JOHN WEAVER performs. . .
Schantz organ, Indianapolis, Indiana
John Weaver, one of the America’s finest concert organists, was Director of Music at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City from 1970-2005. He was Head of the Organ Department at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia from 1972 to 2003, and also Chair of the Organ Department at The Juilliard School from 1987 to 2004. Here he plays a varied program, including some rarely heard works by Leighton and Bingham. His program concludes with his own Fantasia for Organ.
Dupre: Cortege et Litanie
Bach: The Six Schübler Chorales
Leighton: Prelude, Scherzo & Passacaglia
Bingham: Roulade
Schubert, arr. Weaver: Ave Maria
Weaver: Fantasia for Organ
John Weaver Performs Dupré, Bach, Leighton, Bingham, Schubert-Weaver, Weaver "From start to finish the recital confirms Weaver's polished skill....and Weaver emerges as a top-notch recitalist whose program shows off the versatility and broad resources of this instrument." -American Record Guide
"....a performer whose technique, musicianship, stylistic acuity and taste make for interpretations of uncommon clarity, poise and good sense." -The New York Times
"Mr. Weaver's playing was tasteful, balanced, technically assured and always engrossing." -The New York Times
CHICAGO "WEAVER MASTERFUL AS ORGAN SERIES BEGINS" "John Weaver....was the performer....and he made it a dazzling experience."
-Chicago Sun-Times
"He plays everything as though to its manner born, as though he had the inside track to each composer's individuality and had no need to work his way over the barriers or through the channels of stylistic attitudes that serve lesser men as
-The American Organist
"SUPERB RECITAL BY JOHN WEAVER ON CURTIS ORGAN. Mr. Weaver is both an artist and an entertainer. His technique is unobtrusive and never detracts from the spells he weaves at the console....His program was unhackneyed and seemed designed for pure entertainment rather than to display each and every stop at the great organ."
-Evening Bulletin
"John Weaver is a musician for all seasons." -The Plain Dealer
"John Weaver's virtuoso performance....played from memory....was hailed by many for its high professional standards. His recital was one of the few during the convention that brought nearly the whole house to its feet." -The Diapason
"....a remarkable program played by John Weaver....remarkable in Mr. Weaver's ability to perform major compositions with such convincing results on such a modest instrument. Mr. Weaver is certainly one of the most gifted performers of our time." -Music
"He has all the technical gifts one could wish for, and the interpretive savvy to put those gifts to effective use." -The Courier-Journal
"Weaver rose to the works' challenges with bold registrations and bravura. Yet his articulation was lean and calculated. Even in complex textures, the many layers emerged clearly, and the weight never become ponderous." -The Atlanta Journal
"WEAVER'S KEYBOARD MAGIC WINS OVATION." "Organist John Weaver and the Portland Symphony Orchestra won a standing ovation....The concert audience was awed by Mr. Weaver's mastery of the immense organ and let him know it. He repaid their plaudits with a solo encore performance of a Bach fugue that once again drew a tumult of applause." -Portland (ME) Press Herald
"He has a breathtaking command of his instrument, innate musicality, an ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand and a striking appearance at the console." -The Diapason
"No one should remain unacquainted with the great merit of a Weaver recital." -The American Organist
"Command of the instrument, an unerring sense of musical direction, and the polish of a seasoned performer..." -San Diego Union
"SKILL AND STYLE WIN APPLAUSE." "Few times has the instrument been used so effectively....Mr. Weaver showed unusual knowledge of the organ's possibilities and used them to the limit." -Daily Texan
