peter Stoltzfus Berton, this gorgeous six-minute extemporization is a veritable lesson in modulation and console manipulation, carrying the captivating melody of this evening hymn ever higher in a sweeping crescendo that ultimately recedes into the shadows of quiet repose, breathed by the organ’s quietest voices.   

   Todd Wilson is a consummate musician with a fine sense of pacing and an immaculate technique that is always subservient to the music. Whether in Franck, Reubke, or Widor, he knows when to allow the virtuosic aspects to come to the fore, while always keeping control, pulling back at just the right places, allowing the listener to discern the overall phrasing and structure. This is especially helpful in the Widor works, which can seem amorphous under lesser hands. Wilson executes Widor’s whimsical turns of phrase with taste and style, allowing the listener to clearly discern the composer’s idiosyncratic musical language. His performance of Reubke’s highly dramatic sonata, abetted by the marvelous tonal palette of the Harris instrument, makes for one of the most memorable and commendable renderings of this work to be encountered. Again, Wilson’s fine balance of virtuosity, technical control, pacing, and musical sensitivity to the contrasting emotional aspects of this demanding piece make this a benchmark performance. 

   It is fortuitous that Murray Harris’s 1911 masterpiece has been preserved and is thriving in a welcoming environment in which many of the world’s finest organists have been privileged to share their artistic gifts. It is an outstanding and unique representation of a style of organbuilding that stands at the crossroads between the late 19th-century German American classical aesthetic (as exemplified by the likes of Walcker and Hook) and the burgeoning orchestral-symphonic organ championed by Skinner and his contemporaries. Todd Wilson has beautifully demonstrated this instrument’s power, delicacy, vibrancy, and tonal bounty—all excellently captured in an acoustically rewarding environment. Not to be missed. - JAMES HILDRETH