Positive Feedback‘s David W. Robinson offers a rare album review for Jan Kraybill’s new recording, The Orchestral Organ:
“While I don’t do music reviews on a regular basis, there are times when a particular album really strikes me, and I have to say something…usually brief, but definite. This is one of those times. …
This is a wonderful collection of music. I was quite pleased by all of them, but can give a special tip o’ my hat to the Barber, the Gounod, the Sibelius, the…what the heck! No point in making this list; I liked them all!
Kraybill’s performance has a nice balance of verve and control. The overall impression is of joy and pleasure in the music, which flows from her understanding and touch. Her selections allow her to explore various moods and emotions, which is always quite pleasant. The progression of the album shows a sound sense of movement. Well done. …
My first audition was in our downstairs multi-channel room, which is well-vaulted, and spacious. From the first strains of RR’s recording of Kraybill, both Lila and I were entranced by the music. In fact, given some of my past disappointments with a few organ albums, I was pleased (and relieved!) to be enjoying what I was hearing. The quality the surround sound was really excellent, and it filled our room in a lovely way. … My first notes from that listening session really do say it: ‘We are listening to the DSD 5.1 now in our multi-channel room. My first impression is that this is a truly glorious recording, with Jan Kraybill providing stellar performances. I love the repertoire; not a “so what?!” in the entire bunch! The surround recording is done with real feeling and technical virtuosity in the audio arts. The sense of space and realistic decay is quite fine, and draws you into the room to sit and listen. This is a truly exemplary organ recording, one that I will listen to again and again.’” …
If you love organ music the way that I do, and especially if you have a surround system, then you simply must not miss this SACD.”
—David W. Robinson, Positive Feedback
See the fantastic full review on Positive-Feedback.com!