Swiss composer Lionel Rogg‘s 38 Chorals is an organ collection distinguished by a great variety of styles, but the natural harmonization of each melody has been maintained in most cases. Some of them are treated in a Romantic manner, perhaps evoking the sound of Brahms or Reger. In general, the pieces are of medium difficulty, with a few being easier and a few more demanding. The chorals may be grouped for the purpose of playing them in a recital since most are two or three pages in length.
Tom Leeseburg-Lange (St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Fulton, MD) recently reviewed Rogg‘s collection in In Tempo, the tri-yearly resource journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. Leeseburg-Lange writes, “My most tantalizing discovery in the preparation of this article was a slightly smaller, contemporary ‘Orgelbuchlein’ from the early 2000s…There should be only applause and accolades for this newer volume. Rogg, who thrice recorded all of Bach’s organ works, has absorbed not only Bach’s spirit but also the style of Brahms in a newer style and distinctly expressive manner.”
Click here to read the entire review.
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