Organ Works (disk 1)  (56:08)
	01	Concerto in D minor, BWV 596/ without tempo indication						01:09
	02	Concerto in D minor, BWV 596/ Grave						00:28
	03	Concerto in D minor, BWV 596/ Fuga						03:33
	04	Concerto in D minor, BWV 596/ Largo e spiccato						02:43
	05	Concerto in D minor, BWV 596/ without tempo indication						03:09
	06	Concerto in A minor, BWV 593/ without tempo indication						04:22
	07	Concerto in A minor, BWV 593/ Adagio						04:03
	08	Concerto in A minor, BWV 593/ Allegro						04:08
	09	Concerto in C major, BWV 594/ without tempo indication						07:22
	10	Concerto in C major, BWV 594/ Recitativo. Adagio						04:04
	11	Concerto in C major, BWV 594/ Allegro						09:01
	12	Concerto in G major, BWV 592/ without tempo indication						03:18
	13	Concerto in G major, BWV 592/ Grave						02:39
	14	Concerto in G major, BWV 592/ Presto						01:57
	15	Concerto in C major, BWV 595/ without tempo indication						04:12
Organ Works (disk 2)  (61:48)
	01	Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 - Toccata, Adagio						02:30
	02	Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 - Fugue						05:59
	03	Fantasia in G major, BWV 572 ('Piece d'orgue') - Tres vitement						01:14
	04	Fantasia in G major, BWV 572 ('Piece d'orgue') - Gravement						04:46
	05	Fantasia in G major, BWV 572 ('Piece d'orgue') - Lentement						01:33
	06	Canonic Variations on the Christmas Hymn 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her', BWV 769 - Variatio 1 - Nel canone all'ottava						01:30
	07	Canonic Variations on the Christmas Hymn 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her', BWV 769 - Variatio 2 - Alio modo, nel canone alla quinta						01:30
	08	Canonic Variations on the Christmas Hymn 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her', BWV 769 - Variatio 3 - Canone all settima						02:24
	09	Canonic Variations on the Christmas Hymn 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her', BWV 769 - Variatio 4 - Per augmentationem, nel canone all'pttava						02:54
	10	Canonic Variations on the Christmas Hymn 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her', BWV 769 - Variatio 5 - L'altra sorte, del canone al rovescio						03:07
	11	Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532 - Prelude						04:22
	12	Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532 - Fuge						05:02
	13	Pastorale in F major, BWV 590 ('Pastorella') - No.1 in F major						02:04
	14	Pastorale in F major, BWV 590 ('Pastorella') - No.2 in C major						02:21
	15	Pastorale in F major, BWV 590 ('Pastorella') - No.3 in C minor						02:24
	16	Pastorale in F major, BWV 590 ('Pastorella') - No.4 in F major						03:54
	17	Prelude and Fugue in E flat major, BWV 552 ('St. Anne') - Preludium pro organo pleno						08:04
	18	Prelude and Fugue in E flat major, BWV 552 ('St. Anne') - Fuga a 5 con pedale pro organo pleno						06:10

Simon Preston
Birth - Aug 4, 1938 in Bournemouth, England

Biography by Steven Coburn

Preston studied organ with C.H. Trevor at the Royal Academy of Music from 1956 to 1958. He later became an organ scholar at King's College Cambridge. His debut was at Festival Hall in 1962 in Janacek's Glagolitic Mass. From 1962-67, Preston was sub-organist at Westminster Abbey, then proceeded to initiate his solo concert career. At this same time he began building his reputation as a harpsichordist. In 1970, Preston was named organist and lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford, and since 1981 has been organist of Westminster Abbey.

Preston is known not only for his impeccable technique, but also for his imaginative use of color. This latter quality has made him a leading exponent of the music of Messiaen and Liszt. His repertory encompasses the entire literature from the Baroque on, and his recording of the Handel concertos is highly esteemed.


Simon Preston (Conductor, Organ)


Born: August 4, 1938 – Bournemouth, England

During a singularly distinguished career, Simon Preston has established himself, not only as one of the great organists of the 20th century, but also as one of the most illustrious musicians in the history of English Cathedral Music. As a soloist and choral director, he has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras, and his recordings have won universal acclaim. His work with the choirs of Christ Church Oxford and Westminister Abbey set standards of excellence which are regarded as points of reference.

Simon (John) Preston's early childhood in Bournemouth was followed by three years as a chorister at King's College, Cambridge, during which time he studied organ with Hugh McClean; later study was with C. H. Trevor at the Royal Academy of Music. When an unexpected organ scholarship became available at King's College, he applied and was successful, spending the best part of five years there, continuing his studies with Trevor for a while and also working with the Organist and Director of Music, Sir David Willcocks.

At this time Preston's recording career began with the release of a record of music by Orlando Gibbons. His first solo record, L'Ascension, was made with only a week's notice. Preston is renowned for his masterly performances of Messiaen's works and has made highly acclaimed recordings at the Abbey Churches of Westminister and St. Albans of La Nativite and Les Corps Glorieux. His recording career continued when he moved to Westminister Abbey as sub-organist in 1962, a post he held until 1967. Among the recordings he made there were the Reger Chorale Fantasia on "Straf mich nicht" and Reubke's Sonata on the 94th Psalm. Also in 1982 he made an outstanding debut at the Royal Festival Hall in Janacek's Glagolitic Mass.

After leaving the Abbey, he gave recitals throughout Europe and North America and in 1970 became Organist and Tutor in Music at Christ Church Oxford where his work with the choir won great praise. The Choir of Christ Church Oxford made numerous recordings under Preston including music by Lassus, Byrd, Handel, Vivaldi and Haydn Masses with the Academy of Ancient Music, as well as an acclaimed recording of music by Walton.

He was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminister Abbey in 1981, where again his work with the choir received great praise. The Westminister Abbey Choir under his direction made several distinguished recordings for Deutsche Grammophon of music by Handel, Palestrina and Allegri among others. In addition, he directed the music at the Royal Wedding in 1986 and was also responsible for composing much of "Salieri's music" in the film Amadeus.

Since 1987, when he resigned his post at Westminister Abbey, Simon Preston has continued to pursue an active career as an organist and conductor. During the past nine years he has had numerous tours of North America, the Far East, Australia and South Africa. His recordings for DG during this time have included the complete organ works of Bach, the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Poulenc Concerto with the Boston Symphony and the Copland Organ Symphony with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He conducted Handel's Belshazzar at the Three Choirs Festival in England recently, followed by Walton's Belshazzar's Feast in St. Paul, Minnesota and Handel's Alexander's Feast in Leipzig. There are currently more than 40 CD’s of his work available, including two versions of the Handel Organ Concertos with both Sir Yehudi Menuhin and Trevor Pinnock as well as Bach's Brandenburg Concerto as harpsichord soloist. In addition, Simon Preston is Artistic Director for the Calgary International Organ Festival.




SIMON PRESTON

Biography



In March 1962, a capacity crowd at the Royal Festival Hall in London was listening to a performance of a work by Janacek rarely heard at that time: the Glagolitic Mass. The audience was stunned by the brilliant and ferociously intense playing of a 23 year-old Cambridge student. The player was Simon Preston and this virtuoso performance was his London debut and the beginning of a distinguished career as organist and conductor. Prior to that, devotees of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast each Christmas Eve from King’s College, Cambridge, heard Simon Preston accompanying the Choir from the Chapel where he had been a chorister as a boy and where he returned later as Organ Scholar. Shortly after his London debut, Mr. Preston was appointed Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey and later that same year appeared for the first time at the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. During that period he worked under many famous conductors, including Leopold Stokowski and Pierre Monteux, and in 1965 made his first tour to the United States and Canada. By the time he left Westminster Abbey in 1967, Preston was already an internationally acclaimed artist.

In 1970 he became Organist of the Cathedral and Tutor in Music at Christ Church Oxford where his work with the choir won high praise. In 1981 he was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, where again his work with the choir received great acclaim. He directed the music at the wedding of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew in 1986 and was also responsible for writing much of Salieri’s music in the film Amadeus.

Since 1987, when he left Westminster Abbey, he has continued to pursue an active career as a highly sought-after organist and conductor. A magazine recently described him as "a musician of many parts" and certainly his activities fit the description well: a series of tours taking in the Far East, Australia, South Africa and much of Europe, recording the complete organ works of Bach, the Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Poulenc Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani with the Boston Symphony and the Copland Symphony for Organ with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. In October, 2000 Preston played the first recital to open the refurbished Harris & Harrison organ at Royal Festival Hall, London.

Since his first tour in 1965, Simon Preston has been a regular visitor to the US, often appearing as a guest artist at conventions of the American Guild of Organists and inaugurating new instruments, as well as tours which have included most American states. He was named International Performer of the Year (New York Chapter, AGO) for 1987 and was Artist in Residence at St. Olaf College for a term in 1989 and at Northwestern University during 1992.

The description in a Vienna newspaper last year of Simon Preston as "a living legend" serves as a reminder that his recording career began forty years ago with the performance of a Gibbons Fantasia on a King’s College, Cambridge disc. There are currently nearly fifty CDs available, including two versions of the Handel Organ Concertos with both Sir Yehudi Menuhin and Trevor Pinnock, as well as Bach’s 5th Brandenburg Concerto as harpsichord soloist, and many recordings with the choirs of both Westminster Abbey and Christ Church, Oxford. In 1971 Mr. Preston was awarded an "Edison Classique" for his recordings of Messiaen’s Les Corps Glorieux and Hindemith’s Organ Sonatas. The recording of Handel’s Coronation Anthems with the Westminster Abbey Choir conducted by Simon Preston was awarded a "Grand Prix du Disque" in 1983, and Copland’s Symphony for Organ with Preston as soloist (with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin) was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1997. In October, 2000 Deutsche Grammophon launched his complete recording of Bach’s organ works. Simon Preston is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Calgary International Organ Competition. The September issue of Classic CD has named Mr. Preston as one of "The Greatest Players of the Century" in a list which includes the entire classical music world.