The 4-CDs in this set include ten organs built by Casavant 1890-1999, five built by S. R. Warren 1854-1892, four built by Hellmuth Wolff 1973-1993, three built by Guilbault-Thérien 1990-95, three built by Rudolf von Beckerath 1959-61, two built by Mitchell & Forté or Louis Mitchell 1866-1871, and single organs built by William Nutting in 1854, Eusèbe Brodeur in 1898, and Edward Lye in 1910.

The playing on these CDs is simply awesome, including Ken Cowan’s thrilling Ride of the Valkyries as played on the 1890/1924/1991 Casavant 4m at Notre Dame Basilica. Catherine Todorovski brings the greatest of musical qualities to bear on her entirely ingratiating performance on the smallest organ, a 3-rank Warren organ built in Skudamore style in 1871. Parts of the Montréal Organ Book are played wonderfully by Yves Préfontaine on the very large organ built in 18th-century French classical style by Guilbault-Thérien in the acoustic grandeur of the seminary chapel and Lucienne and Gaston Arel play Spanish works on the more eclectic Guilbault-Thérien at St. Léon. There are splendid performances by all of the 40 players on this disc, whose names appear with the repertoire and the organs they play, below:

CD 1 Organs by Casavant Fréres
1 RICHARD WAGNER: Ride of the Valkyries
2 P. I. TCHAIKOVSKY: Nocturne in C-sharp Minor
3 MARCO ENRICO BOSSI: Giga
4 CHARLES TOURNEMIRE: “Victimae Paschali”
Ken Cowan, organist (Tracks 1, 2, and 3)
Pierre Grandmaison, organist (Track 4)
1890/1924/1991 Casavant, Basilique de Notre-Dame, Montréal

5 THÉODORE DUBOIS: Marcietta
6 HYMN: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Alan Reesor, organist
1891 Casavant, Église Saint-François-Xavier, Saint-François-du-Lac

7 ANTOINE REBOULOT: “Pater Noster” grégorien
8 A. GUILMANT: Introduction et Allegro (Sonate 1)
Jean-Guy Proulx, organist
1885/1912 Casavant, Cathédrale, Saint-Hyacinthe

9 J. ERMEND BONNAL: Paysage Landais
10 GABRIEL PIERNÉ: Prélude, op. 29, no. 1
Jacques Boucher, organist
1915/1995 Casavant, Église Saint-Jean Baptiste, Montréal

11 DENIS BÉDARD: Scherzo (from Sinfonietta)
12 PIERRE COGEN: Fantaisie sur une Antienne
Sylvie Poirier and Philip Crozier, duo organists
1915/1985-86/1999 Casavant, Église du Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus

13 M. E. BOSSI: Scherzo in G Minor, op. 49, no. 2
Denis Bédard, organist
1996 Casavant, Église Sainte-Famille, Boucherville

CONRAD LETENDRE: Suite Alme Pater
14 Fughetta sur “Asperges me”
15 Elévation sur “Hosanna in excelsis”
16 Toccata dorienne sur les Kyrie I, II, III
Aline Letendre, organist
1901/1954/1986 Casavant/Guilbault-Thérien, Le Gesù, Montréal

CD 2 Modern Tracker Organs by Guilbault-Thérien, Létourneau, and Wilhelm
1 JUAN XIMENEZ: Battala de sexto tono
2 PABLO BRUNA: Tiento sobra la letania de la Virgen
3 DENIS BÉDARD: Variations on “In dulci jubilo”
Lucienne L’Heureux-Arel, organist (Tracks 1 and 3)
Gaston Arel, organist (Track 2)
1995 Guilbault-Thérien, Église Saint-Léon de Westmount

ANONYMOUS: Suite in F (Livre d’orgue de Montréal)
4 Plein jeu
5 Duo
6 Trio
7 Récit
8 Trio (Dialogue de Récits)
9 Basse de Trompette
10 Dialogue sur les Grands jeux
J.-J. BEAUVARLET-CHARPENTIER: Journal d’orgue 6
11 Récit de flûtes
12 Offertoire den forme de simphonie concertante
Yves Préfontaine, organist
1990 Guilbault-Thérien, Grand Séminaire de Montréal

13 JOHANN ADAM REINCKEN: Fugue in G Minor
14 VINCENT LÜBECK: Prelude and Fugue in E Major
Réjean Poirier, organist
1993 Létourneau, Église Saint-Gilbert, Montréal

15 D. BUXTEHUDE: Prelude and Fugue in E major
16 J. S. BACH: Chorale Prelude on “Wachet auf”
17 HYMN: God Himself Is with Us
Mireille Lagacé, organist (Tracks 15 and 16)
Peter Hawkins, organist (Track 17)
1973 Wilhelm, St. Matthias’ Church (Anglican), Westmount

18 CHARLES IVES: Variations on “America”
Jonathan Oldengarm, organist
1980 Wilhelm, Christ Church Cathedral (Anglican), Montréal

CD 3 Modern Tracker Organs by Wolff and von Beckerath
1 JOHANN C. F. FISCHER: Chaconne
Dom André Laberge, organist
1973 Wolff, Abbaye cistercienne Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Oka

NICOLAS DE GRIGNY: Messe (1699)
2 Et in terra pax à 5
3 Duo
4 ALEXANDRE BOËLY: Fantasia, op. 18
Marc André Doran, organist
1981 Wolff, Redpath Hall, McGill University, Montréal

5 HYMN: Dearest Jesus, at Your Word
6 J. S. BACH: “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier,” BWV 730
7 J. S. BACH: “Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier,” BWV 731
8 NIELS GADE: Moderato (from Drei Tonstücke)
Kevin Komisaruk, organist (Track 5)
Danielle Dubé, organist (Tracks 6, 7, and 8)
1984 Wolff, Church of St. John the Evangelist, Montréal

9 DENIS BÉDARD: Psaume 26 (27)
10 MICHAEL FRITH: Toccata on “Veni Creator”
Patrick Wedd, organist
Musica Orbium choir, directed by Patrick Wedd
1993 Wolff, Église de la Visitation du Sault-au-Récollet, Montréal

J. S. BACH: Selections from the Orgelbüchlein
11 Gottes Sohn ist kommen
12 Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottes-Sohn
13 Gelobet sei’st du, Jesu Christ
14 Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich
15 Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schaar
16 In dulci jubilo
17 HYMN: Father, We Praise Thee
John Grew, organist
1959 von Beckerath, St. Andrew’s – Dominion-Douglas
United Church, Westmount
J. S. BACH: Selections from the Great 18 Chorales
18 Komm, Gott, Schöpfer, heiliger Geist, BWV 667
19 Nun komm’, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659
20 Nun komm’, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 661
Bernard Lagacé, organist
1961 von Beckerath, Église Immaculée-Conception, Montréal

21 NICOLAS DE GRIGNY: Récit de Tierce en Taille
22 HYMN: O Laughing Light
23 RAYMOND DAVELUY: Final (from Sonate 5)
Raymond Daveluy, organist (Track 21)
Bruce Stevens, organist (Track 22)
Rachel Laurin, organist (Track 23)
1960 von Beckerath, L’Oratoire Saint-Joseph, Montréal

CD 4 Antique Organs
1 GIUSEPPE GHERARDESCHI: Pollonese a riposte
2 J. PACHELBEL: Fugue 11 (Magnificat primi toni)
3 J. PACHELBEL: Fugue 10 (Magnificat secundi toni)
4 BALDASSARE GALUPPI: Sonata: Allegro
Catherine Todorovski, organist
c. 1876 S. R. Warren, St. Georges’ Anglican, Clarenceville

5 J. S. BACH: Fugue 1 (from Art of the Fugue)
6 D. SCARLATTI: Sonata in A Major, K. 322
7 MAX REGER: Ein feste Burg, op. 135a
Luc Beauséjour, organist
1866 Mitchell & Forté, Le Gesù, Montréal

8 FRANZ LISZT: Ave Maria von Arcadelt
9 AMÉDÉE TREMBLAY: Menuet français
10 JOSEPH BONNET: Rêverie
Hélène Dugal, organist
1892 Casavant, Église Sainte-Cécile, Sainte-Cécile de Milton

11 WILLIAM REED: Triumphal March
Benjamin Waterhouse, organist
1854 S. R. Warren, St. Stephen’s Anglican, Chambly

12 CHARLES BURNEY: Fugue in F Minor 3:51 Margaret De Castro, organist
1854 Willliam Nutting, All Saints’ Anglican, Dunham

13 WILLIAM HINE: Voluntary in F
Thomas Annand, organist
c. 1855 S. R. Warren, United Church of Dunham, Dunham

14 JEAN LE BUIS: Homage à Maurice Ravel
Jean Le Buis, organist
1898 Eusèbe Brodeur, Église Saint-Joseph-de-Soulanges,
Les Cèdres

15 D. BUXTEHUDE: Fugue in C Major (Gigue)
Richard Paré, organist
1871 Louis Mitchell, Église Saint-Michel-de-Vaudreuil
16 LOUIS J. A. LEFÉBURE-WÉLY: Pastorale
17 LOUIS VIERNE: Divertissement
Christopher Jackson, organist
c. 1882 S. R. Warren, Église de la Visitation, Île-Dupas

18 A. GUILMANT: Verset (Fantaisie pour l’orgue)
19 DENIS BÉDARD: Andantino
Michelle Quintal, organist
1899 Casavant, Église Saint-Alexis de Montcalm, Saint-Alexis

20 J. S. BACH: “Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottes-Sohn,” BWV 601
21 J. S. BACH: “Vater unser im Himmelreich,” BWV 683
Monique Gendron, organist
1910 Edward Lye & Sons, Wesley United Church, Clarenceville

22 J. S. BACH: Chorale Prelude on “In dulci jubilo”
23 F. D. CLARK: Prelude on a 2nd Mode Melody
Bridget Chatterley, organist
1867 S. R. Warren, Bishop Stewart Memorial Church of
the Holy Trinity, Frelighsburg

24 F. MENDELSSOHN: Allegro, Chorale, and Fugue in D
Régis Rousseau, organist
1900 Casavant, Église de l’Annonciation d’Oka, Oka