ORGAN CONCERTO
I. Toccata
II.Elegy
III. Scherzo
IV. Finale
New York Times Review
Duration: 21 minutes
"The true conquest of the everung...was to belong to Stephen Paulus.. Paulus crafted an intricate work
conceived texturally as a quickly articulated dialogue among the principal partners: organ, percussion, strings
The elements of the concerto were complex but interwoven in such fashion as to suggest a mosaic... Given the
absolute fluency of craft that wove Paulus's inspirations into more than absorbing texture but matchless
musical structure ITom the smallest to biggest scales. Paulus should well be remembered in any accounting of
the musical life of America at the end of this century...... a new masterwork awaits further hearing..."
-- The American Organist"
"Paulus's concerto zings with controlled energy..One of the...composer's most imaginative works to date.
Scored for organ, strings, percussion and timpani (no woodwinds or brass), it reveals a fascination for
exploring the sonic variety possible within these restrictions... There is a great deal of kinetic
energy--a typical Paulus trait--at times approaching wildness. But while this concerto imparts a refreshingly quirky spontaneity,
it is tightly structured, so that repeated hearings are likely to continue to hold a listener's interest. "
--Derrick Henry, The Atlanta Journal/The Atlanta Constitution
"We should not expect [the Organ Concerto] to reveal all of its delights and information on a first hearing.
Nor should we, accordingly, expect it to exhaust its information and delights by a twentieth--or a fiftieth
hearing... You would not find a single dissenting voice among us if! declare that... our understanding,
enjoyment and enthusiasm for the piece have multiplied not merely appreciably--but remarkably....
--Robert Shaw
Publisher: Paulus Publications
Recordings: Pipedreams CD-1003, Atlanta Symphony Members, George Hanson, Norman Mackenzie, Petty-Madden Organ, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta
Performances: Trinity Presbyterian Church (Norman Mackenzie), National City Christian Church with Fairfax Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC (Gregory D'Agustino), Manhattan Chamber Orchestra (David Macfarlane), Charleston Symphony Orchestra at Piccolo Spoleto Festival (Gregory D'Agostino), American Guild of Organists Region III Convention, West Virginia Symphony (Peter Dubois), Kansas University Symphony Orchestra (James Higdon), Members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for the National American Guild of Organists Convention (Norman Mackenzie), Chamber Orchestra of the West (Donald Pearson), Cathedral Church of S1. Mark (Melanie Ninneman), Presbyterian Church Sewickley PA, First Presbyterian Church Tyler TX (Keith Weber), Pipedreams Radio Broadcast with Atlanta Symphony Members (Norman Mackenzie), Julliard Orchestra at Alice TuUy Hall (Sean Jackson), Louisville Orchestra at S1. Francis in the Fields Church (James Rightrneyer), Holy Trinity Church Washington DC (Patricia Schrock), Kenwood Chamber Orchestra at S1. Olaf Catholic Church Minneapolis (Jonathan Biggers)
Commissioned by Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia, for the CURRENTS Arts Festival World Premiere: Trinity Presbyterian Church, March 29, 1992
Organist: Norman Mackenzie
Conductor: Robert Shaw
