New Organ CD from Shin-Ae Chun
Redeemer's former Director of Music

Sample Tracks

Ordering Information

Excerpts from Reclaim News, November 8, 2005

An amazing recording, "The Angels Dance: The Sounds of Christmas" played by Shin-Ae Chun, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, débuted at the (2005) Walther Conference at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.

It makes a memorable Christmas gift. As its title suggests, close your eyes and watch angels dance across the keys. Mike Schwartz's festive cover attempts to capture the moment.

The conference was also encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to promote an appreciation of organ music they would like to preserve in their worship services.

This CD offers a rare recording of classic selections by Bach, Buxtehude, Du Mage and others. It is a professionally recorded and produced CD, packaged in a cellophane-rapped jewel case.

New CD's of this quality normally sell for $15.00. "The Angels Dance" may be purchased, while supplies last, at $6.00 per copy from cnmail@fidnet.com or by calling Christian News at 573-237-3110. This recording was produced at the request of Redeemer Lutheran Church where Shin-Ae Chun is the director of music and its organist.

Shin-Ae Chun is a doctoral student of Marilyn Mason and also studies the harpsichord with Edward Parmentier at the University of Michigan. She has recently competed in international competitions in Japan and Ireland.

It is often difficult to produce a clear recording of a pipe organ. Poor acoustics and reverberation tend to muddy the sound. This is why some recordings of organ music lack the brilliance of the live performance. Too much reverberation and heavy, unclear, pedal sounds blur melody lines.

However, the magnificent acoustics in the Blanche Anderson Moore Hall and the Marilyn Mason Organ (Fisk Opus 87) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI offer a rare opportunity to record much of what is played in a live performance.

The Marilyn Mason Organ was built as a replica of 18th century organs by Gottfried Silbermann in Bach's time. Since the action for this organ is direct mechanical (tracker), you can hear trackers move in the background as keys in the manuals and the pedal are played. The organ has short keys and a flat pedal board, as found in baroque organs of the period. This presents some difficulty for performers playing this kind of instrument today.

The listener will hear that Shin-Ae Chun has mastered this instrument.

This organ perfectly serves the compositions of J.S. Bach and other early composers. It has 27 stops, with 35 ranks and 1,816 pipes. The keys and stop actions are direct mechanical. This instrument most closely resembles the organ built by Gottfried Silbermann in Georgenkirche, Rötha, Germany.

The Fisk Opus 87, "Marilyn Mason Organ" is optimal for Chun's selections as the instrument is beautifully voiced and appropriate for this repertoire. The instrument's various timber rejoice in bright, celebratory tones.

We wish to thank Dr. Marilyn Mason, Chairperson of the Organ Department of the University of Michigan, for use of the Marilyn Mason Organ at Blanche Anderson Moore Hall at the University of Michigan.

"Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs." Psalm 150:4

"The Angels Dance" evokes the yuletide spirit. Most of the selections are sacred compositions for the Christmas season from Germany and England, but the rest suit with the seasonal tone. Through this CD, Shin-Ae Chun offers a sublime performance and shows remarkable technical skill while still performing with flair and conviction; her taste in registration, articulation and sense of the musical line captures the essence of the music.

Shin-Ae Chun was asked to choose selections for this CD that reflect the light, bright, joyous sounds of Christmas. We also asked her to include Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor," people's favorite, even though it has nothing to do with Christmas. If you want to hear something unique for Christmas, this is it.

Samples of each track in The Angels Dance.

Track	Title	Composer	Length (minutes)
1	Praeludium D-Dur BuxWV 139	Dieterich Buxtehude (1637 – 1707)	6:30
2	Allein Gott in der Höh sei Her, BWV 675	Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)	3:23
3	Voluntary in D minor	John Alcock (1715 – 1806)	5:28
4	Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimmer, BWV 645	J.S. Bach	5:02
5	Basse de Trompette (Livre d'Orgue)	Pierre Du Mage (1674 – 1751)	2:20
6	In the Bleak Mid-Winter	Gustav Holst (1894 – 1934) (Arranged)	4:03
7	Allegro (Trio Sonata No. 5, BWV 529)	J.S. Bach	3:44
8	Variations on Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming	Murry C. Bradshaw (b. 1930)	4:33
9	Praeludim und Fuge D-Dur, BWV 532	J.S. Bach	10:52
10	Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern	Johann Heinrich Buttstedt (1666 – 1727)	2:32
11	Toccata und Fuge d-Moll, BWV 565	J.S. Bach	9:06
			Total 57:34

+ + + Ordering Information + + +

Copies of The Angels Dance are available from Christian News at $6.00 each. You can email them at cnmail@fidnet.com or call 573-237-3110.

For those in the Ann Arbor area, Dr. Chun's CD's may be found at the area Borders Store. Address, hours, map, etc. may be found on their website.

New for 2006. Check out Dr. Chun's 2-CD album, On Cherubim Wings.

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